Corn Islands
| Corn Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
 from the southwest |
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| Waters | Caribbean Sea | |
| Geographical location | 12 ° 15 ′ N , 83 ° 1 ′ W | |
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| Number of islands | 2 | |
| Main island | Big Corn Island | |
| Total land area | 12.9 km² | |
| Residents | 7429 (2007) | |
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The Corn Islands ( Spanish Islas del Maíz , translated " Corn Islands ") are a group of islands about seventy kilometers east of Bluefields , Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea .
Geography and population
The Corn Islands consist of two islands, with a total area of 12.9 km² and a population of 7,429 (2007).
Big Corn Island is the main island with an area of 10 km² and 6,731 inhabitants (90.6 percent), where Mount Pleasant Hill is located in the north , at 113 meters the highest point on the islands.
The smaller island is called Little Corn Island . It reaches a height of 38 meters in the northern part of Lookout Point . 698 inhabitants live here on 3.1 km².
In addition to the two islands, there is the volcanic rock Blowing Rock , which is about 12.7 km south of Great Corn Island. Blowing Rock protrudes only 1.2 meters out of the water and measures only a few meters in diameter, but rises steeply 30 meters above the surrounding sea floor. In the middle there is a hole through which the sea water is periodically pressed vertically upwards. This phenomenon is visually reminiscent of the blowing of whales . This fact gives the property its name.
The islands form the municipality ( municipio ) Corn Iceland the Región Autónoma de la Costa Caribe Sur of Nicaragua . The community is divided into six barrios (quarters), five of which are on Big Corn Island and the sixth on Little Corn Island. The terms of population by far the largest and most densely populated Barrio, Brig Bay, which also houses the town hall (located Alcaldía ) of the community and the airport Corn Iceland Airport is located, will continue in two sectors ( sectores ) divided :: Promar and Nandaime. Little Corn Island is the largest in terms of area, but also the most sparsely populated barrio.
| Barrio | Area km² |
Population ( 2005 census ) |
density | places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brig Bay | 2.80 | 3,930 | 1403.6 | Brig Bay (with the sectores Promar and Nandaime) |
| La Loma | 2.46 | 682 | 277.2 | La Loma, Long Beach, Queen Hill, Bluff Point |
| South end | 2.92 | 764 | 261.6 | South End, Mount Pleasant |
| Sally Peachie | 0.68 | 265 | 389.7 | Sally Peachie, Little Hill |
| North end | 0.92 | 490 | 532.6 | North end |
| Little Corn Island | 3.12 | 495 | 158.7 | The Village, Carib Town |
| Corn Islands | 12.9 | 6,626 | 513.6 |
Brig Bay on the bay of the same name is the largest town with 59.3 percent of the community population.
The English language is widely spoken as the islanders' ancestors came largely from the West Indies .
Climate, flora, fauna
The climate on the islands is tropical, with the typical alternation between dry and rainy seasons. October and November are the months with the highest rainfall. The dry season begins at the end of December and ends in May.
history
On old maps, the islands are called Islas de los Manglares . They were first colonized by the British . Together with the eastern half of Nicaragua today they formed a British protectorate from 1655 to 1894. The area Mosquito Coast (was Mosquito Coast ) called.
In these early years of colonization , the islands were mainly used as hiding places for pirates . From 1894 Nicaragua claimed the islands.
In 1914 the islands were leased to the USA for 99 years under the Bryan Chamorro Treaty. After the lease, the islands remained part of Nicaragua, but American laws applied. The US government tacitly condoned the local administration of the islands by the Nicaraguan authorities. The lease agreement was suspended by the government of President Anastasio Somoza Debayle on July 14, 1970.
The main source of income in the first half of the 20th century was coconut production . In the 1960s and 1970s, fishing became the most important part of the island's economy. Even today the catch of lobster and lobster is dominant.
In 1988, both islands were hit by Hurricane Joan , which then reached the coast at Bluefields and left a trail of devastation over Nicaragua. Great Corn Island was completely destroyed and Little Corn Island was badly affected. Joan was one of only seven storms that continued to rage in the Pacific on their way through the Caribbean .
traffic
The main island of Big Corn Island can be reached by the weekly ferry from El Rama on the Escondido River . There is also a flight connection with La Costeña to Managua with a stop in Bluefields .
Little Corn Island is served twice daily by ferry from Big Corn Island.
tourism
On Little Corn, a minor diving tourism has been established for a few years now from 2 providers / dive shops.
You can see the underwater world typical of the Caribbean including regular sightings of hammerhead sharks. The visit is impaired by the arduous and often unreliable arrival and departure, a largely unsatisfactory general supply situation and a lack of diving depth.
Town twinning
- Waterford , California, USA
Web links
- Bigcornisland.com
- Map of the Corn Islands
- Sketch with barrio borders (PDF file; 1.1 MB)
- 2005 Census (PDF file; 2.4 MB)
- Photo of the Blowing Rock
swell
- ↑ Estado del agua y saneamiento (PDF file; 217 kB), par Alma Rosa Castro, RAAS, 2007, page 11
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Corn Island PDF
- ↑ http://www.inide.gob.ni/censos2005/CifrasMun/RAASTPDF/Corn%20Island.pdf VIII CENSO DE POBLACIÒN Y IV DE VIVIENDA, 2005
- ↑ http://littlecornisland.net/diving/