Jardines de la Reina

Jardines de la Reina
IUCN category II (national park)
Map showing the location of Jardines de la Reina

Location of Jardines de la Reina in Cuba

Location  Cuba
Nearest city Santa Cruz del Sur
Coordinates 20°49′N 78°55′W / 20.817°N 78.917°W / 20.817; -78.917Coordinates: 20°49′N 78°55′W / 20.817°N 78.917°W / 20.817; -78.917
Area 2,170 km2 (840 sq mi)[1]

Jardines de la Reina (English: Gardens of the Queen) is an archipelago in the southern part of Cuba, in the provinces of Camagüey and Ciego de Ávila.

It was named by Christopher Columbus to honour the Queen of Spain. In 2002, Jardines de la Reina was established as a national park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Jardines de la Reina).[2] With an area of 2,170 km2 (840 sq mi), it is one of Cuba's largest protected area.[1]

Geography

It is located in the Caribbean Sea, between the Gulf of Ana Maria (north-west), Gulf of Guacanayabo (south) and Caballones Channel (west). It extends on a general north-west to south-east direction, paralleling the Cuban coast for 150 km (93 mi) from Cayo Breton to Cayos Mordazo. Cuba's second largest archipelago (smaller only than Jardines del Rey), it is formed by more than 600 cays and islands. Other cays in the archipelago include Caguamas, Cayos Cinco Balas, Cayo de Las Doce Leguas, Cayo Anclitas, Cayo Algodon Grande, Cayos Pingues and Cayo Granada.

Table of Islands

Nr. 1)Island Capital Other Cities Area
(km²) 		Population
(Census 2012 official)
1 Cayo Algodon Grande Algodon Grande3.70 0
2 Cayo Anclitas Playa La TortugaPunta Piloto 4.50 0
3 Cayo Breton Cayo Breton6.70 0
4 Cayo Caballones Cayo Caballones16.50 0
5 Cayo Cabeza Del Este Punta Del Este 6.36 0
6 Cayo Caguamas Punta Caguamas7.86 0
7 Cayo De Las Doce Leguas Cayo Grande26.80 0
8 Cayos Ana Maria Puebla Cayo CamposCayo Tio Joaquin, Arenas, Balandras, Ana Maria, Caoba, Campito, Guasimas, Flamenco, Dos Hermanos, Guinea, Obispo, Laguna, Encantado, Joroba, 14.76 10
9 Cayos Bahia de Casilda Cayo Blanco Guayo, Tobaco, Puga, Machos 1.00 2
10 Cayos Cinco Balas Cayos Cinco Balas13.50 0
11 Cayos Granada Cayo GranadaCorua, Sardines, Caoba, Guasa, Rancho Viejo, Inglesitos, Pilon 16.63 0
12 Cayos Media Luna Media Luna Culebra, Loma, Rabihorcado 7.10 0
13 Cayos Mordazo Cayo MordazoRonquitto, Almacigo, Lena, Muchacho, Largo, Punta Infierno, Yana, Playa Blanca, Carabela, Pitajaya, Las Bolas, 9.30 0
14 Cayos Pingues Cayo PinguesCottoro, Macho, Rancho Alegre, Vivero, Anton, Chocolate, 20.46 0
15 More Islands Cayo AlcatrazAlcatracito, Paloma, Cuervo, Algodoncito, Manuel Gomez, Santa Maria, Zaza de Afuera, Piedra Chica, Cachiboca, Indio, Carabinerro, Laberinto, Boca Seca, Campo Santo 20.00 0
  Jardines de la ReinaCayo CamposCayo Blanco, Tio Joaquin 175.00 12

1) The Islands area and population data retrieved from the 2012 census.

Fishing

The archipelago is a popular destination for diving and fishing. It used to be one of Fidel Castro's favorite fishing spots. Species of fish found here include Cubera snapper, Bonefish, Yellowfin grouper, Black grouper, Atlantic goliath grouper as well as Strombus gigas (the large Caribbean conch) and Whale shark.[1] Besides being an extraordinary site for fly fishing, one its main attractions for diving is the abundance of reef sharks.

Diving

The Gardens of the Queen is one of the most popular scuba destinations of Cuba. The underwater landscapes include canyons, pinnacles and caves. Healthy mangroves, sponges and black corals cover the reef. The Jardines de la Reina also host numerous silky and Caribbean reef sharks. In the mangroves labyrinth it’s possible to find crocodiles and snorkel with them.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 National Council for Cultural Heritage. "Jardines de la Reina". Retrieved 2007-10-08.
  2. ↑ "Parque Nacional Jardines de la Reina" (in Spanish). EcuRed. Retrieved 23 September 2016.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.