USA: Santa Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, also referred to simply as Catalina, is part of the Channels Islands archipelago off the coast of southern California in the United States. It is part of Los Angeles County and nestled in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island was known to the Tongva, its early Native American inhabitants, as Pimugna or Pimu, and those that lived on the island called themselves: Pimugnans or Pimuvit. Archaeological settlement remains of these ancient peoples have been dated to 7000 B.C. Catalina is also home to at least fifty endemic species that occur nowhere else on Earth. Most of the island is controlled by the Catalina Island Conservancy, a private nonprofit organization. Their mission is to be a steward of the island’s lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation. The Conservancy protects both the natural and cultural heritage of Santa Catalina Island.
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