Navassa Island
Navassa Island
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Overview
- Background
- 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.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 5.4 sq km
- Water
- 0 sq km
- Total
- 5 sq km
- Climate
- marine, tropical
- Terrain
- raised flat to undulating coral and limestone plateau; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Land Use
- Other
- 100% (2018 est.)
- Location
- Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti
- Coastline
- 8 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea 0 m
- Highest point
- 200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m
- Map references
- Central America and the Caribbean
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 0 km
Maritime Claims
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- Natural hazards
- hurricanes
- 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
- Natural resources
- guano (mining discontinued in 1898)
- Area comparative
- about nine times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
- Geographic coordinates
- 18 25 N, 75 02 W
People & Society
Population
- Total
- uninhabited
Government
- Flag
- the flag of the US is used
Country Name
- 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"
- Conventional long form
- none
- Conventional short form
- Navassa Island
- Legal system
- the laws of the US apply
- 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; Haiti has claimed the island since the 19th century
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Embassy
- none (territory of the US)
Environment
- Climate
- marine, tropical
Land Use
- Other
- 100% (2018 est.)
- Environmental issues
- some coral bleaching
Military & Security
- Military note
- defense is the responsibility of the US
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Navassa Island — vintage 2026-Q1: Navassa Island factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/navassa-island
Sources: CIA World Factbook