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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 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. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island
in the Caribbean Sea, about one-fourth of the way from Haiti
to Jamaica |
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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: 5.2
sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 5.2 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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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% (1998 est.) |
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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 2004 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 from Washington, DC, by the
Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior; 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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Economy - overview:
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no economic
activity |
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Waterways:
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none |
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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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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