The first scientific expedition took place in 1725 under Frenchman M.
Historical accounts from 1711, 1825, and 1839 show a low grassy or suffrutescent (partially woody) flora.
Historical accounts from 1711, 1825, and 1839 show a low grassy or suffrutescent (partially woody) flora.
Some sources claim that he used it as a base for his raids on shipping. Other claimants included the United States, whose American Guano Mining Company claimed it under the Guano Islands Act of 1856; Mexico also claimed it due to activities undertaken there as early as 1848–1849.
Some sources claim that he used it as a base for his raids on shipping. Other claimants included the United States, whose American Guano Mining Company claimed it under the Guano Islands Act of 1856; Mexico also claimed it due to activities undertaken there as early as 1848–1849.
In 1858, France formally laid claim. The current name comes from John Clipperton, an English pirate and privateer who fought the Spanish during the early 18th century, and who is said to have passed by the island.
On 17 November 1858 Emperor Napoleon III annexed it as part of the French colony of Tahiti.
Coconut palms and pigs were introduced in the 1890s by guano miners.
On 24 November 1897, French naval authorities found three Americans working for the American Guano Company, who had raised the American flag.
Mexico reasserted its claim late in the 19th century, and on 13 December 1897 sent the gunboat La Demócrata to occupy and annex it.
Although 115 species of fish have been identified in nearby waters the only economic activity in the area is tuna fishing. ===Flora and fauna=== When Snodgrass and Heller visited in 1898, they reported that "no land plant is native to the island".
A colony was established, and a series of military governors was posted, the last one being Ramón Arnaud (1906–1916). ===Guano mining, Mexican colony, and evacuation of 1917=== The British Pacific Island Company acquired the rights to guano deposits in 1906 and built a mining settlement in conjunction with the Mexican government.
By 1914 around 100 people—men, women, and children—were living there, resupplied every two months by a ship from Acapulco.
Several of the castaways drank it, with no apparent ill effects. Survivors of an ill-fated Mexican military colony in 1917 (see below) indicated that they were dependent upon rain for their water supply, catching it in old boats they used for this purpose.
A colony was established, and a series of military governors was posted, the last one being Ramón Arnaud (1906–1916). ===Guano mining, Mexican colony, and evacuation of 1917=== The British Pacific Island Company acquired the rights to guano deposits in 1906 and built a mining settlement in conjunction with the Mexican government.
With the escalation of fighting in the Mexican Revolution, the regular resupply visits ceased and the inhabitants were left to their own devices. By 1917 all but one of the male inhabitants had died.
Almost immediately after Álvarez's death four women and seven children, the last survivors, were picked up by the US Navy gunship on 18 July 1917.
There have been infrequent scientific and amateur radio expeditions, and in 1978 Jacques-Yves Cousteau visited with his team of divers and a survivor from the 1917 evacuation to film a television special called Clipperton: The Island that Time Forgot. It was visited by ornithologist Ken Stager of the Los Angeles County Museum in 1958.
Other refuse has been left over after the occupation by the Americans in 1944–1945, the French in 1966–1969 and the 2008 scientific expedition. ===Amateur radio DX-peditions=== The island has long been an attractive destination for amateur radio groups, due to its remoteness, the difficulty of landing, permit requirements, garish history, and interesting environment.
The presence of this rock means that technically Clipperton is not an atoll but an island with a barrier reef. Clipperton has had no permanent inhabitants since 1945.
During Sachet's visit in 1958, the vegetation was found to consist of a sparse cover of spiny grass and low thickets, a creeping plant (Ipomoea spp.), and stands of coconut palm.
The elimination of these pigs in 1958 – the result of a personal project by Kenneth E.
There have been infrequent scientific and amateur radio expeditions, and in 1978 Jacques-Yves Cousteau visited with his team of divers and a survivor from the 1917 evacuation to film a television special called Clipperton: The Island that Time Forgot. It was visited by ornithologist Ken Stager of the Los Angeles County Museum in 1958.
The rim averages in width, reaching in the west and narrows to in the north-east, where sea waves occasionally spill over into the lagoon. While some sources have rated the lagoon water as non-potable, testimony from the crew of the tuna clipper M/V Monarch, stranded for 23 days in 1962 after their boat sank, indicates otherwise.
By 2003, the booby colonies had 25,000 brown boobies and 112,000 masked boobies, the world's second-largest brown booby colony and its largest masked booby colony. When the independence of Algeria in 1962 threatened French nuclear testing sites in Algeria, the French Ministry of Defense considered Clipperton Island as a possible replacement.
All plans for development were abandoned. ===Castaways=== In early 1962 the island provided a home to nine crewmen of the sunken tuna clipper MV Monarch, stranded for 23 days from 6 February to 1 March.
Other refuse has been left over after the occupation by the Americans in 1944–1945, the French in 1966–1969 and the 2008 scientific expedition. ===Amateur radio DX-peditions=== The island has long been an attractive destination for amateur radio groups, due to its remoteness, the difficulty of landing, permit requirements, garish history, and interesting environment.
The French explored reopening the lagoon and developing a harbor for trade and tourism during the 1970s, but this too was abandoned.
There have been infrequent scientific and amateur radio expeditions, and in 1978 Jacques-Yves Cousteau visited with his team of divers and a survivor from the 1917 evacuation to film a television special called Clipperton: The Island that Time Forgot. It was visited by ornithologist Ken Stager of the Los Angeles County Museum in 1958.
An automatic weather installation was completed on 7 April 1980, with data collected by this station transmitted directly by satellite to Brittany. In 1981, the Academy of Sciences for Overseas Territories recommended that the island have its own economic infrastructure, with an airstrip and a fishing port in the lagoon.
An automatic weather installation was completed on 7 April 1980, with data collected by this station transmitted directly by satellite to Brittany. In 1981, the Academy of Sciences for Overseas Territories recommended that the island have its own economic infrastructure, with an airstrip and a fishing port in the lagoon.
In 1986 a meeting took place regarding the establishment of a permanent base for fishing, between the High Commissioner and the survey firm for the development and exploitation of the island (SEDEIC).
The crewmen were eventually discovered by another fishing boat and rescued by the United States Navy destroyer USS Robison. In 1988, five Mexican fishermen became lost at sea after a storm during their trip along the coast of Costa Rica.
They were rescued after rebuilding a survival radio and using distress flares to signal for help. ===21st century=== The Mexican and French oceanographic expedition SURPACLIP (UNAM Mexico and UNC Nouméa) made extensive studies in 1997.
In 2001, French geographer Christian Jost extended the 1997 studies through his French "Passion 2001" expedition, explaining the evolution of the ecosystem, and releasing several papers, a video film, and a website.
Steven Longbaugh and David Heritage, two American deckhands from a fishing boat based in California, were stranded for three weeks in 1998.
The rats probably arrived on large fishing boats that were wrecked on the island in 1999 and 2000.
The rats probably arrived on large fishing boats that were wrecked on the island in 1999 and 2000.
The result is virtually a sandy desert, with only 674 palms counted by Christian Jost during the "Passion 2001" French mission, and five islets in the lagoon with grass that the terrestrial crabs cannot reach. On the north-west side the most abundant plant species are Cenchrus echinatus, Sida rhombifolia, and Corchorus aestuans.
In 2001, French geographer Christian Jost extended the 1997 studies through his French "Passion 2001" expedition, explaining the evolution of the ecosystem, and releasing several papers, a video film, and a website.
By 2003, the booby colonies had 25,000 brown boobies and 112,000 masked boobies, the world's second-largest brown booby colony and its largest masked booby colony. When the independence of Algeria in 1962 threatened French nuclear testing sites in Algeria, the French Ministry of Defense considered Clipperton Island as a possible replacement.
In 2003 Lance Milbrand stayed for 41 days on a National Geographic Society expedition, recording his adventure in video, photos, and a written diary (see links below). In 2005, the ecosystem was extensively studied for four months by a scientific mission organized by Jean-Louis Étienne, which made a complete inventory of mineral, plant, and animal species, studied algae as deep as 100 m (330 ft) below sea level, and examined the effects of pollution.
The lagoon harbors millions of isopods, which are said to deliver an especially painful sting. A 2005 report by the NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center indicated that the increased rat presence had led to a decline in both crab and bird populations, causing a corresponding increase in both vegetation and coconut palms.
In 2003 Lance Milbrand stayed for 41 days on a National Geographic Society expedition, recording his adventure in video, photos, and a written diary (see links below). In 2005, the ecosystem was extensively studied for four months by a scientific mission organized by Jean-Louis Étienne, which made a complete inventory of mineral, plant, and animal species, studied algae as deep as 100 m (330 ft) below sea level, and examined the effects of pollution.
Other refuse has been left over after the occupation by the Americans in 1944–1945, the French in 1966–1969 and the 2008 scientific expedition. ===Amateur radio DX-peditions=== The island has long been an attractive destination for amateur radio groups, due to its remoteness, the difficulty of landing, permit requirements, garish history, and interesting environment.
Recreational scuba diving expeditions are now made every spring. During the night of 10 February 2010, the Sichem Osprey, a Maltese chemical tanker, ran aground on its way from the Panama Canal to South Korea.
The vessel was refloated on 6 March and returned to service. In mid-March 2012, the crew from The Clipperton Project noted the widespread presence of refuse, particularly on the northeast shore and around the Rock.
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