Serranilla Bank

Serranilla Bank is a western Caribbean island located about 210 miles north-northeast of Nicaragua at .

Geography and topography

Several very small cays emerge above the water to form the bank's islands. Overall, the bank, a former atoll, is about 40 km wide, 32 km long, with an area of 1200 km² (mostly water – lagoon). There are only a few small islands: West Breaker, Middle Cay, East Cay and Beacon Cay, mostly with sparse vegetation of bushes and some trees. Most of the reef is drying and hundreds of wrecked ships are located in its vicinity. Beacon Cay is the biggest islet on the reef. It is completely overbuilt with houses and some military facilities, which were used by the US Marines during the Cuba Crisis. The station is abandoned today. On Serranilla Bank is a lighthouse, which is inhabited and active today and has been in operation since 1977. It has a square pyramidal skeletal 33 m (108 ft) tower which is painted with red and white horizontal bands and is erected atop a 3-story tall white concrete crew quarters. On the top of the tower, a focal plane beam of light is emitted as two white flashes every 20 seconds. Online sources are unclear on who operates the lighthouse. The lighthouse stands on a coral ledge in the southwest approach to the bank at .

History and Claims

In 1510, the Serranilla Bank was first shown on Spanish maps. The United States, Colombia (indirectly) and possibly Honduras have all claimed the island.

Latin American claims

Colombia has not directly claimed Serranilla Bank but is on record as considering the bank a part of the Providence Archipelago in the intendency of San Andrés and Providencia. Several islands were transferred to Colombia by the U.S., effective on September 17, 1981; while it is clear that almost all of the islands in the area of what is now Colombia's San Andrés and Providencia that were occupied by the United States on grounds of the Guano Islands Act since the late 19th century were returned by the United States to Colombia by 1982, it is unclear if Serranilla Bank, Bajo Nuevo Bank (and possibly Rosalind Bank) were also returned by the United States to Colombia or not. According to some online sources, Serranilla Bank was returned by the United States to Colombia in 1982. According to other online sources, Serranilla Bank was not returned by the United States to Colombia. The United States may assert sovereignty over West Breaker, Middle Cay, East Cay and Beacon Cay in particular. The Serranilla Bank is possibly also claimed by Honduras.

The U.S. claim

If the claim by the United States on Serranilla Island is valid, Serranilla Island would be considered an unorganized, unincorporated United States territory. In the case of Serranilla Bank, the situation is even more complicated than in the case of Bajo Nuevo Bank because of the relatively close proximity of Serranilla Bank to Honduras, probably evoking or having evoked claims by Honduras for Serranilla Bank. On the other hand, the situation in the case of Serranilla Bank seems to be also less complicated compared to the case of Bajo Nuevo Bank because the distance between Serranilla Bank and Jamaica is considerably greater than the distance between Bajo Nuevo Bank and Jamaica, thus preventing or having prevented possible claims by Jamaica for Serranilla Bank.

There are only two online documents of the U.S. Government that clearly provide substantial information about the point of view of the United States on Serranilla Bank. The first is a report to a congressional committee concerning the United States and its relationship with its possesions. This report can be read at http://www.gao.gov/archive/1998/og98005.pdf . The information specificly relating to Serranilla Bank can be found in the footnotes of page 39 of the report. Additonal minor information concerning the basis of the United States claim can be found on the department of the interior's website. The second major government online article can be found in the Query Form For The United States And Its Territories of the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report

Feature ID: 1945999 Name: Serranilla Bank Class: Bar Size: 25 mi by 20 mi

History: The United States maintains a longstanding claim of sovereignty over Serranilla Bank, having acquired it through the Guano Islands Act of August 18, 1856. Colombia considers Serranilla Bank to be part of the Providence Archipelago in the San Andres y Providencia. Also claimed by Honduras, Jamaica, and Nicaragua.

Description: Located approximately 210 mi. north-northeast of Nicaragua, Serranilla Bank is about 25 mi wide and 20 mi long. The bank is mostly underwater, but consists of several small islands and cays that emerge above sea level, including Beacon Cay, East Cay, Middle Cay, and West Breaker.

Citation: BGN decisions, BGN files referenced after Phase I, or BGN staff research on non-controversial names (SPN). This may include card files as well as other sources or combination of sources used by BGN staff. For staff-processed names (SPN), use form "US-T121/SPN YYYY" (YYYY = the year the name was processed); and for all others, use form "US-T121". Names under the purview of the Board will also include an entry in the Status field "BGN YYYY". Entry Date: 20-Nov-2001 Elevation (m): 4 Elevation (ft): 13

Counties

Sequence: 1 County: - Code: - State: U.S. Minor Outlying Islands Code: 74 Country: US

Coordinates (One point per USGS topographic map containing the feature)

Sequence: 1 Latitude(DEC): 15.8000000 Longitude(DEC): -79.7666667 Latitude(DMS): 154824N Longitude(DMS): 0794600W Map Name: Unknown

Sources & External links

Caribbean islands | Disputed territories | Insular areas of the United States

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