Santa Catalina Island: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Avalon Bay, Catalina Island, California

Santa Catalina Island, also commonly called simply Catalina Island, is a rocky island off the coast of California, and is part of the Channel Islands island chain. It is located about 22 miles (35 km) south-southwest off the coast of San Pedro, California. It is about 76 square miles (197 km²) in size and has a permanent population of about 3,000. Annually, about a million tourists visit the island every year.

The vast majority of the island is owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy, who is tasked with the responsibility of maintaining the island's natural state. The Conservancy also owns and operates Catalina Island's "Airport-In-The-Sky." The Conservancy is the successor the Wrigley family, of Wrigley chewing gum fame, which owned the island for many years.

It is the only island in the Channel Islands chain to have a permanent settlement, the resort city of Avalon, California.