Swan Islands
Encyclopedia
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, approximately ninety miles off the coastline of Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, with a land area of 8 km² (3.1 sq mi).
Detailed location and features
They are within the EEZ of Honduras and belong to the Islas de la Bahía department of Honduras. They consist of three islands:- Great Swan Island (3 km long, 5.5 km²)
- Little Swan (2.4 km long, 0.5 km wide, 2.5 km²)
- Booby Cay (90 metres long, 70 m off the southwest corner of Great Swan, <0.01 km²)
Rosario Bank
Rosario Bank
Rosario Bank is a former atoll in the southern Caribbean Sea, located just south of Misteriosa Bank. It is in Honduras' EEZ....
and Misteriosa Bank
Misteriosa Bank
The Misteriosa Bank is a submerged bank or atoll in the Caribbean Sea, located at - approximately equidistant from Mexico , Honduras and Cuba . The bank is long and wide. The area is [ftp://rock.geosociety.org/pub/reposit/2001/2001075.pdf]. Immediately south of it is Rosario Bank...
are 130 to 150 km north of the Swan Islands and separated from them by the >5000 metres deep Cayman Trench.
The islands are uninhabited, except for a small Honduran navy garrison. Great Swan has a 3800′ (1158 m) grass airstrip (ICAO code MHIC, IATA code SWA).
Historical background
Both the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
claimed the Swan Islands until the United States dropped its claim under the Guano Islands Act
Guano Islands Act
The Guano Islands Act is federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress, on August 18, 1856. It enables citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. The islands can be located anywhere, so long as they are not occupied and not within the jurisdiction of other...
in 1972. The islands gained attention in the early 1960s due to the activities of Radio Swan, that began broadcasting in May 1960 during preparation for, and during, the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. The station was removed from the islands in the late 1960s and its main transmitter was transferred for use in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch was the most powerful hurricane and the most destructive of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph . The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season. Along with Hurricane Georges, Mitch...
moved over Swan Island with winds of 180 mph.
See also
- United States Miscellaneous Caribbean IslandsUnited States Miscellaneous Caribbean IslandsThe United States Miscellaneous Caribbean Islands is an obsolete collective term for the territories currently or formerly controlled by the United States in the Caribbean Sea. Most of the islands were acquired through claims made via the Guano Islands Act:...
- List of Guano Island claims
- Honduras – United Kingdom Maritime Delimitation TreatyHonduras – United Kingdom Maritime Delimitation TreatyThe Honduras – United Kingdom Maritime Delimitation Treaty is a 2001 treaty between Honduras and the United Kingdom which delimits the maritime boundary between Honduras and the British territory of the Cayman Islands....
