SELECT EDITION
CATEGORIES
◆ ENVIRONMENT(3 fields)
Climate
marine, tropical
Environmental issues
some coral bleaching
Land use
other: 100% (2018 est.)
◆ GEOGRAPHY(15 fields)
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.
Climate
marine, tropical
Coastline
8 km
Elevation
highest point: 200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Geographic coordinates
18 25 N, 75 02 W
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
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Land use
other: 100% (2018 est.)
Location
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
hurricanes
Natural resources
guano (mining discontinued in 1898)
Terrain
raised flat to undulating coral and limestone plateau; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
◆ GOVERNMENT(5 fields)
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
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy: none (territory of the US)
Flag
the flag of the US is used
Legal system
the laws of the US apply
◆ INTRODUCTION(1 fields)
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.
◆ MILITARY AND SECURITY(1 fields)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the US
◆ PEOPLE AND SOCIETY(1 fields)
Population
total: uninhabited