Silver Bank ( es, Banco de la Plata) is a submerged bank in 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's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

north of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

and southeast of the territory of

Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

. It covers an area of . It is separated from Mouchoir Bank in the west by Silver Bank Passage, and from Navidad Bank in the east by Navidad Bank Passage.

Geography

Silver Bank is a shallow underwater

carbonate platform A carbonate platform is a sedimentary body which possesses topographic relief, and is composed of autochthonic calcareous deposits. Platform growth is mediated by sessile organisms whose skeletons build up the reef or by organisms (usually micr ...

that almost reaches the ocean's surface in certain areas ( deep in the shallow parts), but is mostly submerged. In its northern reaches, many coral heads reach the ocean surface, especially at low tide. Lying amongst the coral heads is the wrecked freighter ''Polyxeni'', most of which rests above the surface. Persons can board the ''Polyxeni'' only with governmental permission. Because the Silver Bank is shallow, it is not suitable for passage of large ships. In fact, any boat in the area should obtain permission before entering the bank. The area is considered part of the Dominican Republic, as is Navidad Bank east of it. On Oct. 14, 1986, the Dominican Republic established the Silver and Navidad Bank Sanctuary ''(Santuario de los Bancos de la Plata y de la Navidad)'' to protect the area as a safe haven for

sea mammal The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

s. On July 5, 1996, a Dominican presidential decree enlarged the area, declaring it the 'Sanctuary for Marine Mammals' ''(Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos)''. The Silver Bank has long been a breeding and calving area for

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...

s. As such, tourism centers around tours to view the whales and other wildlife. Just to the southeast is Navidad Bank, also under the jurisdiction of the Dominican Republic. The Silver Bank, the Navidad Bank, as well as the Mouchoir Bank further northwest, plus the Turks and Caicos Islands, are geographically considered a continuation of the

Lucayan Archipelago The Lucayan Archipelago (named for the original native Lucayan people), also known as the Bahama Archipelago, is an island group comprising the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The ar ...

References

External links

Sailing Directions, Caribbean Sea Vol. I
Landforms of the Dominican Republic Undersea banks of the Atlantic Ocean {{DominicanRepublic-geo-stub

Geography

See also

References

External links