evidence: Navassa Island[dead link] is an uninhabited island in the Caribbean that is administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior of the United States of America as a National Wildlife Refuge. The island is also claimed by Haiti. It lies about one-quarter of the way from Haiti to Jamaica. [...] History [edit]This uninhabited island was claimed by the U.S. in 1857 for its guano, and mining took place between 1865 and 1898. In the 19th and early 20th century guano (a product originating from bird feces on limestone that is used as fertilizer and a basis for explosives) was so important that the US passed the Guano Islands Act allowing any US citizen to claim any island, not previously claimed by another nation, for the US if Guano deposits were to be found there. Navassa Island is just one of many islands and islets that entered US possession due to this curious piece of legislation, that is still in force. A 46-metre (50 yd) tall lighthouse was built in 1917, on the southern side of the island. The Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light in September 1996. After the lighthouse was shut down administration of Navassa Island transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior. A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the following year it became a National Wildlife Refuge. [...] Fees and permits [edit]Navassa Island is closed to the public. Visitors need permission from the Fish and Wildlife Office before entering the territory.