Navassa Island
Caribbean Sea. Area: 5.2 sq km (2 sq miles). Population: Uninhabited. Geography: Navassa Island is a raised coral island with a limestone plateau and lies 160km (100 miles) south of Guatánamo Bay, Cuba and 65km (40 miles) west of Haiti. Time: GMT - 5. History: In 1857, Navassa became a US Insular Area and was mined for guano until operations ceased in 1898. In 1997, the Office of Insular Affairs, under the control of the US Department of the Interior, took responsibility of the island. Reports in 1998 showed that a variety of unique plant and animal species existed on Navassa and visits to the island were subsequently prohibited. The US Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service (see address in Midway Islands section) took command in 1999 and it became a National Wildlife Refuge.
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