GEOGRAPHY OF KANASA:

 

 

Kanasa Island is an island in the Southern Indian Ocean approximately half way between Australia and Southern Africa. The island is located at approximately 49˚20’ South and 70˚20’ East.  Kanasa Island is surrounded by many smaller reefs and islets. This makes the total land area 7,215 sq km with the main island measuring 6,675 sq km. The coastline of the main island is heavily indented with many fjords and bays while the much of the interior is covered by thick glaciers. This makes much of the island uninhabitable. Therefore, this is the main reason why the island has such a low population. The highest point on the island is Mount Kanasa which is 1,850m above sea level. The main island measures 140km in length and 120km in width.

 

The climate varies greatly depending where you are on the island. There are a lot of microclimates due to the mountain range that forms the backbone of the island. But no matter where you are on the island, chances are you will experience some form of constant wind which at times can reach gusts of 150 to 200 km/hr. This constant wind is caused by the islands being at Antarctic Convergence Zone where cold water from the Antarctic mixes with the warmer waters from the Indian Ocean. At the top of the highest peaks in winter (June to September), the daytime temperature can dip as low as –20C. Near the coast, the winter temperature is usually around freezing (0C) during the day and around –5 at night. The summers are relatively temperate with daytime temperatures ranging from 10C to 15C and night temperatures dropping to between 5C and 8C. Rain or snow are common throughout most of the year and precipitation is concentrated on the west side of the island since the winds blow constantly from the west bringing moisture laden clouds.

 

Below is a climatic table of the temperature and precipitation for Kanasa City (the capital of the country):

 

MONTH:	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	Jun.	Jul.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.
HIGH (C˚)	13	12	9	7	3	2	2	3	3	5	8	11
LOW (C˚)	8	8	5	2	-1	-2	-3	-2	-2	1	4	7
PRECIP:	5.1	6.1	7.1	8.9	8.4	8.4	8.6	7.4	7.6	5.6	4.3	4.6

 

 

Below is a list of quick geographic facts for Kanasa:

 

 

Geographic Coordinates:                      49˚20’S and 70˚20’E

Land Area:                                         7,215 sq km.

Water Area:                                       Negligible

Land Boundaries:                                0 km

Coastline:                                          1,232 km

Territorial Waters:                               200 nm

Climate:                                            Varies from marine temperate to subantarctic.

Terrain:                                             Volcanic and Glacial

Lowest Point:                                     Indian Ocean

Highest Point:                                    Mount Kanasa 1,850m

Natural Resources:                              Oil, Fish, Crayfish

Land Use:                                          Arable Land 0%, Other 100%

Irrigated Land:                                    Negligible

Natural Hazards:                                 occasional volcanic eruptions on outer islands.

 

Population:                                        (2002 estimate: - 65,995)

 

Age Structure:                                    0-14 years  22.3%       (male 7,385; female 7,330)

                                                        15-64 years 64%         (male 22,447; female 19,795)

                                                        65 years+  13.7%       (male 4,042; female 4,996)

 

 

Population Growth Rate:                      0.74% per year

Birth Rate:                                         13.74 births/1,000 population

Death Rate:                                       8.69 deaths/1,000 population

Net Migration Rate:                             2.39 migrants/1,000 population

 

Population Density:                             9.15 people per sq km.

 

Sex ration:                                         At birth:             1 male to 1 female

                                                        Under 15 years   1.01 male to 1 female

15-65                                                 1.15 male to 1 female

64+ years          0.81 male to 1 female

 

total population  1.06 male to 1 female

 

 

Infant Mortality Rate:                          6.66 deaths for 1,000 live births

 

Life expectancy at Birth:                      total population  78.74 years

                                                        Female              82.21 years

                                                        Male                  75.28 years

 

 

Total fertility rate:                              2.27 children born/woman

 

HIV/AIDS rate:                                    Negligible

 

Nationality:                                        Kanasan

 

Ethnic Groups:                                    98% Kanasa, 2% other.

 

Languages:                                        Kanasa (official), English widely understood by a majority of the population.

 

Literacy:                                            99% of those 15 years and older.