Clarion Island

About

Clarion Island (Isla Clarión), formerly Santa Rosa, is the second largest, westernmost and most remote of Mexico's Revillagigedo Islands, a marine protected area. The island is located 385 kilometres (239 mi) west of Socorro Island and just under 700 kilometres (430 mi) from the Mexican mainland. It has an area of 19.80 square kilometres (7.64 sq mi) and three prominent peaks. The westernmost and tallest peak, Monte Gallegos, is 335 metres (1, 099 ft) high. The central peak is called Monte de la Marina, 280 metres (920 ft), and the eastern peak Pico de la Tienda 292 metres (958 ft). The coasts are backed by perpendicular cliffs, 24 to 183 metres (79 to 600 ft) high, with the exception of the middle part of the southern coast in the vicinity of Bahía Azufre (Sulphur Bay), which is the location of a small military garrison with a contingent of nine soldiers. Two small and at least temporarily brackish pools are the only source of fresh water; even these may dry up in summers with little rain. Clarion can only be reached by sea, which from Mexico takes 30 hours.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.