The Corn Islands are two
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
s about east of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
coast of
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
, constituting one of 12
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of the
South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It covers an area of and has a population of 420,935 (2021 estimate). The capital is Bluefields. Bordering the Caribbean Sea, it contains part of the reg ...
. The official name of the municipality is ''Corn Island'' (the English name is officially used in Spanish-speaking Nicaragua).
History
According to Edward Conzemius, a French ethnologist from Luxembourg, in 1929 he stated in his article ''Les Îles Corn du Nicaragua («The Corn Islands of Nicaragua»),that the first inhabitants of Corn Island were the indigenous Kukras, who were exterminated by the also indigenous Miskitos in alliance with the English buccaneers.''
They used the island to resupply firewood, water, repair their ships and as a support for their fishing activities. Puritan settlers of British origin arrived on the island in the mid-18th century, bringing with them their slaves of African origin. It is known that they came from Jamaica, settling in British Honduras (now Belize) until they reached the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua.
The first settler inhabitants inhabited preferably the southeastern part of the island. This had its reasons: Quinn Hill's height offered a panoramic view of the sea, from where they could see the arrival of pirate ships as they approached "Insurance Harbor", a strategic port on the Island, which provided facilities for anchoring and unloading boats. This port "Insurance Harbor" also has historical importance since Colonel Alexander McDonald, superintendent of British Honduras (today Belize), landed on August 27, 1841.
This superintendent was the one who ordered to call the slaves, at the point called South West Bay, to declare them free from slavery, in the name of Queen Victoria of Great Britain and King Robert Charles Frederick of the Mosquitia.
After the establishment of the English colonists in the Corn Island Islands, a process of acculturation began. Most of the settlers came to these Islands as adventurers and explorers in search of fortunes and riches. They settled permanently interrelating with the slaves. Product of this relationship arises the Creole descent of Corn Island. Over time, this descendant gradually assimilated and adapted the customs and traditions of English culture. This is how the genetic anthro profile of the Corn Island Creole ethnic group emerged.
11 years after the emancipation from slavery, on August 25, 1852, Reverend Edward Kelly from British Honduras founded the Ebenezer Baptist Church and School, the first church and educational center on the Island. Kelly was the one who evangelized the Cornaileños, since in previous years the Moravians made the attempt but could not.
Corn Island along with the eastern half of Nicaragua was a protectorate of the British Empire from 1655 to 1894, a period in which the region was called the Mosquito Coast. At some point, the islands were frequented by Caribbean pirates. In 1894 the Nicaraguan government claimed the area. The islands were handed over to the United States for a 99-year lease under the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty of August 5, 1914: under the terms of that treaty they were subject to US law but Nicaraguan sovereignty was maintained.
In 1940 Corn Island was elevated to a municipality in the Zelaya Region (as the region was known at the time) by presidential decree.
The Americans maintained the right to the actual or potential use of the islands until April 25, 1971, the date on which the agreement was officially canceled with the repeal of the Chamorro-Bryan treaty, under the presidency of Anastasio Somoza Debayle, from 14 July 1970.
Before that event, the municipality had a governor and not a mayor as it is now. The mayors were previously elected in a community assembly, where apart from the highest municipal representative, the judge and secretary were also elected. The first popular vote elections where all the people participated was at the beginning of the 20th century.
Geography
The Corn Islands consist of the Great Corn Island (often simply referred to as Corn Island), with an area of , and Little Corn Island, with an area of . The total area is . Mount Pleasant Hill in the north of Great Corn Island, is the highest elevation of the islands, at . Little Corn Island reaches a height of at Lookout Point in the northern part of the island.
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, the nearby mainland region of
Bluefields
Bluefields is the capital of the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, South Caribbean Autonomous Region in Nicaragua. It was also the capital of the former Mosquito Coast, Kingdom of Mosquitia, and later the Zelaya Department, which was divid ...
features a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Af''). There is a drier period from February to April, but the
trade winds
The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisph ...
ensure that unlike the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, rain still falls frequently during this period. For the rest of the year when tropical low pressure dominates rainfall is extremely heavy, helped by the coast being shaped in such a manner as to intercept winds from the south as prevail during the northern summer.
Demographics
The population of the islands numbered 7,747 (census of population, Late 2020).
The islanders are mostly of Afro-descendant, English-speaking
Creole people
Creole peoples are ethnic groups formed during the European colonial era, from the mass displacement of peoples brought into sustained contact with others from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, who converged onto a colonial territo ...
, some of whom are mixed with indigenous people.
Subdivisions
The municipality of Corn Island is subdivided into six
neighborhoods
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...
(''barrios''), five of which are on Great Corn Island, while Little Corn Island constitutes the sixth Neighborhood:
Transportation
Great Corn Island has a paved road about long which runs the length of the island. Automobiles, motorbikes and bicycles are the primary means of transport on the island. Most cars are used as taxis and cost 30 Cordobas for each ride of an adult person. The only other public transportation option is the bus that circles the island clockwise and costs 10 cordobas.
Little Corn Island is accessible by fast boats, usually three or four times per day depending on weather from Great Corn Island, and by a small cargo ship from the port at Southwest Bay on Great Corn Island (
World Port Index
The World Port Index (PUB 150) contains a tabular listing of thousands of ports throughout the world, describing their location, characteristics, known facilities, and available services. Of particular interest are the applicable volume of Saili ...
No. 9775). Little Corn Island has no motor vehicles. Due to its small size, all transport on the island is done on foot.
Air
The Corn Islands are about away from
Bluefields
Bluefields is the capital of the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, South Caribbean Autonomous Region in Nicaragua. It was also the capital of the former Mosquito Coast, Kingdom of Mosquitia, and later the Zelaya Department, which was divid ...
.
Corn Island Airport
Corn Island International Airport is a civil-military public International Airport that serves Great Corn Island on the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua and located in the Island's Downtown area known locally as ''Brig Bay,'' ...
in the city of Brig Bay is served by
La Costeña airlines from Bluefields and
Managua
)
, settlement_type = Capital city
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Nicara ...
.
Sea
Great Corn Island can be reached by a cargo ship that departs two or three times per week from
El Rama
Rama is a municipality and a city in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua.
Inifom ...
through Escondido River with its mouth at Bluefields. These ships usually do not have much passenger room, and the trip may last 12 hours. From Bluefields passengers may also use a once-a-week government ferry, a trip of around 5 hours. The Isla Pequeña del Maiz Lighthouse is on Little Corn Island.
Economy and tourism
Throughout most of the 20th century, the economy revolved around coconut production. During the 1960s and 1970s,
Fishing industry, commercial fishing as well as
lobster
Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
and
shrimp fishing
The shrimp fishery is a major global industry, with more than 3.4 million tons caught per year, chiefly in Asia. Rates of bycatch are unusually high for shrimp fishing, with the capture of sea turtles being especially contentious.
A shrimper is a ...
, became the main industry. The recent growth in tourism throughout the region, however, has also affected the islands. Tourism on the islands has grown considerably, with their many surrounding
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
Co ...
s making them a popular destination for
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
and
snorkeling
Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a ...
.
Barracuda
A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...
s,
nurse shark
The nurse shark (''Ginglymostoma cirratum'') is an elasmobranch fish in the family Ginglymostomatidae. The conservation status of the nurse shark is globally assessed as Vulnerable in the IUCN List of Threatened Species. They are considered t ...
s,
hammerhead shark
The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that form the family Sphyrnidae, so named for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a "hammer" shape called a cephalofoil. Most hammerhe ...
s,
green sea turtle
The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...
s, and
spotted eagle ray
The spotted eagle ray (''Aetobatus narinari'') is a cartilaginous fish of the eagle ray family, Myliobatidae. As traditionally recognized, it is found globally in tropical regions, including the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Recent auth ...
s are among the
marine life
Marine life, sea life, or ocean life is the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the salt water of seas or oceans, or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. At a fundamental level, marine life affects the nature of the planet. M ...
that can be seen around the islands.
Sports
Baseball is a popular sport in the Corn Islands. The main stadium on the island is the
Karen Tucker Baseball Stadium
Karen may refer to:
* Karen (name), a given name and surname
* Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors
People
* Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand
** Karen languages or Karenic l ...
.
Gastronomy
The cuisine of Corn Island is varied, most of the dishes are seafood and boco based.
The typical dish of Corn Island is crab soup, rondon, fried fish, rice with shrimp, among others.
Notable people
*
Cheslor Cuthbert
Cheslor Jesly Cuthbert (; born November 16, 1992) is a Nicaraguan professional baseball third baseman for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Wh ...
, professional baseball player for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
See also
*
List of lighthouses in Nicaragua
This is a list of lighthouses in Nicaragua.
Lighthouses
See also
* Lists of lighthouses
References
External links
*
{{North America topic, List of lighthouses in
Nicaragua
Lighthouses
Lighthouses
A lighthouse is a tower, building ...
File:Little Corn Island.JPG, Coast of Little Corn Island
File:CornIsland.JPG, Aerial view of Corn Island
File:Caribbean Cow.JPG, Sally Peachie, Corn Island
File:Long Bay, Corn Island.jpg, Long Bay, Corn Island
References
External links
RightSide Guide: The survival guide to the Caribbean coast of NicaraguaBigCornIsland.comTourism on the Corn Islands
Bluefields and Corn Island a history written by Maureen Tweedy
LittleCornIsland.netAbout Little Corn Island
Corn Island Guidee
{{Lighthouse identifiers , qid2=Q106245152
Caribbean islands of Nicaragua
Municipalities of the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
Lighthouses in Nicaragua
English-speaking countries and territories