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- Corn Islands
- Territory of Nicaragua
- own name: Islas del Maíz
- former name: Islas de los Manglares
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• Origin of the Country's Name
since 2009,
Flag of the Corn Islands,
Source, by: Municipal Government of Corn Island,
CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Corn Islands have an own flag since 2009. Before the was in use the flag of Nicaragua since 1971. From 1914 to 1971 the islands were an US-american navy and air force base.
Source: Wikipedia (D)
Position of the Corn Islands:
Source: Volker Preuß
The Corn Islands are situated ca. 45 miles in front of the eastern coast of Nicaragua (Mosquito Coast) in the Caribbean Sea. They consist of the Islands Maíz Grande and Maíz Pequeña as well as of the minor and smaller isles of the Pearl Keys.
Area: 13 km²
Inhabitants: 7.429 (2007), mostly Caribbeans and Mosquito Indians
Density of Population: 1.480 inh./sq.mi.
Capital: Brig Bay
official Language: Spanish
other Languages: English
Currency: Nicaraguan currency
Time Zone: GMT – 6 h
Source: Wikipedia (D)
The Corn Islands were probably discovered in the year 1502 by Columbus. The Spanish
appropriated the islands indeed as Islas de los Manglares, but they did not
colonize them so that they developed as a pirate nest of the Buccaneers and
came after 1697 gradually under British influence.
Since the beginning of the 19th
century there were projects to build a canal through the Isthmus of Central
America. The most interested states have been United Kingdom – the then great
power in the Caribbean Sea – and the aspiring USA. Target of both powers was
the appropriation of a land stripe between Atlantic and Pacific Ocean and
the construction of a canal under own sovereignty. United Kingdom possessed
the Caribbean Islands and had secured with British-Honduras and the Mosquito
Coast first territories on the mainland. In the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty from
1850 both countries agreed about the neutrality of a coming canal and to
renounce further territorial appropriations. The USA appropriated in 1856
the Seranilla Bank, the Seraña Bank, the Quita Sueño Bank, the Roncador
Cays, the Petrel Islands (Bajo Nuevo Bank) and Navassa Island, ostensibly
because of its guano resources. The USA became active even on the American
mainland. United Kingdom leaved the Mosquito Coast and gave it to
Honduras
and Nicaragua. The Corn Islands were officially appropriated by Nicaragua in
the year 1894.
The Isthmus of Panama
was ideally for the Canal where Ferdinand Vicomte de Lesseps startet in the
year 1879 with the construction works. There was however a project named
"Trans-Nicaragua-Canal" which was accelerated by the USA. As Lesseps because
of financial problems has to stop ist works on the Panama Canal in 1889 and
the endeavours for a continue failed in 1899, acquired the USA in the year
1901 the exclusive right to complete the canal and occupyd over and above in
1905, 1907 and 1911 Honduras, and in 1912 Nicaragua. But Colombia would not
cede the Panama Canal Zone to the USA, so that the USA strengthend the
establishment of the Republic of Panama which ceded the canal zone to the
USA. A evident break of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty with United Kingdom from
1860. The Panama Canal was inaugurated on 15th of August in 1914. The USA
kept open the option for the "Trans-Nicaragua-Canal" because of the
political difficulties with Colombia und Panama. In this way the Corn
Islands were leased in 1914 for 99 years from Nicaragua and the Swan-Islands
(Honduras) were occupied in 1924 by the USA to protect the military
influence and both were developed as navy and air force bases. As the Panama
Canal was steady in the hand of the USA became the Corn Islands and also the
Sawn Islands needless as bases, so that the USA terminated the leasing
treaty earlier and left in 1971 the Corn Islands and the Swan Islands.
Source: Volker Preuß
The Corn Islands were named until the 19th century "Islas de los Manglares" ergo "Mangrove Islands". Probably arised in context with the settlement and exploitation of the islands the name "Corn Islands" (span: Islas del Maíz) as hint for the in addition to the cultivation of Cocos palm trees, the fishery and the trapping of lobsters and crayfishs once most important source of earning on the islands. Today the islands are an important area of tourism.
Source:
Wikipedia (D), Volker Preuß
