Chatham Island
one of the Galapagos archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean; 600 miles W. of Ecuador, to which it belongs. It is of volcanic origin, the fifth in size of the Galapagos, and abounds in turtles and a small species of cat. Chatham Island has been the subject of negotiation between the United States and Ecuador, the former desiring it as a coaling station. It would possess strategic importance in the event of the opening of an isthmian canal. See GALAPAGOS.