The little island Redonda is about 55 km west of Antigua and belongs to Antigua and Barbuda. It was discovered by Columbus on November 12th, 1493, but not entered. He named the island Santa Maria la Redonda after a church in Cadiz. The island is a 320 m steep rock of about 1,600 x 500 meters. Already before Columbus it was headed for by Indians. The island was called in the language of the Carib Indians Ocanmanru.
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background
The first landing on the uninhabited island took place in 1687. It was important for the breakdown of phosphate and guano. An American company shipped up to 4,000 tons of phosphate a year between 1865 and 1912. Remnants of some buildings are still there.
In 1865 the island was claimed by Matthew Shiell as a "kingdom" for his son Philippe, who called himself King Felipe I. His successor, the poet John Gawsworth, appointed himself King Juan I in 1947 and a number of literary greats as dukes and duchesses of his kingdom.
In 1872 the island was annexed by Antigua for the sole reason that Antigua was the administrative center for the Leeward Islands at that time. Redonda has been issuing postage stamps since 1978 when a post office opened there. Today the island is only populated by goats, lizards and sea birds. The old dock facilities are on the southwest coast. Landing on the island is not recommended because of the deep water.
