United States Miscellaneous Caribbean Islands facts for kids

The United States Miscellaneous Caribbean Islands was a name used a long time ago for different islands in the Caribbean Sea that the United States either owned or claimed. Most of these islands were claimed because of something called the Guano Islands Act. This law allowed U.S. citizens to claim islands that had lots of guano (which is bird poop, used as fertilizer!) if no one else owned them.

US Islands in the Caribbean Sea

Many of these islands were claimed by the U.S. but later either given to other countries or are still disputed.

Islands Claimed by the US

Here are some of the islands that were part of this group:

• Bajo Nuevo Bank: This is a small group of reefs and tiny islands. While the U.S. claims it, another country, Colombia, actually controls it. Jamaica and Nicaragua also claim it.
• Navassa Island: This island is still an unincorporated territory of the U.S. This means it belongs to the U.S. but is not officially part of any state. Haiti also claims this island.

Islands Returned or Ceded to Other Countries

Some islands that the U.S. once claimed or controlled were later given to other nations:

• Corn Islands: These two islands were returned to Nicaragua on April 25, 1971.
• Quita Sueño Bank: The U.S. gave up its claim to this area on September 17, 1981. It is now controlled by Colombia.
• Roncador Bank: This area was given to Colombia on September 17, 1981.
• Serrana Bank: This area was also given to Colombia on September 17, 1981.
• Serranilla Bank: While the U.S. claims this bank, Colombia controls it. Nicaragua and Honduras also claim it. Jamaica used to claim it until 1994.
• Swan Islands: These islands were given to Honduras on September 1, 1972.

What Happened to the Islands' Code?

Before 1974, these islands had a special code called BQ in a system called FIPS country codes. This system gives unique codes to different places. After many of these islands were given to other countries, the code BQ now only represents Navassa Island, which the U.S. still controls.

See also

In Spanish: Área insular de Estados Unidos para niños