Rocas Alijos from the East
(South Rock partially cut off left)

Rocas Alijos (or Escollos Alijos, in English also Alijos Rocks) are a group of tiny, steep and barren volcanic islets or above-water (as well as below-water) rocks in the Pacific Ocean at 24°57'31"N, 115°44'59"W. They are part Comondú municipality of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, and situated about 300 km west of the mainland. The total surface area is less than 1,000 square metres. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Comondú is a municipality of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. ... The Mexican state of Baja California Sur is divided into five municipalities (municipios): Categories: Lists of municipalities of Mexico | Mexican states ... The United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos or Mexico) comprises 31 states (estados) and one federal district (Distrito Federal), which contains the capital, Mexico City. ... Baja California Sur is one of the 31 States of Mexico, occupying the part of the Baja California Peninsula south of the 28th parallel. ... The metre (Commonwealth English) or meter (American English) (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ...

The group consists of three principal rocks and numerous smaller ones. South Rock, the largest of the group, is 34 meters high, with a diameter of only 14 meters (position 24°57'03"N, 115°44'55"W). The rocks seem to be known since the early Spanish history of Mexico; they can be found on a map from 1598. The first description is from 1704, by pirate John Clipperton. But only in 1791 the first exact description was made by a Spanish sailor. South Rock was climbed for the first time in 1990 by an expedition (October 31 through November 07, 1990) under the leadership of Rob Schmieder. Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The group is located at the transition zone between two major biologic provinces, at a latitude where the Pacific Current turns westward to form the north Pacific trans-oceanic current. The rocks are nesting sites of many sea birds.

The two other Mexican island groups in the Pacific Ocean that are not on the continental shelf are Guadalupe Island and Revillagigedo Islands.  The continental shelf, hilighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ... Southeast coast of Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe, (28°53′N 118°18′W) is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers (150 miles) off the west coast of Mexicos Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of the border city of Tijuana in Baja... The Revillagigedo Islands (or Revillagigedo Archipelago), not to be confused with Revillagigedo Island of Alaska, are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean at approximately 18° N 112° W. They are part of Manzanillo municipality of the Mexican state of Colima and lie 386 km southwest of Cabo San...

External links

• description
• more detailed description in German
• sailing directions