Barbados is an independent island nation in the western Atlantic Ocean, just to the east of the Caribbean Sea, at roughly 13° N and 59° W. Located fairly close to South America, Barbados is around 434 kilometres (270 miles) northeast of Venezuela. The closest island neighbours to Barbados are Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the west, Trinidad and Tobago to the south, and Grenada to the south-west. Barbados is part of the Lesser Antilles. Barbados has a land area of about 430 square kilometres, (166 square miles), and is primarily low-lying, with some higher regions in the island's interior. The organic composition of Barbados is thought to be of non-volcanic origin and is predominantly composed of limestone-coral.