The Bay of Jorge Cárdenas () is a shallow

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

's northern shore, in the

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

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

Overview

It is located on the Cuban coast, facing the Nicholas Channel, and is delimited to the north by the

Hicacos Peninsula The Hicacos Peninsula () 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 between the Bay of Cárdenas ...

. To the north-east it is flanked by

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 Grea ...

s of the Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago, such as Cayo Cruz del Padre, Cayo Galindo and Cayo Cinco Leguas. To the south-east it is bordered by the coastal wetlands and

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

s of

Martí Martí is a Catalan language, Catalan name and may refer to: People Surname *Antoni Martí (1963–2023), Andorran architect and politician *Cristóbal Martí (1903–1986), Spanish footballer *David Martí (born 1971), Spanish Oscar winner for be ...

and the

Bay of Santa Clara The Bay of Santa Clara is a bay on Cuba's north coast, located between the Nicholas Channel and the northern coast of the provinces of Matanzas and Villa Clara. The northern and western edges of the bay are defined by the islands and cays of th ...

. The port and the city of Cárdenas are located on the south-eastern shore. The bay has a total area of more than . An artificial navigation channel (Kawama Channel) connects the bay to the

Straits of Florida The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait () is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys (U.S.) an ...

south of the town of

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 is rated one of the world's best beaches in TripAdvisor's Travel ...

. Other than the industrial port of Cardenas, other

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

s lining the bay are located at Siguapa and Júcaro. The waters of the bay are also used for fishing

lobster Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...

. On the southern shore, a combination of cays (Cayo Cupey) and causeways is used for

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

extraction. The bay was the stage of the Battle of Cárdenas on May 11, 1898, during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bay of Cardenas Cardenas Cárdenas, Cuba Geography of Matanzas Province