Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island as the 2017 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 26 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
This isolated atoll was named for John CLIPPERTON, an English pirate who was rumored to have made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in 1855 and claimed by the US, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France in 1931, which took possession in 1935.
Geography
Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico
16 fieldsLand useshare of 6 sq km
Environment - current issues
no natural resources, guano deposits depleted; the ring-shaped atoll encloses a stagnant fresh-water lagoon
Geography - note
- the atoll reef is approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) in circumference;
- an attempt to colonize the atoll in the early 20th century ended in disaster and was abandoned in 1917
People and Society
1 fieldGovernment
4 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Clipperton Island
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- Ile Clipperton
- former:
- sometimes referred to as Ile de la Passion or Atoll Clipperton
- etymology:
- named after an 18th-century English pirate who supposedly used the island as a base
Economy
Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic activity is tuna fishing.
1 fieldEconomy - overview
Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic activity is tuna fishing.
Transportation
1 fieldMilitary and Security
1 fieldTransnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Clipperton Island.” The World Factbook 2017. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/clipperton-island/2017.