Editing Geography of the Bahamas (section)

==Geography==
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2021}}

===Location===
[[Image:BahamasOMC.png|thumb|upright=1.8|Map of the Bahamas]]
[[Atlantic Ocean]], chain islands in the North [[Atlantic Ocean]], southeast of [[Florida]], northeast of [[Cuba]] and northwest of the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]].

'''Geographic coordinates (capital city [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]):''' 25°4′N 77°20′W

===Area===
*total: 13,880&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
:''county comparison to the world:'' 161
*land: 3865 square miles;  10,010&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
*water: 3,870&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>

====Area comparative====
*[[Australia]] comparative: 6 times larger than the [[Australian Capital Territory]]
*[[Canada]] comparative: a little over twice the size of [[Prince Edward Island]]
*[[Poland]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship]]
*[[United Kingdom]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[Northern Ireland]]
*[[United States]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[Connecticut]]
*[[France]] comparative: slightly larger than [[Île-de-France]]
*The [[Philippines]] comparative: slightly larger than [[Ilocos Region]]
*[[Germany]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[Schleswig-Holstein]]
*[[Russia]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[Karachay-Cherkess Republic]]
*[[Indonesia]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[North Sulawesi]]
*[[Ivory Coast]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[Comoé District]]

===Land ===

====Natural resources====
* [[salt]], [[limestone]], [[timber]], [[arable land]]

====Land use====
*arable land: 0.8%
*permanent crops: 0.04%
*other: 98.8% (2012)

====Coastline====
* {{convert|3542|km|mi}}
* A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 1,354&nbsp;km² of tidal flats in the Bahamas, making it the 24th ranked country in terms of tidal flat area.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=N.J. |last2=Phinn |first2=S.R. |last3=DeWitt |first3=M. |last4=Ferrari |first4=R. |last5=Johnston |first5=R. |last6=Lyons |first6=M.B. |last7=Clinton |first7=N. |last8=Thau |first8=D. |last9=Fuller |first9=R.A. |title=The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats |journal=Nature |date=2019 |volume=565 |issue=7738 |pages=222–225 |doi=10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8 |pmid=30568300 |s2cid=56481043 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0805-8}}</ref>

====Sea territory====
* {{convert|654,715|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}

====Terrain====
* The terrain consists of long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills.

====Extreme points====
*Northernmost point – [[Walker's Cay]], [[Abaco Islands]]
*Southernmost point – [[Matthew Town]] [[Great Inagua]] island
*Westernmost point – [[Elbow Cays]], [[Bimini]]
*Easternmost point – [[Mayaguana]] Island
*Lowest point – Atlantic Ocean 0 m
*Highest point – [[Mount Alvernia]]: 63 m
*Closest point to [[Cuba]] - [[Cay Lobos]] 22.5&nbsp;km (14&nbsp;mi)

====Irrigated land====
* 10&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (2003)

====Total renewable water resources====
* 0.02&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup> (2011)

==== Landforms ====
As an island nation, the Bahamas is made up of numerous [[archipelago]]s, [[beach]]es, [[strait]]s, [[blue hole]]s, and other landforms. The tallest mountain is [[Mount Alvernia]], at only 207 feet above sea level. Notable bodies of water include [[Dean's Blue Hole]], Lake Rosa, and the [[Goose River (Bahamas)|Goose River]]. The Bahamas also contains [[List of creeks of the Bahamas|many creeks]].

===Environment===

==== Forests ====
In the Bahamas [[forest cover]] is around 51% of the total land area, equivalent to 509,860 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, which was unchanged from 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 509,860 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 0 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to be [[primary forest]] (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 0% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 80% of the forest area was reported to be under [[State ownership|public ownership]], 20% [[Private property|private ownership]] and 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}</ref>

====Natural hazards====
*Hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage

====Environment - Current issues====
*Coral reef decay
*Solid waste disposal
{{see also|List of invasive marine fish in Florida{{!}}List of invasive marine fish in the Bahamas}}

====Environment - International agreements====
Party to these agreements: 
*Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-[[Kyoto Protocol]], [[Desertification]], Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetl

====Geography - note====
* The Bahamas is strategically located adjacent to the United States and Cuba (Cay Confites to 14 miles).
* The Bahamas is an extensive island chain of which 30 islands are inhabited.