Gymnephew

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gymnephew
Douglas Key (West)
Douglas Key (West)
Waters Caribbean Mer
Geographical location 17 ° 24 ′  N , 87 ° 52 ′  W Coordinates: 17 ° 24 ′  N , 87 ° 52 ′  W
Turneffe (Belize)
Gymnephew
Number of islands 200
Main island Douglas Cay
length 53 km
width 17.6 km
Land area 116 km²
total area 525 km²
Highest elevation 1.5  m
Residents 300
Nautical chart of the atoll
Nautical chart of the atoll
Belize-Isole.png

Turneffe is an atoll located in the northern Caribbean Sea . It belongs to Belize (formerly British Honduras) and is the largest of the three atolls off Belize, in front of Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Reef .

Turneffe Atoll is 20 miles east of the city of Belize and southeast of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker . It is 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. The total area is 525 km². The lagoon is up to eight meters deep. The maximum elevation is 1.5 meters above sea level.

geography

The Turneffe Atoll is one of the best developing atolls in the whole of the Caribbean. The atoll is largely covered by mangroves , while the inner lagoons have distinct seaweed systems. The sandy beaches of the eastern part of the atoll provide important nesting sites for turtles and crocodiles. The reef is home to more than 260 species of fish. These include the threatened Goliath Grouper from the genus Epinephelus of the grouper , as well as the also threatened great hammerhead shark . The Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve is considered the largest marine reserve in all of Belize.

Lagoons

The atoll has not one, but two lagoons . The much larger, 27 km long Southern Lagoon has six times the area of ​​the Northern or Vincent's Lagoon . The lagoons are not deep; the greatest depth of seven meters is in the northern part of the Southern Lagoon, while the Northern Lagoon is only two to four meters deep.

Islands

The individual islands of the atoll include:

  • Cross Cay
  • Blackbird Cay
  • Baby Roach Cay
  • Pelican Cay
  • Dog Flea Cay
  • Cockroach Cay
  • Soldier Cay
  • Douglas Cay
  • Three Corner Cay
  • Calabash Cays (Big and Little C., and two more)
  • Shag Cay Bluff
  • Cross Cay
  • Crawl Cay
  • Pelican Cay
  • Mauger Cay
  • Man of War Cay
  • Coco Tree Cay
  • Big Cay Bokel
  • Pelican Cay
  • Grassy Cay Range
  • Crayfish Range
  • Deadman's Cays (Deadman I to Deadman V)

By far the largest islands are Douglas Cay (70.45 km²) and Blackbird Cay (19.83 km²).

economy

The tourism industry is one of Belize's main sources of income. There are three resorts on the Turneffe Atoll . The atoll is considered the largest coral reef system in the western hemisphere and is accordingly visited by snorkelers, divers and sport fishermen. In 2012, 6894 groups of scuba divers took day trips to the atoll. Most of the recreational divers are brought to the atoll by diving boat from the mainland or the surrounding islands. Black Coral Wall , Vincent Wall and Sandy Lane are popular dive sites .

Web links

Commons : Turneffe  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Atoll Research Bulletin, No. 87

swell

  • Harborne A. (2000). Fish and Coral Species lists Compiled by Coral Cay Conservation: Belize 1990–1998. Coral Cay Conservation.
  • Stoddart DR (1962). Three Caribbean Atolls: Turneffe Islands, Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Reef, British Honduras. Atoll Research Bulletin, No. 87
  • Fedler AJ (2011). The Economic Value of Turneffe Atoll. Turneffe Atoll Trust.
  • http://www.meintauchplatz.de/ accessed on April 6, 2013
  • http://www.turneffeatoll.org/ accessed April 6, 2013