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Archipelago
Cuba is more than just a large island
surrounded by water. It is a key archipelago, a group or chain of
many islands that exists in the Greater Antilles. Cuba is in reality,
besides the main land of Cuba, a conjunction of 1,600 islands, islets
and capes that are dividend into four main groups. These four groups
are the Archipiélago de Santa Isabel, Archipiélago de Sabana-Camaguey,
Archipiélago Jardines de la Reina, and Archipiélago de los Canarreos.
La
Isla de Cuba
Archipiélago
de Santa Isabel
Archipiélago de Sabana-Camaguey
Archipiélago Jardines de la Reina
Archipiélago de los Canarreos
La Isla de Cuba
The
Island of Cuba is the largest and most important island of the Cuban
Archipelago and of the Greater Antilles. The Island of Cuba is one
of the largest islands of the world, measuring 1,200 kilometers
in length, from the Cabo de San Antonio in the Province of Pinar
del Río to the Punta de Quemado in the Province of Oriente. Cuba's
greatest width is 145 kilometers, from Punta de Prácticos to Puerto
de Mota; and its smallest width is 32 kilometers, from Mariel to
Majana.
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Archipiélago de Santa Isabel
This
group of keys and islets is also known as the Archipiélago de los
Colorados or the Archipiélago de Guaniguanico. The Archipiélago
de Santa Isabel is the least significant of the many archipelagos
that surround the Island of Cuba. This archipelago is located within
a coral reef barrier that extends into the Gulf of Mexico and along
the northern coast of the Province of Pinar del Río.
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Archipiélago de Sabana-Camaguey
This
group of keys and islets is also known as the Archipiélago Jardines
del Rey. The Archipiélago de Sabana-Camaguey is the most extensive
archipelago of Cuba with over 400 keys and islets. This archipelago
is located along the northern coast of the Provinces of Matanzas,
Las Villas and Camaguey, between the Península de Hicacos and Punta
de Prácticos. Similar to the Archipiélago de Santa Isabel, the Archipiélago
de Sabana-Camaguey is also situated within a coral reef barrier
that is 480 kilometers long.
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Archipiélago Jardines de la Reina
Christopher
Columbus named this group of keys and islets in honor of Queen Isabel.
The Archipiélago Jardines de la Reina is located along the southern
coast of the Provinces of Camaguey and Oriente, in the gulf called
the Golfo de Guacanayabo. Some of the islands in this archipelago
are very popular among fisherman such as the ones called Laberinto
de las Doce Leguas, Caballones, Grande and Cinco Balas.
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Archipiélago de los Canarreos
The
Archipiélago de los Canarreos is the most important Cuban archipelago.
It not only has over 350 keys and islets, but is also the location
of the beautiful island of Isla de Pinos. This archipelago is located
along the southern coast of the Provinces of Las Villas, La Habana
and Pinar del Río.
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