The
Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
s located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of
Southern CaliforniaSouthern California, or SoCal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers around three major metropolitan areas, each of which have over 3 million people; the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area with over 12 million inhabitants, the San Bernardino-Riverside...
along the
Santa Barbara ChannelThe Santa Barbara Channel is that part of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura....
in the United States of America. Five of the islands are part of the
Channel Islands National ParkChannel Islands National Park is a United States national park that consists of five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of the U.S. state of California, in the Pacific Ocean. Although the islands are close to the shore of densely-populated Southern California, their isolation has left them...
.
The eight islands are split among the jurisdictions of three separate California counties: Santa Barbara County (four), Ventura County (two) and Los Angeles County (two).
The
Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
s located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of
Southern CaliforniaSouthern California, or SoCal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers around three major metropolitan areas, each of which have over 3 million people; the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area with over 12 million inhabitants, the San Bernardino-Riverside...
along the
Santa Barbara ChannelThe Santa Barbara Channel is that part of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura....
in the United States of America. Five of the islands are part of the
Channel Islands National ParkChannel Islands National Park is a United States national park that consists of five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of the U.S. state of California, in the Pacific Ocean. Although the islands are close to the shore of densely-populated Southern California, their isolation has left them...
.
Characteristics
The eight islands are split among the jurisdictions of three separate California counties: Santa Barbara County (four), Ventura County (two) and Los Angeles County (two). The islands are divided into two groups — the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern Channel Islands. The four Northern Islands used to be a single landmass known as
Santa RosaeSanta Rosae was an ancient landmass off the coast of present-day southern California, near Ventura County and Santa Barbara County, of which the northern Channel Islands of California are remnants....
.
The
archipelagoAn archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago is directly derived from the Greek arkhon and pelagos...
extends for 160 miles (257.5 kilometers) between
San Miguel IslandSan Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands and the sixth-largest of the eight at , including offshore islands and rocks. Prince Island, off the northeastern coast, measures in area. The island, at its furthest extent, is long and wide...
in the north and
San Clemente IslandSan Clemente Island or SCI is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is 21...
in the south. Together, the islands’ land area totals 221,331 acres, or about 346 square miles.
Five of the islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara) were made into the
Channel Islands National ParkChannel Islands National Park is a United States national park that consists of five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of the U.S. state of California, in the Pacific Ocean. Although the islands are close to the shore of densely-populated Southern California, their isolation has left them...
in 1980. The
Channel Islands National Marine SanctuaryThe Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is a reserve area off the Pacific coast of the United States, near California.Established in 1980, the 1,252 square nautical mile portion of the Santa Barbara Channel is an area of national significance because of its exceptional natural beauty and...
encompasses the waters six
nautical mileThe nautical mile is a unit of length corresponding approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian....
s (11 kilometers) off Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands.
Santa Catalina IslandSanta Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is 22 miles long and eight miles across at its greatest width. The island is located about 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles, California...
is the only one of the eight islands with a significant permanent civilian settlement—the resort city of
Avalon, CaliforniaAvalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands. Besides Avalon, the only other center of population on the island is the small unincorporated town of Two Harbors....
, and the
unincorporatedIn law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality. To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city or town with its own government. Thus, an unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
town of
Two HarborsTwo Harbors, colloquially known as "The Isthmus", is a small unincorporated island village on Santa Catalina Island, California with a population of 298 . It is the second center of population on the island, besides the city of Avalon. It is mainly a resort village. It has only one restaurant, one...
.
The Channel Islands at low elevations are virtually
frostFrost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapor available. Frost is also usually translucent in appearance. There are many types of...
-free and constitute one of the few such areas in the 48 contiguous US states. It never snows except rarely on higher tops of mountains.
The eight Channel Islands of California, off the west coastThe "West Coast", "Western Seaboard", or "Pacific Coastline" are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. It most often comprises California, Oregon and Washington...
of North America |
IslandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
|
Areami² |
Areakm² |
PopulationCensus 2000 |
County In the United States, a county is a local level of government below the state . Counties are used in 48 of the 50 states, while Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. These are considered "county-equivalents", as are some cities not designated as part of a county. The U.S...
|
Highest peakfeet (m) |
| Northern islands |
| Anacapa Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about off the coast of Ventura, California, in Ventura County.Anacapa is part of the Channel Islands archipelago , and is part of the Channel Islands National Park. It is the smallest of the northern islands. The island is actually composed of...
|
1.14 |
2.95 |
3 |
Ventura |
Summit Peak 2, 930 (283) |
San MiguelSan Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands and the sixth-largest of the eight at , including offshore islands and rocks. Prince Island, off the northeastern coast, measures in area. The island, at its furthest extent, is long and wide...
|
14.57 |
37.74 |
- |
Santa Barbara |
San Miguel Hill, 831 (253) |
Santa CruzSanta Cruz Island was the largest privately owned island off the continental United States, but is currently part-owned by the National Park service . The island, located off the coast of California, is long and from wide...
|
96.51 |
249.95 |
2 |
Santa Barbara |
Devils Peak, 2450+ (747+) |
Santa RosaSanta Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 53,195 acres . Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block 3009, Block Group 3, Census Tract 29.10 of Santa Barbara County, California, the 2000 census showed an official population of 2 persons. It is part of...
|
83.12 |
215.27 |
2 |
Santa Barbara |
Soledad Peak, 1589 (484) |
| Southern islands |
San ClementeSan Clemente Island or SCI is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is 21...
|
56.81 |
147.13 |
3001) |
Los Angeles |
Vista Point, 1965 (599) |
| San Nicolas San Nicolas Island is the most remote of California's Channel Islands. It is part of Ventura County. The 14,562 acre island is currently controlled by the United States Navy and is used as a weapons testing and training facility, served by Naval Outlying Field San Nicolas Island...
|
22.75 |
58.93 |
2001) |
Ventura |
unnamed, 907 (276) |
Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara Island is a small island located about off the southern California coast from San Pedro, near Los Angeles.With a total area of about 640 acres it is the smallest of the eight Channel Islands of California. It is the southern-most island in the Channel Islands National Park...
|
1.02 |
2.63 |
- |
Santa Barbara |
Signal Hill, 634 (193) |
Santa CatalinaSanta Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is 22 miles long and eight miles across at its greatest width. The island is located about 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles, California...
|
74.98 |
194.19 |
3696 |
Los Angeles |
Mount Orizaba, 2123 (648) |
| Channel Islands |
350.89 |
908.79 |
3703 |
|
Devils Peak, 2450+ (747+) |
| 1) Navy installations, itinerant An itinerant is a person who travels from place to place with no fixed home.Types of itinerants:*Russian art movement Peredvizhniki is often translated as Itinerants*Nomads*Romani people *Yeniche people*Irish Travellers*Scottish Travellers...
military and civilian population |
Military use
The
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
completely controls San Nicolas Island and San Clemente Island and has installations elsewhere in the chain. During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
all of Southern California’s Channel Islands were put under complete military control—including the civilian-populated Santa Catalina where tourism was halted and established residents needed permits to travel to and from the mainland.San Miguel Island was used as a bombing range and Santa Barbara Island as an early warning outpost under the presumed threat of a Japanese attack on California.
History
Separated from the California mainland throughout recent geological history, the Channel Islands provide the earliest evidence for human seafaring in the Americas. It is also the site of the discovery of the earliest paleontological evidence of humans in North America The Northern Channel Islands are now known to have been settled by maritime Paleoindian peoples at least 13,000 years ago. Archaeological sites on the island provide a unique and invaluable record of human interaction with Channel Island marine and terrestrial ecosystems from the late Pleistocene to historic times. Historically, the northern islands were occupied by the Island Chumash, while the southern islands were occupied by the Tongva. The Chumash and Tongva were removed from the islands in the early 1800s, taken to Spanish missions and pueblos on the adjacent mainland. For a century, the Channel Islands were used primarily for ranching and fishing activities, which had significant impacts on island ecosystems, including the local extinction of sea otters, bald eagles, and other species. With most of the Channel Islands now managed by federal agencies or conservation groups, the restoration of the island ecosystems has made significant progress.
In 1972, the
Brown BeretsThe Brown Berets was a Chicano nationalist activist group of young Mexican Americans during the Chicano Movement in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s...
, a group of
ChicanoThe terms Chicano and Chicana were originally used by, and in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement mainly amongst Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's peak in the late 1960's and early 1970's...
activists seized and claimed the islands for Mexico, citing the
Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoThe Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico, that ended the Mexican-American War...
, a treaty between Mexico and the USA by which Mexico sold more than half of its territory, and arguing that the treaty does not specifically mention the Channel Islands. Though the United States had occupied them since 1852, the group speculated that Mexico could claim the islands and seek their return through litigation before the
International Court of JusticeThe International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
. However, a detailed analysis of its situation puts in doubt the likelihood of Mexico winning the case at the International Court of Justice.
Wildlife
The Channel Islands are part of one of the richest marine biospheres of the world. Many unique species of plants and animals are
endemicEndemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, habitat type, nation, or other defined zone. To be endemic to a place or area means that it is found only in that part of the world and nowhere else. For example, many species of lemur...
to the Channel Islands, including fauna such as the
Island FoxThe Island Fox is a small fox that is native to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. It is the second smallest fox species in the United States. There are six subspecies of the fox, each unique to the island it lives on , reflecting its evolutionary history...
,
Channel Islands Spotted SkunkThe Channel Islands spotted skunk, Santa Rosa Island spotted skunk, or island spotted skunk is a subspecies of North American skunk about which little is known. It is native to just three islands off the coast of Southern California , and may be extinct on one...
,
Island Scrub JayThe Island Scrub-Jay or Island Jay is one of the species of Aphelocoma native to North America and is endemic to Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Southern California...
,
Ashy Storm-petrelThe Ashy Storm-petrel is a small, scarce seabird of the storm-petrel family Hydrobatidae. It breeds colonially on islands of the coasts of California and Mexico, and is one of 6 species of storm petrel that live and feed in the rich California Current system...
, Island fence lizard,
Island Night LizardThe Island Night Lizard is a night lizard native to three of the Channel Islands of California: San Nicolas Island, Santa Barbara Island and San Clemente Island. The San Clemente community is a recognized subspecies, the San Clemente Night Lizard, or Xantusia riversiana reticulata...
, Channel Island Slender Salamander, San Clemente Goat,
Santa Cruz sheepSanta Cruz sheep are an extremely rare breed of domestic sheep that once existed as a feral population on the Santa Cruz Island of the Channel Islands of California. Small and hardy, the sheep were all killed or removed from the island to prevent destruction of natural habitats. Today, they number...
, San Clemente loggerhead shrike and flora including a unique subspecies of
Torrey PineThe Torrey pine , also called "Del Mar pine" and "soledad pine," is a broad, open-crowned pine growing to 8-15 m tall, with 20-35 cm long leaves in groups of five. The cones are stout and heavy, typically 8-15 cm long and broad, and contain large, hard-shelled, but edible, pine nuts.The...
and
OakThe Island Oak , also known as Island Live Oak or Channel Islands Oak, is an oak in the section Protobalanus. Island Oak is endemic to six islands off the coast of California, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Santa Catalina, San Clemente, and Guadalupe islands...
and the Island Tree mallow.
See also
- Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers southwest of the city of Ensenada in Baja California state, in the Pacific Ocean...
and the Coronado IslandsThe Coronado Islands are a group of four islands off the northwest coast of the Mexican state of Baja California. Battered by the wind and waves, they are largely infertile and uninhabited except for a small military detachment and a few lighthouse keepers...
of Baja CaliforniaBaja California is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises the northern half of the Baja California peninsula, north...
, Mexico share the California chaparral and woodlandsThe California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of central and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
ecoregion with the Channel Islands
- Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
(similarly named islands in the English ChannelThe English Channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover...
, off the coast of France)
- Dwarf elephant on Channel Islands
- List of territorial disputes
- List of islands of California
External links