Saint Eustatius
- ISS010-E-21423
- 25 March 2005
- 14:52 UTC
Located 25 km southeast of Saba, 53 km south of Saint Martin and 12 km northwest of Saint Kitts, Saint Eustatius (Statia) is the second largest of the northern Netherlands Antilles with an area of 21 km². The island measures 7.9 km in length with a maximum width of 4 km, orientated northwest to southeast, and sits at the northern end of a shallow submarine bank that is also home to Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The island consists of three distinct units: a dormant and symmetrical stratovolcano known as The Quill (Mt. Mazinga) in the south, a hilly volcanic region composed from 5 former volcanoes in the north and a third zone of low and level terrain that connects the two upland areas. Dominating the south is the 600 m high bulk of The Quill, which forms most of the southern half of island. The flanks of the mountain slope steeply (with a 50° slope at higher elevations) to a summit crater with a width of 800 m and a depth of 322 m. The Quill is thought to have been last active around 1,650 years ago. In the north are the steep and eroded formations of the Northern Hills, covering an area of some 10 km². They are composed of five distinct volcanic centres — Gilboa Hill, Bergje Peak, Signal Hill, Mary’s Glory and Boven — and take the from of domes, eroded craters and tall cliffs. The hills reach heights of between 200 and 300 m. The low central region is home to the islands main settlement of Oranjestad.
The Quill is home to islands lushest vegetation — the drier lowlands and Northern Hills supporting only scrub-type flora. On its upper slopes are evergreen forest, with dwarf forest occurring within the crater. Much of The Quill was designated as National Park in 1998.
