Sabana-Camagüey ( es, Archipiélago de Sabana-Camagüey ) is an archipelago that lies on Cuba's north-central Atlantic coast. It is located off the northern coast of the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, Villa Clara,

Sancti Spíritus Sancti Spíritus () is a municipality and capital city of the province of Sancti Spíritus in central Cuba and one of the oldest Cuban European settlements. Sancti Spíritus is the genitive case of Latin ''Sanctus Spiritus'' ("Holy Spirit"). ...

Ciego de Ávila Ciego de Ávila City () is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The city has a population of about 497.000, in a municipality of 756,373. Geography Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highway ...

and

Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 321,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by ...

, and is bounded to the north by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

, specifically by the

Nicholas Channel Nicholas Channel (also ''Saint Nicholas Channel''; es, Canal de Nicolas or Canal de San Nicolas) is a strait off the northeastern coast of Cuba. It lies east of Havana. It separates Cuba from the most southwestern of the islands of the Bahamas ...

(Sabana segment) and

Old Bahama Channel The Old Bahama Channel ( es, Canal Viejo de Bahama) is a strait of the Caribbean region, between Cuba and the Bahamas. Geography The strait/channel is located off the Atlantic coast of north-central and northeastern mainland and the Sabana-Camag� ...

(Camagüey segment). The archipelago is positioned on a general north-west to south-east axis, and stretches for from the

Hicacos Peninsula The Hicacos Peninsula ( es, Península de Hicacos) is a peninsula on Cuba's northern shore, in the province of Matanzas. The resort town of Varadero is located on the peninsula. The name comes from a species of cactus. Geography It is located betw ...

and

Varadero Varadero (), also referred to as ''Playa Azul'' (Blue Beach), is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero Beach was rated one of the world's best beaches in TripAdvisor's Tra ...

to the Bay of

Nuevitas Nuevitas is a municipality and port town in the Camagüey Province of Cuba. The large bay was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1492. History Founded in 1775, the city was moved to its present site in 1828. Before the 1977 national municipal refo ...

. The entire system covers more than and is composed of approximately 2,517

cay A cay ( ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Great ...

s and isles. The eastern islands are grouped in the

Jardines del Rey Jardines del Rey ( en, Gardens of the King) is an archipelago off the northern coast of Cuba, in the northern parts of the provinces of Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey. Overview Jardines del Rey developed on the coral reef system that lines Cuba' ...

archipelago, and contains

Cayo Coco Cayo Coco (''Cays'') or (''The Keys)'' is an island in central Cuba, known for its all-inclusive resorts. It lies within the Ciego de Ávila Province and is part of a chain of islands called Jardines del Rey (''King's Gardens''). The cay is admini ...

, Cayo Guillermo and

Cayo Romano Cayo Romano is an island on the northern coast of Cuba, in the province of Camagüey. It is the largest cay of the Jardines del Rey archipelago with . Overview Administratively is part of Nuevitas, but the closest municipality on Cuban Mainlan ...

among others.

Conservation

The coastal and

marine ecosystem Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and exist in waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 70% of the surf ...

represented by the archipelago is undergoing conservation projects supported by the

Global Environment Facility The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (P ...

and

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ( ...

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in sever ...

s and coastal forests effectively create a buffer zone between the agricultural coast and the sensitive marine environment. The Sabana-Camagüey ecosystem encompasses the Bay of Buena Vista

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

, the Caguanes National Park, as well as wetlands of northern

Ciego de Ávila Province Ciego de Ávila () is one of the provinces of Cuba, and was previously part of Camagüey Province. Its capital is Ciego de Ávila, which lies on the Carretera Central (central highway), and the second city is Morón, further north. The provin ...

. A total of 35 protected sites are located here.

List of cays

Sabana section

*Cayo Piedras * Cayo Cruz del Padre *Cayo Blanco *Cayo Cinco Leguas *Cayo Ingles *Cayo Falcones *Cayo Megano *Cayo Blanquizal *Cayo Sotaviento *Cayo Verde *Cayo Hicacal *Cayo La Vela *Cayos de Pajonal *Cayo Fragoso

Camagüey section

*Cayo Frances * Cayo Santa Maria *Cayo Caiman Grande *

** Cayo Guillermo **

**Cayo Judas **

**Cayo Paredon Grande **Cayo Megano Grande **Cayo Eusebio **Cayo Cruz **

Cayo Guajaba Cayo Guajaba is a cay on the northern coast of Cuba, in the province of Camagüey. Geography It is part of Jardines del Rey archipelago, and is located west of Cayo Sabinal, east of Cayo Romano, north of The Bay of la Gloria (''Bahia de la Glor ...

Cayo Sabinal Cayo Sabinal is a cay on the northern coast of Cuba, in the municipality of Nuevitas, Camagüey Province. Has an area of 335 km². Geography It is the southernmost island of the Jardines del Rey archipelago, and is located north of the Bay o ...

** Cayo Confites

References

Islands of Cuba Archipelagoes of the Atlantic Ocean Geography of Camagüey Province Geography of Ciego de Ávila Province Geography of Matanzas Province Geography of Sancti Spíritus Province Geography of Villa Clara Province {{Cuba-geo-stub

Conservation

List of cays

Sabana section

Camagüey section

See also

References