Canarreos Archipelago

Location of Canarreos Archipelago in Cuba

The Canarreos Archipelago (Spanish: Archipiélago de los Canarreos) is an archipelago off the southwestern coast of the main island of Cuba. Of its approximately 350 islands and islets, only the largest two—Isla de la Juventud and Cayo Largo del Sur—have been developed, leaving the rest's "mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and coastal wetlands" unspoiled, and providing habitats, breeding sites and migratory stops for many species.[1]

Geography

It is located southwest of the main island of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea about 110 miles (180 km) from Havana.[2] It is bordered to the east by the Gulf of Cazones and to the north by the Gulf of Batabanó.

It comprises roughly 350 islands and islets, and is almost as long as the Florida Keys.[2][1] By far the largest island of the archipelago is Isla de la Juventud, with an area of 2,200 square kilometres (850 sq mi),[1] while the second largest is Cayo Largo del Sur, covering 37 square kilometres (14 sq mi).[3] The latter is the largest sand cay in the Caribbean, with 16 miles (26 km) of sandy beaches.[2]

Climate

The climate is tropical, with the wet season running from May to October.[1] Temperatures range, on average, from 24 to 31 °C (75 to 88 °F).[1]

Economic activity

Both Isla de la Juventud and Cayo Largo del Sur have tourist resorts and an airport.[1] While the former has a permanent population, the latter does not; hotel employees work for about 20 days, then return to their homes on nearby islands.[3] Outside of these two islands, the infrastructure is kept limited to protect the environment.[1]

Conservation

The archipelago is an important breeding area for several turtle species. A 2001 survey found 791 green sea turtle nesting sites on Cayo Largo del Sur, while the loggerhead sea turtle preferred the Guanal beach on Isla de la Juventud.[4]

The Cuban greater funnel-eared bat was thought to have gone extinct, but a population was discovered in 1992 in a single cave on Isla de la Juventud.[5] Sphaerodactylus storeyae, a gecko species, is known from only two localities on the same island.[5]

The range of Garrido's hutia, a small, possibly extinct, ratlike mammal, is believed to be the archipelago; the 1992 Guinness Book of Records states that it and the earth hutia (C. sanfelipensis) are the rarest rodents in the world.[6]

In 1996, Cayo Largo del Sur was designated a "Zone under Special Regime of Use and Protection" by the Cuban Ministry of Fisheries.[2] The entire archipelago, together with its neighboring archipelago Jardines de la Reina and the Zapata Swamp Natural Reserve have been proposed for the designation World Natural Heritage Site.[2]

List of major islands

Island Capital Other cities Area
(km²) (Census 2012)		 Population
(Census 2012)
Cayo Aguardiente Aguardiente Punta del Canto 6.50 0
Cayo Alacranes Cayo Alcaranes Cayo Redondo, Cayo Alcatraces, Cayo Campito, Cayo Canal Rica, Cayo La Rica, Cayo Botija 11.13 0
Cayo Alcatraz Cayo Alcatraz 3.06 0
Cayo Avalos Cayo Avalos 1.60 0
Cayo Bocas de Alonso Cayo San Juan Cayo Sur, Cayo Matitas, Cayo Palma, Cayo Coco, Cayo Rabihorcado, Cayo los Cayuelos 47.05 0
Cayo Campos Playa de los Monos 12.00 2
Cayo Cantiles East Point Station Punta Los Muertos, Punta del Ingles, Punta el Captivo, Punta Ciprey 33.70 3
Cayo del Rosario Playa Sirenas Punta Mogote 22.00 0
Cayo Iguana Cayo Iguana 1.67 1
Cayo Largo del Sur Marina Largo Vilo Acuna, Las Piedras, Punta Gancho, Punta Mangle Prieto, Punta Iguanita, Punta del Este, Playa Tortuga, Playa los Cocos, Playa Blanca, Playa Lindamar, Playa Paraiso, Playa Sirena, Playa Luna 37.50 24
Cayo Rico Rico Restaurant 1.10 0
Cayos de Dios Cayo Inglés Cayo de Dios, Cayo Trabuco, Cayo Guano, Cayo Arenoso 0.65 0
Cayos de la Manteca Cayo Manteca Cayo Grande, Cayo Norte Manteca 9.97 0
Cayos del Hambre Cayo Hambre grande Cayo La Grifa, Cayo Hambre Chica, Cayo Segundo, Cayo Rabihorcado 4.76 0
Isla de la Juventud Nueva Gerona Santa Fe, La Demajagua (Santa Bárbara), Columbia, Mac Kinley, Cuchilla Alta, Punta del Este, Sierra de Caballos, Sierra de Casas 2200.00 99970
Mangles Island Playa Este Playa Oeste 2.19 0
Other islands Cayos los Indios de san felipe, Tablones, del pasaje, Divisa, Perases, traviesa, Balandras, Guayabo, Triangulo, El Navio, Los Inglesitos, Quitasol 42.60 0
  Canarreos Archipelago Nueva Gerona Santa Fe 2438.00 100000

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "The Canarreos Archipelago: Cuba's Hidden Paradise of Islands and Reefs". lacgeo.com/. Latin American & Caribbean Geographic. 13 April 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Cayo Largo del Sur: sand, sun, and healthy ecosystems" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-01-24. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  3. ^ a b "Cayo Largo del Sur". NASA. 28 December 2005. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  4. ^ Seminoff, Jeffrey A., ed. (August 2003). Proceedings of the Twenty-second Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. 155. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  5. ^ a b Richardson, Matthew (9 March 2003). Threatened and Recently Extinct Vertibrates of the World: A Biogeographic Approach. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1108495868. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  6. ^ McFarlan, Donald; McWhirter, Norris (1992). Guinness Book of Records. Bantam Books. p. 65. ISBN 9780553295375. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
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