2017 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2017 Archive (HTML)
Introduction
Background
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.
Geography
Area
- 5.4 sq km 5.4 sq km 0 sq km
- land
- 5.4 sq km
- total
- 5.4 sq km
- water
- 0 sq km
Area - comparative
about nine times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC
Climate
marine, tropical
Coastline
8 km
Elevation
- NA lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: 200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m
- elevation extremes
- lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
- highest point
- 200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m
- mean elevation
- NA
Environment - current issues
some coral bleaching
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
0 km
Land use
- 0% arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0% 0% 100% (2011 est.)
- agricultural land
- 0%
- forest
- 0%
- other
- 100% (2011 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
- 12 nm 200 nm
- exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- territorial sea
- 12 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)
People and Society
Population
- uninhabited transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
- note
- transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
Government
Country name
- none Navassa Island 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"
- 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
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 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
none (territory of the US)
Flag description
the flag of the US is used
Legal system
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Economy
Economy - overview
Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge waters.
Transportation
Ports and terminals
none; offshore anchorage only
Military and Security
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing