Cay Sal ( es, Cayo de Sal)
[''Derrotero de las islas Antillas, de las costas Tierra-Firme, y las del Seno Mejicano'', Dirección de Hidrografía, España, Madrid, Imprenta Nacional, 1837. p. 266](_blank)
/ref> is a small island in the Cay Sal Bank
Cay Sal Bank ( es, Placer de los Roques) is the third largest (after Great Bahama Bank and Little Bahama Bank) and the westernmost of the Bahama Banks. It is located between 23º27'N - 24º10'N and 079º25'W – 080º35'W. In a geographical se ...
between Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. It is no longer inhabited.
The Bahamas have an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to regularly fly over Cay Sal and other islands in the bank to look for people potentially stranded there.
Geography
Cay Sal is the main island in the southwestern zone of the Cay Sal Bank. It is in length and in area.
The island is covered with stunted palm trees and marked by several dilapidated buildings standing on its western side. In its interior there is a large salt pond commonly replenished by heavy wind-driven seas that broach the islet along its southwest side.
History
According to Spanish navigators the island had a few natural salt pans producing good, clean salt, and its leeward side provided an excellent anchorage
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
as well.Royal Bahamas Defence Force
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) is the military of The Bahamas. Since The Bahamas does not have an army or an air force, its navy composes the entirety of its armed forces. Under The Defence Act, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has been m ...
kept a small outpost on Cay Sal island, which also had an airstrip. Another island in the banks, Elbow Cays
The Elbow Cays ( es, Los Roques) are uninhabited cays in the Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas. It is the most Western point in the Bahamas. They are part of a reef shelf located at the northwestern end of the bank about 80 km (50 mi) off the Cuba ...
, has a lighthouse built in 1839 by the British.
The United States Coast Guard constantly monitors Cay Sal and nearby islands for refugees from Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. Cay Sal is about thirty miles away from Cuba. Refugees rescued on the island have included pregnant women and children. Refugees are reported to have employed a variety of craft including small, ill-equipped boats, in spite of the possibility of pursuit by the Cuban military.Rome News-Tribune - Apr 19, 1964
/ref>
See also
*Cay Sal Airport
Cay Sal Airport was an airport located on Cay Sal, the Bahamas. The airstrip which was built there during WWII is now abandoned according to aerial imagery.
See also
*List of airports in the Bahamas
This is a list of airports in the Bahamas, g ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Abandoned Cay Sal
Islands of the Bahamas