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Navassa Island

2025 Edition — territory

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
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Environment
Climate [time series]
marine, tropical
Environmental issues [time series]
some coral bleaching
Land use [time series]
other: 100% (2018 est.)
Geography
Area [time series]
total : 5 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, D.C.
Climate [time series]
marine, tropical
Coastline [time series]
8 km
Elevation [time series]
highest point: 200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
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]
total: 0 km
Land use [time series]
other: 100% (2018 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 sailors with the Christopher COLUMBUS expedition in 1504; the name derives from the Spanish word nava , meaning "flat land or level ground"
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; Haiti has claimed the island since the 19th century
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
embassy: none (territory of the US)
Flag [time series]
the flag of the US is used
Legal system [time series]
the laws of the US apply
Introduction
Background [time series]
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
Military - note [time series]
defense is the responsibility of the US
People and Society
Population [time series]
total: uninhabited