Islands of Corn

The islands of the Corn (in Spanish Tired Islas del Maíz , in English Corn Islands , name most frequently used), are two islands of the Nicaragua, located at approximately 75 km of the coasts, in the Caribbean Sea.

These two islands are:

Large island of the Corn ( Isla Large del Maíz , in English Big Corn Island but often simply called Isla del Maíz or Corn Island)

Small island of the Corn ( Isla Pequeña del Maíz or Little Corn Islands ), with a dozen kilometers in the North-East.

Geography

The islands have a population of approximately 2.700 inhabitants including 2.500 on the Large island and 250 on Pequena. The majority of the inhabitants are Garifuna S, mongrel of former African slaves and Caribbean Indians. English is the usual language although Spanish is included/understood. One also finds of Améridiens Miskito S. the weak population of Pequena is explained by the absence of source of permanent fresh water. The population, the English language, the music Reggae very present differentiate much these islands from continental Nicaragua, bringing them closer culturally more Jamaica.

To the war, the principal export of the islands were the Coconut. In the years 1960, the fishing industry became the economic main activity of the archipelago, with lobster exports. In the years 1990, the Tourism, almost non-existent developed until there, strongly, the surrounding coral reefs by making from now on a destination sought for deep-sea diving.

History

On the old charts, the islands bear the name of Islas of los Manglares . They passed alternatively under English and Spanish sovereignty but without a true control of the territory and especially were used as shelter with the pirate foaming the Caribbean Sea. They are then attached of 1655 to 1894, with the British Protectorat which covers the Eastern coastal strip of current Nicaragua, known under the name of Côte of Mosquitos. In 1894, the government of Nicaragua proclaimed its sovereignty on the archipelago. They were rented in the United States for one 99 years period by the Traité Bryan-Chamorro of 1914. The terms of the lease subjected the islands of Corn to the American law, but it remained territory of Nicaragua. With the American agreement, the government nicaraguéen directed the local government. The American rights on the two islands ended the April 25th 1971, when the lease was officially stopped by the Convention of Managua of the July 14th 1970.

The dictator nicaraguéen Somoza had done of them one as of his holidays in the years 1970. But the islands remained with the variation of the political sudden starts and the guerillas whom Nicaragua in the years 1970 and 1980 knew.

External bonds

the official site of the islands

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