San Nicolas Island
33°15′N 119°32′W
San Nicolas Island (Spanish: Isla de San Nicolás; Tongva: Haraasnga) is the most remote of the Channel Islands, off Southern California, 61 miles (98 km) from the nearest point on the mainland coast. It is part of Ventura County.

Terrain
33°15′N 119°32′W
Overview
San Nicolas Island (Spanish: Isla de San Nicolás; Tongva: Haraasnga) is the most remote of the Channel Islands, off Southern California, 61 miles (98 km) from the nearest point on the mainland coast. It is part of Ventura County. The 14,562-acre (5,893 ha) island is currently controlled by the United States Navy and is used as a weapons testing and training facility, served by Naval Outlying Landing Field San Nicolas Island. The uninhabited island is defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 9, Census Tract 36.04 of Ventura County, California. The indigenous Nicoleño people inhabited the island until 1835. As of the 2000 U.S. census, the island has since remained officially uninhabited, though the census estimates that at least 200 military and civilian personnel live on the island at any given time. The island has a small airport, though the 10,000-foot (3,000 m) runway is the second-longest in Ventura County (slightly behind the 11,102-foot (3,384 m) one at Naval Air Station Point Mugu). Additionally, there are several buildings including telemetry reception antennas.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Chart
Nearest islands
- Santa Barbara Island52 km
- Middle Anacapa Island84 km
- Anacapa Island84 km
- Santa Cruz Island87 km
- Santa Rosa Island96 km
- Santa Catalina Island104 km
Also in Channel Islands of California

Santa Cruz Island
250 km²▲ 740 m
Major islands

Santa Rosa Island
215 km²▲ 484 m
Major islands

Santa Catalina Island
194 km²▲ 639 m
Major islands

San Clemente Island
147 km²▲ 599 m
Major islands

San Miguel Island
38.3 km²▲ 253 m
Major islands

Santa Barbara Island
2.6 km²▲ 194 m
Minor islands

Anacapa Island
1.8 km²▲ 285 m
Minor islands

Middle Anacapa Island
0.63 km²▲ 89 m
Minor islands
Also in Southern Channel Islands

Santa Catalina Island
194 km²▲ 639 m
Minor islands

San Clemente Island
147 km²▲ 599 m
Minor islands

Santa Barbara Island
2.6 km²▲ 194 m
Minor islands
Photographs

San Nicolas Island

View of Earth taken during ISS Expedition 66.
Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center / Public domain

West end of San Nicolas Island



The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Naval Air Station, Point Mugu State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: PHC K.K. Thornsley Release Status: Released to Public

Image from Art. III.—Researches in the Kjökkenmöddings and Graves of a Former Population of the Santa Barbara Islands and the Adjacent Mainland by Paul Schumacher. Map of San Nicolas Island.

Aerial view of San Nicolas Island from 1963 USGS publication


U.S. Navy turret cameras used to record missile flights at San Nicholas Island, California (USA).
Sources
Facts
Photographs
- San Nicolas Island (27048963529). Dan from Brussels, Europe / CC BY-SA 2.0
- ISS066-E-1941 - View of Earth. Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center / Public domain
- West End San Nicolas. John Game from Berkeley, United States / CC BY 2.0
- US Ground-launched cruise missile at San Nicolas Island (2019-08-18). U.S. Department of Defense/Scott Howe / Public domain
- USS Makassar Strait (CVE-91) aground on San Nicolas Island c1963. U.S. Navy / Public domain
- An aerial view of San Nicolas Island with three FPS-16 and one FPQ-10 radar antennas visible. The San Nicolas Island is part of the Pacific Missile Test Center Range - DPLA - a68eb4cf7196d0ad34759ebc4764e467. Department of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 / Public domain
- P Schumacher 9. Paul Schumacher / Public domain
- San Nicolas Island. USGS / Public domain
- San Nicolas Island, from 1896 book Elementary Physical Geography. British Library / No restrictions
- Turret cameras at Pacific Missile Range in 1957. USN / Public domain