Navassa Island

Central America and Caribbean

Population

N/A

Area

5 km²

GDP

N/A

GDP Per Capita

N/A

Background

The US claimed uninhabited Navassa Island 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 was 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.

Geography15

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

Area - comparative

about nine times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries

total: 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

highest point: 200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources

guano (mining discontinued in 1898)

Land use

other: 100% (2018 est.)

Natural hazards

hurricanes

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 & Society1

Population

total: uninhabited

Government5

Country name

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island
etymology: the flat island was named "Navaza" by sailors with the Christopher COLUMBUS expedition in 1504; the name derives from the Spanish word nava, meaning "flat land or level ground"

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; Haiti has claimed the island since the 19th century

Legal system

the laws of the US apply

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: none (territory of the US)

Flag

the flag of the US is used

Military & Security1

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the US

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