Half Moon Caye
Half Moon Caye | ||
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Half Moon Caye | ||
Waters | Caribbean Sea | |
Geographical location | 17 ° 12 ′ 0 ″ N , 87 ° 32 ′ 0 ″ W | |
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length | 1.16 km | |
width | 260 m | |
surface | 18 ha | |
Highest elevation | 2.4 m | |
Residents | uninhabited |
Half Moon Caye is an island off the coast of Belize . It is one of the 450 islands of the Belize Barrier Reef . Administratively it belongs to the Belize District .
location
Half Moon Caye is located in the southeastern part of the Atoll Lighthouse Reef , the furthest from the mainland atoll within the Belize Barrier Reef. The distance to the mainland ( Belize City ) is about 80 km. Due to the frequent hurricanes in the region, the island is slowly shifting north.
history
Nothing is known about a settlement or use of the island by the Maya who live in what is now Belize . Like the Belizean mainland, Half Moon Caye was under Spanish colonial rule from 1617 and under British colonial rule from 1798; since 1981 it belongs to independent Belize.
From 1820 to 2010 there was a lighthouse on the island. The last construction was built in 1931, but collapsed in 2010 under a tropical storm. Since 1924 the island has been a nature reserve as the British Crown Reserve Bird Sanctuary . Following the introduction of the National Parks System Act 1981, the island and surrounding reef were classified as a Natural Monument in 1982 and are administered by the Belize Audubon Society, a spin-off of the National Audubon Society . Nowadays Half Moon Caye is a popular diving spot and day trip destination; in 2000 7000 tourists visited the island. There is a small visitor center as well as a jetty in the eastern part of the island.
Flora and fauna
The western part of the crescent-shaped island is covered by dense coastal forest, which offers refuge and habitat for birds and reptiles. Among other things, numerous Ziricots grow there . These serve as a nesting place for a colony of red-footed boobies , because of which the island was originally placed under protection. The current population is around 4,000. The magnificent frigate bird , which also nestles on Half Moon Caye , is kleptoparasitic to the red-footed booby . Approx. 20 other bird species nest on Half Moon Caye, plus almost 80 species of migratory birds that temporarily settle on the island. The Belize-endemic Island Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus insularis) and Allison's anole also live in the forest . Other reptile species common on the island are the green iguana and the black iguana . On the eastern part of the island there is only a sparse vegetation with coconut palms. The sea around the island includes groupers, eagle rays and sea turtles. The hawksbill sea turtle and the loggerhead turtle lay their eggs on the south beach of the island.
Individual evidence
- ↑ AmbergrisCaye.com: Wide angle view of Half Moon Caye. Retrieved June 2, 2020 .
- ^ Lighthouses of Belize , data collection from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- ↑ USAid.com: Lighthouse Reef Atoll Conservation and Protection Project. Retrieved June 2, 2020 . (PDF, 180 KB)
- ^ Island profile on the Belize Audubon Society website. Retrieved February 12, 2016 .
- ^ Encyclopedia of Life
- ^ Encyclopedia of Life