Corn Islands

Spanish Islas del Maíz

Two small islands, Caribbean Sea.

Known as Great Corn and Little Corn, they lie about 40 mi (64 km) off the coast of Nicaragua and were leased to the U.S. by Nicaragua for use as a naval base (1916–71). The islands produce copra, coconut oil, lobsters, and frozen shrimp. Tourism is important on Great Corn Island.

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▪ islands, Nicaragua

Spanish  Islas del Maíz 

      islands located in the Caribbean Sea, Nicaragua. Great and Little Corn islands lie 50 and 59 miles (80 and 95 km), respectively, east-northeast of Bluefields.

      The islands were leased to the United States by Nicaragua under the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty (Bryan–Chamorro Treaty), signed in 1914 and ratified in 1916, for use as a naval base to protect the then-proposed Nicaraguan interoceanic canal. This lease was terminated in 1971. Except for building a lighthouse on Little Corn, the United States did not take over the land covered by the lease. Principal products of the islands are copra and coconut oil, lobsters, and frozen shrimp. The islands are the main tourist attraction on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua.

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