1998 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1998 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 5.2 sq km land: 5.2 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative
about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Climate
marine, tropical
Coastline
8 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m
Environment-current issues
NA
Environment-international agreements
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
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, but enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus
Irrigated land
0 sq km (1993)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 10% forests and woodland: 0% other: 90%
Location
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, about one-fourth of the way from Haiti to Jamaica
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
NA
Natural resources
guano
Terrain
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 meters high)
People and Society
Population
uninhabited note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
Government
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Navassa Island
Data code
BQ
Dependency status
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse located on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island
Flag description
the flag of the US is used
Legal system
NA
National capital
none; administered from Washington, DC
Economy
Economy-overview
no economic activity
Military and Security
Military-note
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues
Disputes-international
claimed by Haiti