countries/BQ

Navassa Island

territoryFIPS: BQ|Edition: 1991|17 fields

COMMUNICATIONS(1 fields)

Ports

none; offshore anchorage only

DEFENSE FORCES(1 fields)

Note

defense is the responsibility of the US

ECONOMY(1 fields)

Overview

no economic activity

GEOGRAPHY(11 fields)

Climate

marine, tropical

Coastline

8 km Contiguous zone: 12 nm; Continental shelf: 200 m (depth); Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Comparative area

about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Disputes

claimed by Haiti

Environment

mostly exposed rock, but enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus

Land boundaries

none

Land use

arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 10%; forest and woodland 0%; other 90%

Natural resources

guano

Note

strategic location between Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica in the Caribbean Sea; 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo, Cuba

Terrain

raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 meters high)

Total area

5.2 km2; land area: 5.2 km2

GOVERNMENT(2 fields)

Long-form name

none (territory of the US)

Type

unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Coast Guard

PEOPLE(1 fields)

Population

uninhabited; transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island