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Navassa Island

2019 Edition — territory

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Economy
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge waters.
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 5.4 sq km | land: 5.4 sq km | water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
about nine times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC
Climate [time series]
marine, tropical
Coastline [time series]
8 km
Elevation [time series]
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m | highest point: 200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m
Environment - current issues [time series]
some coral bleaching
Geographic coordinates [time series]
18 25 N, 75 02 W
Geography - note [time series]
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 [time series]
0 km
Land use [time series]
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.)
Location [time series]
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti
Map references [time series]
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
hurricanes
Natural resources [time series]
guano (mining discontinued in 1898)
Terrain [time series]
raised flat to undulating coral and limestone plateau; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Government
Country name [time series]
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 [time series]
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
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
none (territory of the US)
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
the flag of the US is used
Legal system [time series]
the laws of the US apply where applicable
Introduction
Background [time series]
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.
Military and Security
Military - note [time series]
defense is the responsibility of the US
People and Society
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
NA
Population [time series]
uninhabited; transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing
Transportation
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
none; offshore anchorage only