| Navassa Island | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | United States of America |
|---|---|
| Surface | 5.4 km² |
| Inhabitants | 0 |
| Institutional website | |
L'Navassa Island is a small uninhabited island in the sea Caribbean, which depends on the military base American of Guantánamo (located about 160 km north of the island of Navassa). The island itself appears to be closed to the public except by receiving a special permit from the US government attesting to travel to the island for scientific research purposes, in particular, geological and biological.
To know
The entire Navassa Island is in the midst of a territorial dispute between United States of America is Haiti.
Geographical notes
The island has a coastline of 8 km. The terrain is uneven, and is made up of exposed rocks and corals; there are some large grassy areas, and a vegetation consisting mainly of figs and cacti. The island is basically flat, with small reliefs of 10-15 meters and a peak of 77 meters near the lighthouse.
When to go
The climate is tropical and very similar to the climate of the neighboring islands, i.e. annual temperatures that oscillate between 27 ° and 22 ° in the coldest months, with possible peaks of 10 ° in the presence of strong cold winds from North America.
Spoken languages
Given the absence of population, and being the United States of America without (de jure) of an official language, it could be argued that there is no spoken or official language.
Culture and traditions
After some expeditions made during the twentieth century, they led to the decision in 1999 to transform the island into a protected national park, under the jurisdiction of the United States fishing and wildlife service. The status was established to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems and the marine environment, to restore and enhance native fauna and plants, and to provide wildlife research opportunities.
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Suggested readings
- Navassa: Legal Nightmares in a Biological Heaven?, a small article by Fabio Spadi, downloadable here.
Territories and tourist destinations
Navassa Island: full screen map.Urban centers
- Lulu Town - It represents the only settlement on the island, unfortunately uninhabited today. Near the ancient settlement today there are occasionally temporary settlements of Haitian fishermen, and others, and it is in these places that it is common to camp to sleep.
How to get
A special permit for scientific research issued by the US authorities is required to enter the island.
By plane
There is no landing strip on the island.
There are no ports on the island, therefore docking off the coast is the only viable option to reach the island.
How to get around
Given the lack of infrastructure or human settlements, it is advisable to move around the island on foot.
What see
- 1 . It is a disused lighthouse that was used by the Americans to control the strait between the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola (now divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
- Old house of the lighthouse keeper. Now a ruined building without a roof and degraded inside.
What to do
- 1 Visit the old settlement of Lulu Town and set up camp for the night. You can walk during the day to observe the ruins of the old settlement built near the "Lulu Bay", or enjoy them at sunset. You can meet some Haitian and other fishermen near the city and it is possible to camp for the night near the temporary settlements of the fishermen;
- scuba diving, especially in the northern part of the island where there is a small coral reef;
- walks, on the coasts and on the small hills.
- A photo tour of the island is available in this site
At the table
There are no catering services on the island, you could try to buy fish from passing fishermen but the best idea is to be self-sufficient in terms of food.
Safety
- There are no sources of drinking water on the island, so it is necessary to have a sufficient amount of water;
- There are no hospitals or other first aid systems on the island. It is mandatory for tourists to be self-sufficient from this point of view.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Navassa Island
Commons contains images or other files on Navassa Island
