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Clipperton Island

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Clipperton Island (locally known as Île Clipperton and sometimes Île de la Passion) is an uninhabited seven-square-kilometer coral atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 kilometers southwest of Mexico, at 10°17' N, 109°13' W.

It lies about 965 km from Tejupan Point on Mancanilla Bay, Mexico, the nearest mainland. The ring-shaped island has completely enclosed its lagoon for approximately a century and is about 5 mile in circumference. The lagoon has acidic water at the bottom and is stagnant. Clipperton Rock is the highest point.

The island has a tropical oceanic climate, with average temperatures of 20-32°C. The rainy season occurs in May-October, and the island is subject to tropical storms. Surrounding ocean waters are warm with a westerly current, which flows directly from the mainland.

Clipperton Island is largely covered with scrub vegetation, with a few stands of coconut palms. The scrub vegetation seems to have disappeared sometime between 1858 and 1917; when Snodgrass and Heller visited the island in 1898, they reported, "no land plant is native to the island…" (Snodgrass and Heller 1902). Sachet (1962), however, points out that according to historical accounts from the island in 1711, 1825, and likely in 1839, the island had a low grassy and/or suffrutescent (partially woody) vegetation. It is hypothesized that the vegetation may have been decimated by a tropical storm, and was then unable to regenerate due to the large population of land crabs. There also is a August 24, 1909 article from the San Francisco Chronicle speculating on the possibility of a group on Clipperton Island was washed over by a tidal wave caused by an earthquake.

After the introduction of pigs by guano miners, the flora was able to re-establish itself as the pigs helped to keep the land crabs in check (Sachet 1962). During the period of settlement, the island’s flora was multiplied by the introduction of alien species; coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) were introduced in the 1890’s.


Based upon Sachet’s visit in 1958, the vegetation is a sparse cover of spiny grass and low thickets, a creeping plant (Ipomoea), and stands of coconut palm. This low-lying herbaceous vegetation appears to be pioneer in nature, and the majority is believed to be composed of recently introduced species. Sachet suspected that the sedges, Heliotropium curassavicum, and possibly Portulaca oleracea are native in origin (Sachet 1962). At the northwest side of the island, at least, the most abundant species are Cenchrus echinatus, Sida rhombifolia, and Corchorus aestuans. These plants compose a shrub cover up to 30 cm in height, and are intermixed with Eclipta, Phyllanthus, and Solanum, as well as a taller plant, Brassica juncea. An interesting feature was observed in that the vegetation is arranged in parallel rows of species; dense rows of taller species alternate with lower, more open vegetation. This was assumed to be a result of the phosphate mining method of digging trenches.

It is a possession of France administered from French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic; its defense is the responsibility of France. Its data code is IP.

Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic activity is tuna fishing. It has no other natural resources.

History

Clipperton Island was originally discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, but was later named after John Clipperton, an English pirate and privateer who fought the Spanish during the early 18th century, who used the island to raid ships.

In 1708, two French ships 'Princess' and 'Découverte' reached the island and named it 'Ile de la Passion', and annexed it for France. The first scientific expedition took place in 1725 by Frenchman M.Bocage, who lived on the island for several months.

In 1831 John Fitzgerald on his way to San Blas from Callao during April discovered an island at 18deg 30min N and 114deg 33min W. not shown on any chart.

The American Guano Mining Company, under the Guano Islands Act of 1856, claimed the island for the United State of America, with later claims to island by the Oceanic Phosphate Company . In 1858 the French annexed Clipperton as part of Tahiti by Napoleon III. Mexico seized the island in 1897 and established a military outpost on the island. The Americans held it briefly during the Spanish American War of 1898.

Hopkins-Stanford Expedition; Snodgras and Heller; 1898-1899 studies made on the flora and fauna of a Pacific Island Expedition which cataloged species, weather, etc.

In 1906, the British 'Pacific Island Company' annexed the island, and built a settlement together with the Mexican government in order to mine guano. In that year, a lighthouse was also erected by Porfirio Díaz. In 1914, about 100 people, mixed men and women, lived on the island. Every two months, a ship from Acapulco went to the island to bring food. However, with the start of the Mexican civil war, the atoll was no longer reachable by ship, and the people on the island were on their own.

By 1915, most of the inhabitants had died, and the last settlers wanted to leave on the American war ship 'Lexington' which had reached the atoll in late 1915. However, the Mexican military Governor declared that evacuation was not necessary.

By 1917, most of the men had died and only the lighthouse keeper was living along with 15 women on the island. The lighthouse keeper promptly proclaimed himself King and began a rampage of rape and murder. In July 1917, three women and two children were the only ones alive and were picked up by the American ship 'Yorktown'.

Ownership of Clipperton was then disputed between France and Mexico. France approached the Vatican for a decision on who owned the lonely atoll, far offshore. In 1930, the Vatican gave the rights to the King of Italy, Vikor Emanuel II, who declared one year later that Clipperton was a part of France. When Clipperton was finally declared as a French possession in 1931, the lighthouse was rebuilt and the French settled a military outpost on the island. The outpost only remained for there seven years and then the French abandoned it.

In the late 1930's, Clipperton was visited twice by President Franklin D. Roosevelt who wanted it to become an American possession for use as a trans-pacific air base, and in 1944 he ordered the navy to occupy the island in one of the most secret US operations of WW II. Rear Admiral Byrd explored the island as a possible air base during several expeditions.

During the '70s the French explored reopening the lagoon and developing a harbor for tourism. This plan was not met well, because of natural conservation efforts, so the French decided to explode nuclear weapons on the island; the United States of Mexico and the United States of America convinced France to not implement that plan.

The island has been abandoned since WW II, and has since only been visited by sport fishermen, aside from regularly scheduled patrols by the French Navy, and Mexican tuna and shark fishermen. Occasionally scientific or amateur radio expedition and Jacques Cousteau with a survivor from 1917 and his cast of divers have visited. Lance Milbrand in 2003 stayed on the island 41 days for a National Geographic Society expedition, recording his adventure in video, photos and written diary.

See also: Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans

Reference

  • Edwin D. Dickinson, The Clipperton Island Case. American Journal of International Law, Vol. 27, No. 1., pp. 130-133.
  • Pitman, R. L. and Jehl, J. R. 1998. Geographic variation and reassessment of species limits in the "masked" boobies of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Wilson Bulletin 110:155-170.
  • Sachet, M. H. 1962. Flora and vegetation of Clipperton Island. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 4th ser., v.31, no.10. The Academy, San Francisco.
  • Snodgrass, R. E. and E. Heller. 1902. The birds of Clipperton and Cocos Islands; Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos expedition 1898-1899. The Academy, Washington, DC.
  • UNEP/IUCN. 1988. Coral Reefs of the World. Volume 3: Central and Western Pacific. UNEP Regional Seas Directories and Bibliographies. IUCN/UNEP, Gland, Switzerland, Cambridge, UK, and Nairobi, Kenya.
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