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Background:
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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
Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior. 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. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of
Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti |
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 25 N,
75 02 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
5.4 sq km
land: 5.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about
nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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8 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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marine,
tropical |
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Terrain:
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raised
coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed
by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high) |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on southwest side
77 m |
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Natural resources:
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guano
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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0 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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NA |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock but with enough grassland
to support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees,
scattered cactus |
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Population:
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uninhabited
note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp
on the island (July 2005 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island |
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Dependency status:
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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 Navassa
Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern
side of the island; there has also been a private claim
advanced against the island |
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Legal system:
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the laws
of the US, where applicable, apply |
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Flag description:
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the flag
of the US is used |
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Economy - overview:
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subsistence fishing and commercial trawling activities
within refuge waters |
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Ports and harbors:
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none;
offshore anchorage only |
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Military - note:
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defense
is the responsibility of the US |
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Disputes - international:
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claimed
by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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