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Encyclopedia > Channel Islands (California)

The eight Channel Islands of California, off the west coast of the United States.
The eight Channel Islands of California, off the west coast of the United States.

The Channel Islands of California, also called the Santa Barbara Islands, are a chain of eight islands located off the coast of Southern California. The eight islands are split between the jurisdictions of three separate California counties: Santa Barbara County (four), Ventura County (two) and Los Angeles County (two). The archipelago extends for 160 miles (257.5 kilometers) between San Miguel Island in the north and Santa Clemente in the south.

Contents
1 Northern islands
2 Southern islands
3 Description
4 Wildlife

4.1 Fauna
4.2 Flora
4.3 Recently extinct

5 See also
6 External links

Northern islands

Southern islands

Description

The Channel Islands are part of one of the richest marine biospheres of the world. 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 Rosae.


Five of the islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara) were made into the Channel Islands National Park in 1980. The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary encompasses the waters six nautical miles (11 km) off Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands. The United States Navy controls San Nicolas Island and San Clemente Island completely and has installations elsewhere in the chain. Santa Catalina Island is the only one of the eight islands with a significant permanent civilian settlement—the resort city of Avalon, California.


Wildlife

Many unique species of plants and animals are endemic to the Channel Islands.


Fauna

Flora

Recently extinct

  • Giant Deer Mouse (Peromyscus nesodytes), extinct 1870
  • San Clemente Bewick's Wren (Thryomane bewickii leucophrys), extinct 1927
  • Santa Barbara Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia graminea), extinct 1967

See also

External links




Channel Islands of California:
Anacapa Island - San Clemente Island _ San Miguel Island
San Nicolas Island - Santa Barbara Island
    Santa Catalina Island - Santa Cruz Island - Santa Rosa Island    		 Channel Islands


Geography of California Flag of California
Antelope Valley | Central Valley | Central Coast | Channel Islands | Coast Ranges | Death Valley | Gold Country | Greater Los Angeles | Imperial Valley | Inland Empire | Mojave | Napa Valley | Northern California | Owens Valley | Pomona Valley | Redwood Empire | San Fernando Valley | San Francisco Bay Area | The Peninsula | San Gabriel Valley | Santa Clara Valley | Santa Clarita Valley | Shasta Cascade | Sierra Nevada | Silicon Valley | Southern California | Wine Country



  Results from FactBites:
 
Channel Islands of California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (477 words)
The Channel Islands of California, also called the Santa Barbara Islands, are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America.
The eight islands are split between the jurisdictions of three separate California counties: Santa Barbara County (four), Ventura County (two) and Los Angeles County (two).
During WWII 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.
Channel Islands National Park Information Page (6398 words)
The island is a tableland of lush grasses and wildflowers, with 27 miles of jagged, rocky coastline dotted with sandy white beaches.
Among the islands extinct terrestrial mammals is the pygmy mammoth.
The population of island foxes on San Miguel Island is 420 to 500 animals.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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