Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, about one-fourth of the way from Haiti to Jamaica. 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. Raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high).
Government: Unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service, 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.
Population: Uninhabited