Navassa Island :: Central America and Caribbean
Introduction
Background:
This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857 for its guano. Mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The lighthouse, built in 1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration of Navassa Island transferred from the US Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs. A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a "unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity." The following year it became a National Wildlife Refuge and annual scientific expeditions have continued.
Geography
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti
Geographic coordinates:
18 25 N, 75 02 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total:
5 sq km
land:
5.4 sq km
water:
0 sq km
country comparison to the world: 248
Area - comparative:
about nine times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
8 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
12
nm
exclusive economic zone:
200
nm
Climate:
marine, tropical
Terrain:
raised flat to undulating coral and limestone plateau; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Elevation:
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m
Natural resources:
guano (mining discontinued in 1898)
Land use:
agricultural land:
0%
(2011 est.)
arable land:
0%
(2011 est.)
/
permanent crops:
0%
(2011 est.)
/
permanent pasture:
0%
(2011 est.)
forest:
0%
(2011 est.)
other:
100%
(2011 est.)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes
Environment - current issues:
some coral bleaching
Geography - note:
strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock with numerous solution holes (limestone sinkholes) but with enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig trees, scattered cactus
People and Society
Population:
uninhabited; transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
Education expenditures:
NA
Government
Country name:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Navassa Island
etymology:
the flat island was named "Navaza" by some of Christopher COLUMBUS' sailors in 1504; the name derives from the Spanish term "nava" meaning "flat land, plain, or field"
Dependency status:
unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of the Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; Haiti has claimed the island since the 19th century
Legal system:
the laws of the US apply where applicable
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of the US)
Flag description:
the flag of the US is used
Economy
Economic overview:
Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge waters.
Ease of Doing Business Index scores:
Transportation
Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only
Military and Security
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international:
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing
