Pedro Bank is a large bank of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

and coral, partially covered with

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families ( Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the ...

, about 80 km south and southwest of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispanio ...

, rising steeply from a seabed of 800 metres depth. It slopes gently from the Pedro Cays to the west and north with depths from . The total area of the bank within the

isobath Bathymetry (; ) is the study of underwater depth of ocean floors (''seabed topography''), lake floors, or river floors. In other words, bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to hypsometry or topography. The first recorded evidence of water de ...

measures . The area of a depth to is triangular, long east-west, and wide. are less than deep. With its

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

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 rocks, a total land area of , it is the location of one of the two offshore island groups of Jamaica, the other one being the Morant Cays (Jamaica also has nearshore islands like the Port Royal Cays). The bank is centered at . Pedro Bank is a part of submarine

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

Rise, which stretches from

Cabo Gracias a Dios Cabo Gracias a Dios is a cape located in the middle of the east coast of Central America, within what is variously called the Mosquito Coast and La Mosquitia. It is the point where the Rio Coco flows into the Caribbean, and is the border betwe ...

through

Rosalind Bank Rosalind Bank, also called Rosalinda or Rosa Linda Bank ( es, Placer de Rosalinda), is a large, completely submerged bank or atoll in the western Caribbean Sea. It is the culmination of an area of coral reef, some 300 km (186 mi) long, that extend ...

History

Pedro Bank was originally named 'Viper Bank', es, Placer de la Víbora,''Derrotero de las islas Antillas y de las costas orientales de América'' p. 333
/ref> by Spanish mariners because its shallow reefs, rocks and shoals are laid out in the shape of a gigantic serpent.Assessing Coral reefs in Jamaica
Nathalie Zenny It was once a busy and treacherous shipping passage used by seafaring Europeans in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; archaeologists estimate there are over 300 shipwrecks on the Bank. Pedro Bank was annexed by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

in 1863 and added to Jamaica in 1882. Today the Bank is known for its economic and cultural importance; it is the main harvesting ground for Queen Conch in the Caribbean and is highly valued by Jamaica's fishing community who have been operating on the Bank and using its small Cays as a base since the 1920s.

Cays, rocks and reefs

The Pedro Cays, at , four small, flat (2 to 5 metres high), low-lying and mostly uninhabited

s, lie about midway along the southern edge of the eastern half of Pedro Bank. The sparse land vegetation consists of six species of plants, none of which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

. The cays are regionally important seabird nesting and roosting areas (masked boobies, roseate terns and others) and also provide several endangered turtle species such as hawksbills and loggerheads with nesting grounds. The islets yield some guano and coconuts. More importantly, they represent the primary harvesting area for the largest export of Queen Conch from the Caribbean region. They were occupied by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1863 and made part of Jamaica in 1882. They are considered part of the parish of Kingston, for all purposes except taxes. *Northeast Cay (also called Top Cay), , at , is covered with brush and has a group of palm trees growing on its northwest side. There is a lighted

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

in the north. *Middle Cay, , at is covered with low grass and bushes. A Jamaican

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

station and a fishermen's camp with number of huts and a large shed are in the southeast. *Southwest Cay (also called Bird Cay), , at , the largest of the Pedro Cays, is a protected bird sanctuary, with a large tree. *South Cay (also called Sandy Cay), , at , consists of coral and shells. This is the southernmost point of land of Jamaica. In a wider sense, some over-water rocks, small outcrops of oolitic

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms when ...

over which water breaks, are considered part of the Pedro Cays: *Portland Rock (also called Eastern Pedro Cay), at , lies about 63 km SSW of

Portland Point Portland Point is the southernmost point in Jamaica.UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica sheet H, 1973. It is halfway along the island's south coast at the end of a hilly peninsula in Clarendon. A large bay, Portland Bight ...

, the southern extremity of Jamaica. The rock consists of two summits that lie in an east-west direction. *Blower Rock, at , lies 8 km southwest of Portland Rock, and is 0.6 m high. *Shannon Rock, at , lies about 15 km WSW of Blower Rock. It is 0.5 m high. There are several submarine features on Pedro Bank, such as: *Doyle Shoal, at , with a depth of 14 m, lies 13 km NNW of Blower Rock. *Willsteed Rock, at , with a depth of 12, lies 13 km northwest of Blower Rock. *Banner Reef, at , awash and 2.4 km long, lies 26 km WSW of South Cay. *Southwest Rock, at , lies about 9 km southwest of Banner Reef. *Powell Knoll, at , lies 32 km southwest of Shannon Rock, with a lowest depth of 28.8 m. It is the southernmost feature of Jamaica, not counting

Alice Shoal Alice Shoal (Spanish: ''Banco Alicia'' or ''Bajo Alicia'') is a wholly submerged reef, located in the western Caribbean Sea, about southwest of Jamaica. The mainland of Colombia lies away to the southeast. Alice Shoal is situated 31 km nort ...

, which is claimed by Jamaica but considered a part of Colombia.

References

External links

Sailing Directions, Caribbean Sea, Vol. IGazetteer: Geographic Names of Jamaica
*
Article on Reef Assessment on Pedro Bank
{{National Heritage Sites in Jamaica Islands of Jamaica Seabird colonies Lists of coordinates Former islands from the last glacial maximum ku:Pedro Cays