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Encyclopedia > Channel Islands of California

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. This article is about the region of Southern California. ... Looking south-southwest, across the Santa Barbara Channel; the Channel Islands are in the distance. ...


The eight Channel Islands of California, off the west coast of North America Image File history File linksMetadata Channelislandsca. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

Island Area
mi²
Area
km²
Population
Census 2000
County Highest peak
feet (m)
Northern islands
Anacapa 1.14 2.95 3 Ventura Summit Peak 2, 930 (283)
San Miguel 14.57 37.74 - Santa Barbara San Miguel Hill, 831 (253)
Santa Cruz 96.51 249.95 2 Santa Barbara Devils Peak, 2450+ (747+)
Santa Rosa 83.12 215.27 2 Santa Barbara Soledad Peak, 1589 (484)
Southern islands
San Clemente 56.81 147.13 1) Los Angeles Vista Point, 1965 (599)
San Nicolas 22.75 58.93 2) Ventura unnamed, 907 (276)
Santa Barbara 1.02 2.63 - Santa Barbara Signal Hill, 634 (193)
Santa Catalina 74.98 194.19 3696 Los Angeles Mount Orizaba, 2123 (648)
Channel Islands 350.89 908.79 3703   Devils Peak, 2450+ (747+)
1) Navy installations, itinerant military and civilian population 300
2) Navy installations, itinerant military and civilian population 200

A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... The 22nd United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13. ... United States of America, showing states, divided into counties. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... NASA satellite image of Anacapa Island Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about 14 miles (23 km) off the coast of Ventura, California, in Ventura County. ... Ventura County is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, located on Californias Pacific coast. ... Aerial view of San Miguel San Miguel Island is the westernmost of Californias Channel Islands and the sixth-largest of the eight at 9,325 acres (37. ... Santa Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of Southern California, in the state of California, just west of Ventura County. ... NASA satellite image of Santa Cruz Island. ... Santa Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of Southern California, in the state of California, just west of Ventura County. ... Santa Rosa Island Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 52,794 acres (21,365 hectares). ... Santa Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of Southern California, in the state of California, just west of Ventura County. ... View from space of Southern California coast, showing Santa Catalina Island (closer to mainland) and San Clemente Island (further from mainland). ... Map of California showing Los Angeles County. ... San Nicolas Island (sometimes shortened as San Nic or SNI) is the most remote of Californias Channel Islands. ... Ventura County is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, located on Californias Pacific coast. ... Categories: US geography stubs | Channel Islands of California | Santa Barbara County, California ... Santa Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of Southern California, in the state of California, just west of Ventura County. ... Santa Catalina Island, location relative to the coast of Southern California Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. ... Map of California showing Los Angeles County. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Look up itinerant in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Look up itinerant in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Description

County jurisdiction boundaries of the Channel Islands are depicted on this map of California
County jurisdiction boundaries of the Channel Islands are depicted on this map of 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 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. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The U.S. state of California is divided into 58 counties. ... Santa Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of Southern California, in the state of California, just west of Ventura County. ... Ventura County is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, located on Californias Pacific coast. ... Map of California showing Los Angeles County. ... Santa Rosae was an ancient landmass off the coast of present-day southern California, near Ventura County and Santa Barbara County, of which the Channel Islands of California are remnants. ...


The archipelago extends for 160 miles (257.5 kilometers) between San Miguel Island in the north and San Clemente Island in the south. Together, the island's land area totals 221,331 acres, or about 346 square miles. The Mergui Archipelago The Archipelago Sea, situated between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, the largest archipelago in the world by the number of islands. ... Aerial view of San Miguel San Miguel Island is the westernmost of Californias Channel Islands and the sixth-largest of the eight at 9,325 acres (37. ... View from space of Southern California coast, showing Santa Catalina Island (closer to mainland) and San Clemente Island (further from mainland). ...


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 kilometers) off Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands. The Channel Islands National Park is a national park that consists of five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of the U.S. state of California, in the Pacific Ocean. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is a reserve area off the Pacific coast of the United States, near California. ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ...


Santa Catalina Island is the only one of the eight islands with a significant permanent civilian settlement—the resort city of Avalon, California, and the unincorporated town of Two Harbors. Santa Catalina Island, location relative to the coast of Southern California Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. ... Location of Avalon in California Coordinates: , Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1913-06-26 [2] Government  - Mayor Bob Kennedy [1] Area  - City  3. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... view of Two Harbors from the sea Two Harbors is a small island village on Santa Catalina Island, California with a population of about 150. ...

Beach of Santa Cruz Island
Beach of Santa Cruz Island
Lighthouse at Anacapa Island
Lighthouse at Anacapa Island

The Channel Islands at low elevations are virtually frost-free and constitute one of the few such areas in the continental US. It never snows except rarely on higher tops of mountains. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 2632 KB) Summary Beach of Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands, California. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 2632 KB) Summary Beach of Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands, California. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Frost on black pipes Frost is a solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. ...


Military use

The United States Navy completely controls San Nicolas Island and San Clemente Island and has installations elsewhere in the chain. During World War II 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.[1] San Miguel Island was used as a bombing range [2] and Santa Barbara Island as an early warning outpost under the presumed threat of a Japanese attack on California.[3] USN redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...


Legislation is now being proposed in the United States House of Representatives that would make Santa Rosa Island a military resort and training facility. Under the proposal the island would keep its National Park status though public access would be limited.[4] Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... The parks of the United States National Park system are one type of protected area in the United States and are operated by the National Park Service. ...


Wildlife

The Channel Islands are part of one of the richest marine biospheres of the world. Many unique species of plants and animals are endemic to the Channel Islands, including fauna such as the Island Fox, Channel Islands Spotted Skunk, Island Scrub Jay, Ashy Storm-petrel, Island Night Lizard, Channel Island Slender Salamander, Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, San Clemente Goat, San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike and flora including unique subspecies of Torrey Pine and Oak and the Island Tree mallow. Some notable wildlife of the California Channel Islands includes // Fauna Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis) Channel Island Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphiala) Island Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma insularis) Ashy Storm-petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa) Island Night Lizard (Xantusia riversiana) Channel Island Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps pacificus) San Clemente Goat San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike Flora... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... Binomial name Urocyon littoralis (Baird, 1857) The Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis) is a small fox that is native to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. ... The Channel Islands Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphiala) is a unique subspecies of North American skunk about which little is known. ... Binomial name Aphelocoma insularis Henshaw, 1886 The Island Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma insularis) is one of five species of scrub jay (Aphelocoma) native to North America, and is endemic on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Southern California. ... Binomial name Oceanodroma homochroa (Coues, 1864) The Ashy Storm-petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa) is a small, scarce seabird of the storm-petrel family Hydrobatidae. ... Binomial name Xantusia riversiana The Island Night Lizard (Xantusia riversiana) is a night lizard native to three of the Channel Islands of California: San Nicolas Island, Santa Barbara Island and San Clemente Island. ... Binomial name Crotalus catalinensis Cliff, 1954 The Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake (Crotalus catalinensis) is a small, venomous species of rattlesnake endemic to Santa Catalina Island, California, USA. // Description Growing to a little more than 24 inches (61 cm), there are two distinct color variations of the Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake. ... Binomial name Pinus torreyana Parry ex Carr. ... Binomial name Engelm. ... Binomial name Kellogg Lavatera assurgentiflora (Mission Mallow, Island Mallow, Royal Mallow[1], Island Tree Mallow; syn. ...


Controversy

Peruvian Historian Ricardo Melgar, stated that the Seven Islands belong to Mexico and where taken away by the United States during WWII for military strategic reason and have never been returned.


Wildlife gallery

See also

Southeast coast of Guadalupe Island For the French Caribbean island, see Guadeloupe. ... Islas Coronado. The Coronado Islands are a group of four islands off the northwest coast of the Mexican state of Baja California. ... Baja California (literally lower California in Spanish) is the northernmost state of Mexico. ... The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of central and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. ... This article is about the British dependencies. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: , the sleeve) is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... Dwarf elephants are prehistoric members of the order Proboscidea, that, through the process of allopatric speciation, evolved to a fraction of the size of their modern relatives. ...

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


NASA satellite image of Anacapa Island Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about 14 miles (23 km) off the coast of Ventura, California, in Ventura County. ... View from space of Southern California coast, showing Santa Catalina Island (closer to mainland) and San Clemente Island (further from mainland). ... Aerial view of San Miguel San Miguel Island is the westernmost of Californias Channel Islands and the sixth-largest of the eight at 9,325 acres (37. ... San Nicolas Island (sometimes shortened as San Nic or SNI) is the most remote of Californias Channel Islands. ... Categories: US geography stubs | Channel Islands of California | Santa Barbara County, California ... Santa Catalina Island, location relative to the coast of Southern California Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. ... NASA satellite image of Santa Cruz Island. ... Santa Rosa Island Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 52,794 acres (21,365 hectares). ... California Channel Islands, from NOAA.gov, edited File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Coordinates: 34°00′58″N, 119°48′14″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...


  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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