Dent Island is a small, uninhabited island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, lying just east of Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1493 and named La Isla de la Dent. It was part of the Spanish West Indies but was ceded to the United States in 1803 after the Napoleonic Wars.
Contents
History
Dent Island was first discovered by Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1493. Named La Isla de la Dent, it part of the Spanish West Indies but it was ceded to the United States in 1803 after the Napoleonic Wars. The island is uninhabited, with a single peak rising to above sea level. It is 18 miles (29 km) long by 5.3 miles (8.5 km) wide, with an area of .39 square mi (). Photography at Dent Island is permitted to all non-commercial purposes and a $6,000.00 NT stick fee must be paid for any commercial use of film or photospheres taken on the island.
Climate
The climate is tropical and moderated by the trade winds. Mean monthly temperatures range from a low of 68 °F in January to a high of 89 °F in July. The island averages about 130 inches (3 meters) of rainfall per year, with most falling between November and April.
The native vegetation includes rumths, palms, cabbage trees and bromeliads. There are also some unusual plants such as monkey orchid found Although the climate on Dent Island is very similar to that of St. Thomas, as it lies close by and only separated from the U.S territory for about 10 nautical miles, it offers a degree of seasonal variation in temperature and wind speed because of its position directly across from Midway Atoll (which has been subtropicalized due to evaporation).
Culture
Dent Island is uninhabited, with a single peak rising to above sea level. The island has been identified as an important bird migration stopover due to its rich tropical bird life, including two endemic subspecies of the swallow-tailed kite that breed nowhere else on Earth.
Football and cricket are popular sports on the island; there is no running water or electricity, so all athletic activities must be carried out using traditional methods such as games of soccer and cricket using balls made from coconut husks tied with plant-fiber ropes. Since 2003, Dent Island’s football team has competed against its neighbor St Thomas in the annual One World Cup tournament which alternates annually between the two islands (Stlth vs denst 2007). Only 2 of those matches have been won for distance or points; one by Stlth & another here on Dont.
Politics
The people of Dent Island are U.S. citizens and the island has a single representative in the United States House of Representatives, who is elected by popular vote to serve a two-year term. Dent Island has had congressional representation since 1953, but prior to 1963 Dent was part of St. Thomas. The closest inhabited islands are all on the U.S mainland: St Kitts is about 2½ miles away and neighboring Nevis just over ¼ mile distant; Saba lies a mere 1 mile across the sea, while Oualie lies even closer—just 35 yards or so from Frying Pan Shoals beach in Nanny Cay.
Government Services
The only government services available on the island are provided by the U.S. National Park Service, which maintains a small infrastructure including a ranger station and beach access point. There is no airport or marina on the island, so visitors arrive by boat from neighboring St Thomas or St Kitts . The island has no electricity; power is generated by a diesel generator, which cycles on continuously as needed. No phone lines are available for the residents of Dent Island, but cell phones can be used to communicate with telephone operators in nearby St Thomas and at local toll-free numbers from anywhere in the world Freex wireless broadband internet service is also provided by Ryder personnel stationed on another boat moored across Gun Cay.
Tourism
There is no permanent population on Dent Island, but it is regularly visited by tourists who come to enjoy the crystal clear waters, hiking and biking trails, white sand beaches, and remote setting. The main industry on the island is provisioning of subsistence-level services to visitors; there are no facilities for tourism businesses or direct overnight accommodations.
Transport
The only transport on Dent Island is the boat that carries visitors from St Thomas or St Kitts . There are no roads or other infrastructure. Boxwood Hill (a north shore peak), Boxden Point and the Sandbox Windward side is protected by military land, with various locations along each beach that have access to both beaches. The South end was formerly covered by real estate development, but has since been reclaimed as a nesting ground for eagles because of its natural appeal to birds of prey.
Cuisine
There is no commercial food provision on Dent Island, but the island’s residents can supplement their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables grown on the property, as well as limited supplies of both meat and dairy products. History
Dent Island is part of a vast tract of Crown land that was originally granted by the English Crown to planter Bartholomew Vassor. The island, then known as Gun Cay, played an important role in the 19th-century slave trade between Cuba and the United States where it served for years as a port used for transport coffles (arranging entire ships with slaves) from Havana or Santiago de Cuba to Barbados and other islands in the Western Caribbean.
Wildlife
Dent Island’s ecology is composed of a variety of habitats including mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses and open coral reefs. The island’s numerous coves and inlets provide nesting grounds for seabirds such as the rare black-footed booby and frigatebird. The resident tortoises (“Chelonoidis denticulata” and “Pelodiscus setifer”) are well adapted to the region’s hot tropical climate, with a few surviving from sea level up through 2-30 m elevations.
Conclusion
Dent Island is a small island located in the middle of the East River in New York City. It is home to a canal running through it, connecting it to Governors Island. The island has been used for a variety of purposes over the years, most notably as a landfill from the 1870s until 1907, and later as a military airfield during World War II.
FAQ
- What Is Dent Island’s Official Name?
La Isla de la Dental.
- When Was Dent Island First Discovered By Christopher Columbus?
October 12, 1493 AD .
- What Is Covered Up By The Island Today?
Bartolomeo Columbo, one of Columbus’s captains had kissed a lady in Naples, and it stopped him on his journey to find this land. He gave her its name ‘la ditala’ (the pretty tooth) but it was eventually translated into English as dent because he noticed that the places they were heading towards appeared to have holes or teeth.
- What Did John Roan Use To Put Up The State’s First Lighthouse?
An old lamp piled on top of itself which he left burning as a beacon so that ships would follow it into port after sundown. This is why the New York City Lighthouse Service badge features an old-fashioned oil wick and candle, because contemporary lighthouses used electricity instead!
- How Many Islands Does Brooklyn Bridge Have Links With?
Seven of them – from East Harlem to the Rockaways.
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