Isla Santa Catalina
Isla Santa Catalina, officially known as Isla Catalana, 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, [Baja California Sur|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”. The confusion was caused by some documents of cartographic service of the United States, that wrote in a chart the name “Isla Santa Catalina”.In some scientific papers, authors use both names. The official Mexican name of Isla catalana, and the one that became internationally spread by error.Biology
Flora
- Ferocactus diguetii.
- *This previous variety of cactus discovered by Leon Diguet and endemic to the islands of the Sea of Cortés, grows the tallest specimens on Isla Catalana.
Fauna
Birds
- Picoides scalaris
- Melanerpes uropygialis
- Zenaida asiatica
- Amphispiza bilineata
- Cardinalis cardinalis
- ''Haemorhous mexicanus''