Isla Ángel de la Guarda facts for kids
|
Native name:
Spanish: Isla Ángel de la Guarda; Seri: Xazl Iimt
|
|
|---|---|
Isla Ángel de la Guarda
|
|
 Isla Ángel de la Guarda
Location in Baja California
Isla Ángel de la Guarda
Location in Sonora
Isla Ángel de la Guarda
Location in Mexico
|
|
| Geography | |
| Location | Gulf of California |
| Coordinates | 29°15′36″N 113°22′13″W / 29.26000°N 113.37028°W |
| Total islands | 5 |
| Major islands | 1 |
| Area | 931 km2 (359 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,305 m (4,281 ft) |
| Highest point | Unnamed Peak |
| Administration | |
| State | Baja California |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Isla Ángel de la Guarda, which means Guardian Angel Island, is a large island in the Gulf of California in northwestern Mexico. It is located east of Bahía de los Ángeles. A narrow water channel called Canal de Ballenas (Whales Channel) separates it from the Baja California Peninsula.
This island is the second largest of the eleven Midriff Islands, also known as Islas Grandes. It is part of the state of Baja California. The island is a special protected area called Isla Angel de la Guarda National Park. It belongs to the Mexicali municipality.
The Ballenas Fault, which can cause earthquakes, runs along the seabed of the Canal de Ballenas. A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 happened on this fault in 2009.
Contents
Geography
Isla Ángel de la Guarda is very dry. It has no fresh water sources. The only water comes from dry riverbeds, called washes, after it rains. The island covers about 931 square kilometers (360 square miles).
A chain of mountains runs along its 69-kilometer (43-mile) length. The highest point reaches 1,305 meters (4,281 feet) above sea level. The island stretches from northwest to southeast. The west coast is mostly straight. However, the east coast curves inward in the middle before widening out.
Much of the island is hard to reach because of mountains near the shore. This is especially true on the west coast. There are a few flat areas along the coast. These areas are at the mouths of washes. They were formed by sand and dirt carried by water, creating alluvial fans. Most of these flat areas are on the east coast. However, a large one is on the west coast where the island becomes narrower in the middle. The island's land is mostly made of volcanic rock and sand deposits.
Biology
Even though the island is very dry, it has many different kinds of plants and animals. You can find many types of birds and reptiles, especially lizards.
Some animals live only on Isla Ángel de la Guarda. These include the Angel Island Chuckwalla, a type of lizard. Also, the Angel Island speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus angelensis) lives here. Two types of rodents found only here are the Angel Island mouse (Peromyscus guardia) and the Angel de la Guarda woodrat (Neotoma insularis).
The only mammals on the island are bats and rodents. There are also some feral cats that were brought to the island by people.
The plants on the island include elephant trees, different kinds of cacti, grasses, shrubs, succulents, and boojum trees.
See also
Images for kids
-
Middle and southern section of
Isla Ángel de la Guarda.
