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Central America and the Caribbean / BQ

Navassa Island

Navassa Island flag
ⓘ

2021 Factbook flag mirror; image identity has not been individually audited. Source.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Navassa Island: CIA World Factbook map from 2021; original boundary notes preserved.
ⓘCIA World Factbook map, February 2021 media edition. Identity reviewed; current boundaries have not been audited. visual contact sheet or original identity check; does not verify current boundaries Boundaries, place names and designations may be dated or disputed; original annotations retained. SHA-256: eef20a3e21fb1dbe809012216e4ccc1750f91865b9ae0503f176b522ac35f125. Provenance and inspection record.

Introduction

Background:1

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

Location:2

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm west of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:3

18 25 N, 75 02 W

Map references:4

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:5

total:5 sq km
land:5.4 sq km
water:0 sq km

Area - comparative:6

about nine times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries:7

total:0 km

Coastline:8

8 km

Maritime claims:9

territorial sea:12 nm
exclusive economic zone:200 nm

Climate:10

marine, tropical

Terrain:11

raised flat to undulating coral and limestone plateau; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)

Elevation:12

highest point:200 m NNW of lighthouse 85 m
lowest point:Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources:13

guano (mining discontinued in 1898)

Land use:14

other:100% (2018 est.)

Natural hazards:15

hurricanes

Geography - note:16

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

People and Society

Population:17

total:uninhabited

Environment

Environmental issues:18

some coral bleaching

Climate:19

marine, tropical

Land use:20

other:100% (2018 est.)

Government

Country name:21

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:22

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

Legal system:23

the laws of the US apply

Diplomatic representation from the US:24

embassy:none (territory of the US)

Flag:25

the flag of the US is used

Military and Security

Military - note:26

defense is the responsibility of the US

Historical observations

Notes & sources

  1. Background. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  2. Location. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  3. Geographic coordinates. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  4. Map references. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  5. Area. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  6. Area - comparative. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  7. Land boundaries. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  8. Coastline. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  9. Maritime claims. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  10. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  11. Terrain. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  12. Elevation. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  13. Natural resources. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  14. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  15. Natural hazards. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  16. Geography - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  17. Population. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  18. Environmental issues. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  19. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  20. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  21. Country name. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  22. Dependency status. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  23. Legal system. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  24. Diplomatic representation from the US. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  25. Flag. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  26. Military - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:41 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
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