al

Terrain:
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by
vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m

Natural resources:
guano

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock but with enough grassland to support
goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus

People Navassa Island

Population:
uninhabited
note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
(July 2004 est.)

Government Navassa Island

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Fish and
Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean
Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in
September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of
Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern
side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced
against the island

Legal system:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Navassa Island

Economy - overview:
Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling activities within
refuge waters.

Transportation Navassa Island

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Military Navassa Island

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Navassa Island

Disputes - international:
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@Nepal

Introduction Nepal

Background:
In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule
by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of
government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy
within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. A Maoist
insurgency, launched in 1996, has gained traction and is threatening
to bring down t