Sombrero, Anguilla
Location of Sombrero within Anguilla | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 18°35′21″N 63°25′31″W / 18.58917°N 63.42528°W |
| Archipelago | Antilles |
| Administration | |
United Kingdom | |
| British Overseas Territory | Anguilla |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| ISO code | AI |
| Official name | Sombrero Island Nature Reserve Marine Park |
| Designated | 22 May 2018 |
| Reference no. | 2354 |
Sombrero, also known as Hat Island, is part of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla and is the northernmost island of the Lesser Antilles. It lies 54 km (34 mi) north-west of Anguilla across the Dog and Prickly Pear Passage. The distance to Dog Island, the next nearest island of Anguilla, is 38 kilometres (24 miles).
Sombrero is 1.67 kilometres (1,826.33 yards) long north–south, and 0.38 km (415.57 yd) wide. The land area is 0.38 km2 (93.90 acres). Originally, when viewed from the sea, the island had the shape of a sombrero hat, but guano-mining operations have left the island with precipitous sides and a relatively flat top that is 12 m (39 ft) above sea level. The surface of the island is rough, and vegetation is sparse.
The guano-mining operation yielded some 3000 tons of phosphate a year by 1870. By 1890, the phosphate reserves had been exhausted.