evidence: Country name conventional long form: none conventional short form: Navassa Island etymology: the flat island was named "Navaza" by some of Christopher COLUMBUS' sailors in 1504; the name derives from the Spanish term "nava" meaning "flat land, plain, or field" Dependency status unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of the Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; Haiti has claimed the island since the 19th century [...] Navassa Island (US)-Haiti: claimed by Haiti and is in Haiti’s constitution; the waters around Navassa island are a source of subsistence for Haitian fishermen