Coronado Islands

"Islas Coronado".

The Coronado Islands are a group of 4 islands of the coast of Baja California in Mexico. Battered by the wind and waves, they are largely unfertile and uninhabited but for a small military detachment and few lighthouse keepers who are supplied in from the mainland.

The Coronado Islands

North Coronado has no bay but boats can anchor on a jetty on the eastern side.
- Location Latitude N 32° 28', Longitude W 117° 18'
- Size 46 hectares
- Height 153 meters
- Length 800m

Pilón de Azúcar very hard to land in it and it has little or no attractiveness. It has little vegetation but there is a flock of birds that rest here.
- Location Latitude N 32° 25',Longitude W 117° 16'
- Size 7 hectares
- Height 33 meters

Central Coronado has a rocky peak with a heap of cactus and scrubs near the summit.
- Location Latitude N 32° 25',Longitude W 117° 16'
- Size 14 hectares
- Height 32 meters

South Coronado has the only bay of the islands, called 'Puerto Cueva'. It has a lighthouses on each extreme.
- Location Latitude N 32° 25',Longitude W 117° 15'
- Size 183 hectares
- Height 220 meters
- Length 32000 meters
- Width' 800 meters

History

The Coronado Islands are part of the municipality of Tijuana, Baja California in Mexico as ruled in the books of the Baja Californian Government published, on the 20 of December 1959:

Article 7 – the state of Baja California is divided and understood as the following municipalities .... Tijuana.

c).-The Municipality of Tijuana is made up of ..... in addition; The Coronado Islands correspond to the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Tijuana, which lie on the extremes of the municipality to the Pacific Ocean.

In September 1542 Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo called them the "Deserted Islands' in 1602 Sebastián Vizcaíno called them the four Coronados, although they have been called a dozen other names they also have also been provocatingly called the Sentries of San Diego Bay even if they belong to México.

Flora and Fauna

In the North and South Islands there are dahlias, various species of cactus, wild cucumber and Houseleek.

There are few colonies of birds like sea gulls, pelicans, petrels and ducks.

10 species of reptiles and amphibians are also found in the islands, the most known is the coronado rattle snake which is a smaller species from the one found on the mainland. There are also the coronado snakes which feeds off bird's eggs, Coronado lizard which is found in all four islands, and the tree Salamanders which live on the 3 biggest islands, Plated lizard are found on the south and central islands.

There are two types of mammals in the islands: rabbits and the mice. It is not known how they got to be on the islands.

The sea mammals are plentiful and it is not uncommon to see gangs of sea lions, seals and Sea Otter.

All of the marine life of the islands came under threat in 2004 when the Mexican government authorized Chevron-Texaco to install a liquefied natural gas receiving terminal.