Isla Santa Catalina facts for kids
 Isla Santa Catalina
Location in Mexico
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Gulf of California |
| Coordinates | 25°39′9.53″N 110°46′51.25″W / 25.6526472°N 110.7809028°W |
| Highest elevation | 448 m (1,470 ft) |
| Administration | |
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Mexico
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| State | Baja California Sur |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Isla Santa Catalina, also known as Isla Catalana, is a beautiful island located in the Gulf of California. This gulf is a large body of water east of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. The island is special because no people live there! It is part of the Loreto Municipality.
The island is found in the southern part of the Gulf of California. It is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the Baja California coast. Isla Catalana is about 13 kilometers (8 miles) long and up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide. Its total area is around 39 square kilometers (15 square miles). Since no one lives on the island, the closest town is Loreto. Loreto is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) away by sea.
Contents
What's in a Name? The Island's Official Name
The true and traditional name for this island is "Isla Catalana." However, you might often see it called "Isla Santa Catalina." This confusion started because of some maps made by the United States. In the mid-1850s, when the U.S. Navy was mapping the Gulf, mapmakers wrote "Isla Santa Catalina" on their charts.
Even today, in some scientific papers, both names are used. "Isla Catalana" is the official Mexican name. But "Isla Santa Catalina" became widely known due to that early mapping mistake.
Amazing Animals and Plants
Isla Catalana is home to many unique plants and animals. Many of these species are found only on this island!
Island Plants: Flora
- Ferocactus diguetii
- This type of cactus was discovered by Leon Diguet. It is found only on the islands in the Sea of Cortés. The tallest examples of this cactus grow right here on Isla Catalana.
Island Animals: Fauna
Birds
You can spot several kinds of birds on Isla Catalana:
- Picoides scalaris (Ladder-backed Woodpecker)
- Melanerpes uropygialis (Gila Woodpecker)
- Zenaida asiatica (White-winged Dove)
- Amphispiza bilineata (Black-throated Sparrow)
- Cardinalis cardinalis (Northern Cardinal)
- Haemorhous mexicanus (House Finch)
Reptiles
Isla Catalana has 10 different types of reptiles. Seven of these are endemic, meaning they live nowhere else in the world!
- Aspidoscelis catalinensis (Isla Santa Catalina whiptail)
- Crotalus catalinensis (Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake)
- Dipsosaurus catalinensis (Isla Santa Catalina desert iguana)
- Lampropeltis catalinensis (Isla Santa Catalina kingsnake)
- Phyllodactylus bugastrolepis (Santa Catalina Island leaf-toed gecko)
- Sceloporus lineatulus (Isla Santa Catalina spiny lizard)
- Uta squamata (Isla Santa Catalina side-blotched lizard)
See also
In Spanish: Isla Santa Catalina (Baja California Sur) para niños
