Monito Island Facts for Kids

"Monito" redirects here. For the South American animal, see monito del monte.

Quick facts for kids
Monito
Geography
Monito Island, Puerto Rico
Monito Location in Puerto Rico Show map of Puerto Rico Monito Location in Lesser Antilles Show map of Lesser Antilles Monito Location in Caribbean Show map of Caribbean
Coordinates	18°09′30″N 67°56′48″W / 18.158208°N 67.94662°W / 18.158208; -67.94662
Area	.147 km² (0.057 sq mi)
Highest elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Administration
United States Puerto Rico
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Municipality	Mayagüez
Barrio	Isla de Mona e Islote Monito
Demographics
Population	0
Pop. density	0 /km² (0 /sq mi)


U.S. National Natural Landmark
Designated:	1975

Monito Island (which means "Little Mona" in English, or "little monkey" in Spanish) is a small, uninhabited island. It is located about 3.1 miles (5 km) northwest of the much larger Mona Island. Monito is one of three islands in the Mona Passage. This passage is a stretch of water between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Monito Island is part of the Isla de Mona e Islote Monito area, which belongs to the municipality of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

About Monito Island
- What is Monito Island Like?
- Unique Animals
Gallery
See also

About Monito Island

Monito Island is quite far from other land. It is about 46.43 miles (74.72 km) from the main island of Puerto Rico. It is also about 35.73 miles (57.50 km) from the island of Hispaniola. Hispaniola is where the Dominican Republic is located.

What is Monito Island Like?

This island is very small, covering about 0.06 square miles (0.147 square kilometers). That's about 36.25 acres. Its highest point is 213 feet (65 meters) above sea level. The island is mostly barren, meaning it has little plant life.

Monito Island is very rocky and hard to reach.

The shoreline of Monito Island is very high and rocky. This makes it almost impossible to reach by sea. Because of its remote location, the United States Coast Guard has sometimes helped people who got stranded near Monito Island.

Unique Animals

Monito Island is home to a special animal called the Monito gecko. This small lizard is found only on Monito Island. It does not live anywhere else in the world. This makes the island an important place for this unique species.