Two small
islands (3 square miles total) in the
Caribbean Sea, about 97 miles north of
Honduras. The
islands were discovered in 1502 by
Christopher Columbus on
St. Anne's Day, so
Columbus named them
Islas Santa Ana. The
islands were used as a base by
pirates up to the 18th century. In 1775 they appeared on a map as
Greater Swan and
Lesser Swan, together the
Swan Islands.
The
islands were occupied by the
American filibuster and
adventurer William Walker in 1860 during one of his attempts to
invade Latin America. Following Walker's death in 1861,
Honduras took over the islands. In 1863 they were placed under
US sovereignty by the
Guano Islands Act. The islands have been prized by
guano hunters and
turtle fishermen since then. As of 1971, the islands are part of
Honduras, but the US still operates weather and communication stations there.