Navassa Island

Start › Regions and countries › North America › Caribbean › Navassa Island

List of described attractions

Navassa Island is small, unihnabited island, unincorporated territory of the United States, claimed also by Haiti.

Navassa Island - map

Wikipedia article about Navassa Island

Eastern coast of Navassa Island.
US Geological Service, Wikimedia Commons / public domain

Main attractions

This small Caribbean island is well isolated from the outside world by steep, up to 20 m tall cliffs.

Karst processes are active on this limestone islands. In the central part of the island have formed many sinkholes but in the very south, at the sea - Don's Cave, which has been formed by freshwater spring and sea waves.

Interesting ecosystem has developed on the island over the last 2 - 5 million years. It has been influenced by guano mining and presence of US military, but otherwise over the last century the island has been little modified.

Sinkhole in the central part of Navassa Island.
US Geological Service / public domain

Here, on 5.4 km² area live four species of lizards which are not met anywhere else in the world:

Navassa Anole Anolis longiceps
Cochran’s Croaking Gecko Aristelliger cochranae
Navassa Galliwasp Celestus badius
Navassa Dwarf Gecko Sphaerodactylus becki

Unfortunately the large, 60 - 136 cm long iguana Cyclura onchiopsis is extinct. Extinct is also Navassa Curly-tailed Lizard Leiocephalus eremitus and Navassa Dwarf Boa (Tropidophis bucculentus).

Last remaining palm Pseudopheonix sargentti saonae var. navassana, geologist Don Hickey in the forefront.
US Geological Survey, Wikimedia Commons / public domain

Besides the reptiles this island has also endemic species of insects and plants. Interesting and somewhat sad is the only remaining palm of endemic variety Pseudopheonix sargentti saonae var. navassana.