Isla Santa Catalina

{{Other places|Santa Catalina (disambiguation){{!}}Santa Catalina#Places}}

{{Infobox islands |name = Isla Santa Catalina

| image_name = Raffi kojian-baja-5477.jpg

| image_size = 250px

|image_caption = Aerial photo of Isla Santa Catalina

| map = Mexico

| map_caption =

|location = Gulf of California

|coordinates= {{coord|25|39|9.53|N|110|46|51.25|W|scale:1000000}}

|area_km2 =

|elevation_m = 448

|country = Mexico

|country_admin_divisions_title = State

|country_admin_divisions = Baja California Sur

|population = Uninhabited

}}

Isla Santa Catalina, officially known as Isla Catalana,{{cite book|author=Miguel Venegas|title=Noticia De La California, Y De Su Conquista Temporal, Y Espiritual Hasta El Tiempo Presente|url=https://archive.org/details/noticiadelacalif01vene_0|year=1757|publisher=En la Imprenta de la Viuda De Manuel Fernandez, y del Supremo Consejo de la Inquisicion|pages=[https://archive.org/details/noticiadelacalif01vene_0/page/26 26]–}}{{cite book|author=A. G. Findlay|title=A Directory for the Navigation of the Pacific Ocean, with Descriptions of Its Coasts, Islands, Etc.: From the Strait of Magalhaens to the Arctic Sea, and Those of Asia and Australia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gTMvnUc9PGgC&q=catalana+island&pg=PA302|date=28 March 2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-05972-5|pages=655–}}{{cite book|author=Baja California Sur (Mexico). Dirección de la Crónica Estatal|title=Crónicas Baja California Sur - Editions 1-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E4xVAAAAMAAJ&q=Isla+Catalina+o+Catalana,+Baja+California+Sur|year=1990|publisher=Gobierno del Estado de Baja California Sur}} is an island in the Gulf of California east of the Baja California Peninsula. The island is uninhabited and is part of the Loreto Municipality.

The island is located south of the Gulf of California and is located 25 km from the peninsula of Baja California. It has about 13 km long and 4 km wide maximum with total area of 39.273 square kilometers. Isla Catalana, being uninhabited, is separated by the sea from the nearest town, Loreto, which lies about 60 km away.

Official name

The official and traditional name of the island is “Isla Catalana”.{{cite book|author=Miguel Venegas|title=Noticia De La California, Y De Su Conquista Temporal, Y Espiritual Hasta El Tiempo Presente: Sacada De La Historia Manvscrita, Formada en Mexico año de 1739. por el Padre Miguèl Venegas, de la Compañia de Jesus; y de otras Noticias, y Relaciones antiguas, y modernas. Añadida De Algunos Mapas Particulares, y uno general de la America Septentrional, Assia Oriental, y Mar del Sùr intermedio, formados sobre las Memorias mas recientes, y exactas, que se publìcan juntamente. Dedicada Al Rey N.Tro Señor Por La Provincia De Neueva-España, de la Compañia de Jesus. Tomo Primero|url=https://archive.org/details/noticiadelacalif01vene_0|year=1757|publisher=En la Imprenta de la Viuda De Manuel Fernandez, y del Supremo Consejo de la Inquisicion|pages=[https://archive.org/details/noticiadelacalif01vene_0/page/26 26]–}}{{Cite web |url=https://expediciones.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/isla-catalana.html |title=Isla Catalana. |access-date=2017-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425204957/https://expediciones.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/isla-catalana.html |archive-date=2017-04-25 |url-status=dead }}{{cite book|author=Lucas Alamán|title=Diccionario universal de historia y de geografía: Apéndice. Colección de artículos relativos á la Republica Mexicana por José María Andrade [y otros]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DewMAAAAYAAJ|year=1836|publisher=Andrade y Escalante|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_DewMAAAAYAAJ/page/n752 745]–}}{{cite book|author=Kilian|title=Dictionnaire géographique universel contenant la description de tous les lieux du globe intéressans sous le rapport de la géographie physique et politique, de l'histoire, de la statistique, du commerce, de l'industrie, etc|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F4kK4Tc4zkEC&pg=PA429|year=1825|publisher=A.-J. Kilian|pages=429–}}{{cite book|author=Eugène D. ¬de Mofras|title=Exploration du territoire de l'Orégon, des Californies et de la mer Vermeille: exécutée pendant les années 1840, 1841 et 1842|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0q06AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA222|year=1844|publisher=Bertrand|pages=222–}} The confusion was caused by some documents of cartographic service of the United States, that wrote in a chart the name “Isla Santa Catalina”.{{cite book|author=Kathleen Johnson Dickey|title=A natural history guide to Baja California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8sMTAQAAIAAJ&q=called+Isla+Catalana.+In+the+mid+1850s+when+the+U.S.+Navy+charted+the+Gulf+the+mapmakers+changed+the+name+to+Isla+Santa+Catalina.|year=1983|publisher=Kathleen Johnson Dickey}}{{quote| Originally named Isla Catalan, it was frequently called Isla Catalana. In the mid 1850s when the U.S. Navy charted the Gulf the mapmakers changed the name to Isla Santa Catalina.| A natural history guide to Baja California. Kathleen Johnson Dickey. 1983.}}In some scientific papers, authors use both names. The official Mexican name of Isla catalana, and the one that became internationally spread by error.[http://eco.ib.usp.br/labvert/Arnaud%20et%20al%20hist%20nat%20C%20catalinensis.pdf HISTORIA NATURAL DE LA SERPIENTE DE CASCABEL Crotalus catalinensis, ENDÉMICA DE LA ISLA SANTA CATALINA, GOLFO DE CALIFORNIA, MEXICO. Serpiente de cascabel endémica de la isla Catalana (Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto)]{{cite book|author=L. Lee Grismer|title=Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California, Including Its Pacific Islands and the Islands in the Sea of Cortés|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TgaUSd0lUQC&pg=PT360|date=16 September 2002|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-92520-5|pages=360–}}{{cite book|author=Fernando Jordán|title=Mar Roxo de Cortés: biografía de un golfo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u6K3nRy2z1YC&pg=PA156|date=1 January 1995|publisher=UABC|isbn=978-968-7326-25-2|pages=156–}}{{cite book|author=Oscar Sánchez|title=Temas sobre restauración ecológica|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7oZix0puXbgC&pg=PA223|year=2005|publisher=Instituto Nacional de Ecología|isbn=978-968-817-724-2|pages=223–}}

Biology

File: Ladder-back Woodpecker on Cactus.jpg]]

= Flora =

Ferocactus diguetii.{{cite book|author=Aitchison, Stewart W.|title=The Desert Islands of Mexico's Sea of Cortez|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nQVS9EDmfhQC&pg=PA32|year=2010|publisher=University of Arizona Press|isbn=978-0-8165-2774-8|pages=32–}}
This previous variety of cactus discovered by Leon Diguet{{cite book|author1=Diguet, Léon|author2=Désiré Bois|author3=André Guillaumin|title=Les cactacées utiles du Mexique|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=epJXAAAAMAAJ|year=1928|publisher=Au siège de la Société}} (in French). and endemic to the islands of the Sea of Cortés, grows the tallest specimens on Isla Catalana.[http://www.sdnhm.org/oceanoasis/fieldguide/fero-dig.html Ferocactus diguetii, Barrel Cactus, Biznaga]

=Fauna=

==Birds==

==Reptiles==

File: Gfp-santa-cataline-island-rattlesnake.jpg]]

Isla Catalana has 10 species of reptiles, including the following seven endemic species.{{Cite web|url=http://herpatlas.sdnhm.org/places/overview/isla-santa-catalina/114/1/|title=TheNAT :: Amphibian and Reptile Atlas of Peninsular California}}