Mona Island Puerto Rico

Thu, Jun 10, 2010

Mona Island is an uninhabited island west of Puerto Rico, belonging to the municipality of Mayaguez. While Mona is closer to the Dominican Republic, it is part of Puerto Rico.

Features

Its climate is semiarid and it has an approximate area of 55km². The island is closer to the Dominican Republic, but belongs to the Puerto Rican archipelago. On the island there are walks and explorations, some of which have proved several times already to be dangerous due to, mortal-dehydration, disorientation, etc. primarily by the negligence of the visitors. There has been research conducted on the flora and fauna of the island by educational institutions (including the University of Puerto Rico) and state and federal agencies.

Nature reserve

The Island Nature Reserve is located in the Mona Passage, halfway between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, approximately 70km west of the main island. The Mona Island Natural Reserve is the largest MPA comprising of 157,379 ha (38.889 acres) with limits extending 9 nautical miles from its coast and including Monito, a small island 6km northwest of Mona.

Mona’s land area is 5,566 hectares (13.753 acres) and Monito is 14 (34 acres). These islands were derived from the deposition of calcium carbonate on the seafloor and subsequent uplift during the Miocene for 24 – 25 million years. Endemic terrestrial species are found on both islands, including plants, amphibians, reptiles, birds and various marine habitats such as coral reefs, seagrass and submerged vertical-cliff walls.

Mona the name derives from the name of a Taino chief (native Indian) called ‘Amona’ who inhabited the island prior to Spanish colonization. Mona was inhabited by pirates, guano gatherers, fishermen and hunters, among others.

In 1919, Mona Island Forest was declared by the governor, and in 1986 Arthur Yager Mona and Monito was designated as the Natural Reserve of the Mona Island by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) of Puerto Rico. DNER personnel permanently inhabited the island of Mona, while visitors camped under permission.

La Reserva Natural Isla de la Mona is a laboratory for scientific research including archeology, geology, oceanography, management of alien species, and conservation of threatened species (e.g. rock iguanas, turtles, and birds endemic).

A lot more information about Puerto Rico available here http://www.aboutcuba.info