Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:
20 00 S, 47 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 587,040 sq km
land: 581,540 sq km
water: 5,500 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Arizona

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
4,828 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m deep isobath

Climate:
tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south

Terrain:
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center