{{Short description|Chain of isles and cays on Cuba's north-western coast}}{{Location map |Cuba|relief=1 |lon_dir = W |lat_dir = N |lat_deg = 22 |lat_min = 24 |lat_sec = 00 |lon_deg = 84 |lon_min = 25 |lon_sec = 00 |position = none |float = right |width = 300 |caption=Location of Colorados Archipelago in Cuba }}
'''Los Colorados Archipelago''' ({{langx|es|Archipiélago de los Colorados}}, also called ''Archipiélago de Santa Isabel'' and ''Archipiélago de Guaniguanico'') is a chain of isles and cays on Cuba's north-western coast.<ref name=gulfbase/> A coral reef extending at least the length of the archipelago separates it from the Gulf of Mexico.<ref name=gulfbase/><ref name=CRC>{{cite book |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Coral_Reefs_of_Cuba/FVfrEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Colorados+Archipelago%22&pg=PA55&printsec=frontcover |editor-first1=Vassil N. |editor-last1=Zlatarski |editor-first2=John K. |editor-last2=Reed |editor-first3=Shirley A. |editor-last3=Pomponi |editor-first4=Sandra |editor-last4=Brooke |editor-first5=Stephanie |editor-last5=Farrington |title=Coral Reefs of Cuba |publisher=Springer |pages=55-56 |isbn=978-3-031-36718-2 |accessdate=12 May 2026}}</ref>
==Geography== The archipelago is approximately {{convert|100|km|mi}}<ref name=encarta-es>{{Cite web|url=http://es.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_961534824/Archipi%C3%A9lago_de_los_Colorados.html |title=Archipiélago de los Colorados |author=Encarta (spanish) |authorlink=Encarta |accessdate=16 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409143234/http://es.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_961534824/Archipi%C3%A9lago_de_los_Colorados.html |archive-date=9 April 2008 |url-status=dead |language=es }}</ref><ref name=NASA>{{cite web |url=https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2024-07-17 |title=July 17, 2024 - Western Cuba and the Colorados Archipelago |date=17 July 2024 |publisher=NASA |accessdate=12 May 2026}}</ref> long and is composed of 160<ref name=WCS/> small cays, including Cayo Levisa, Cayo Arenas, Cayo Jutias, Punta Tabaco, Cabezo Seco, Cayo Paraiso, Cayo Buenavista, Banco Sancho Pardo, Cayo Rapado Grande, and Cayo Alacranes. It is located off the northern coast of Pinar del Río Province,<ref name=NSUR>{{cite book |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/North_South_University_Research_Partners/xfVeDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Colorados+Archipelago%22&pg=PA44&printsec=frontcover |title=North-South University Research Partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean |editor-first1=Gustavo |editor-last1=Gregorutti |editor-first2=Nanette |editor-last2=Svenson |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2018 |isbn=978-3-319-75363-8 |accessdate=12 May 2026}}</ref> facing the Gulf of Mexico, between Honda Bay (north of the community of Bahia Honda) and Cape San Antonio on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula.<ref name=CRC/> It is divided into two sections: western and east.<ref name=CRC/>
A barrier coral reef to its north, {{convert|120|mi}} long, extends the entire length of the archipelago, separating it from the Gulf of Mexico.<ref name=gulfbase/> The channel between the two is navigable throughout.<ref name=gulfbase>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gulfbase.org/reef/view.php?rid=arrecifes|title=Arrecifes Colorados|publisher=GulfBase|accessdate=16 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103031507/http://www.gulfbase.org/reef/view.php?rid=arrecifes|archive-date=3 November 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> <!-- Couldn't find a reference To the south, it is bordered by bays and estuaries such as San Felipe, Honda, Limones, Nombre de Dios, Santa Lucía, Playuelas, Verracos, Tortuga, Catalanes and La Mulata. !-->
==Reef== The reef covers an area of {{convert|165|km2}}.<ref name=CRC/> It is relatively healthy due to its isolated location and the low population of coastal communities.<ref name=FiMS>{{cite journal |url=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00807/full |title=Coral Reefs in the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem: Conservation Status, Challenges, and Opportunities |author-first1=Diego L. |author-last1=Gil-Agudelo |author-first2=Carlos E. |author-last2=Cintra-Buenrostro |author-first3=Jorge |author-last3=Brenner |author-first4=Patricia |author-last4=González |author-first5=William |author-last5=Kiene |author-first6=Caitlin |author-last6=Lustic |author-first7=Horacio |author-last7=Pérez-España |journal=Frontiers in Marine Science |volume=6 |date=13 January 2020 |accessdate=12 May 2026}}</ref>
''Stephanocoenia intersepta'' is the most abundant coral species, which is not the case of any other known Cuban reef.<ref name=FiMS/>
==Economic activity== The sea surrounding the sparsely populated islands is used mainly for fishing, with commercial catches of lobsters, sponges, oysters, red snapper and tuna.<ref name= encarta-es/> Small fishing vessels targeting snappers, groupers and jacks present a danger of overfishing.<ref name=NSUR/>
Tourism is also developing on cays such as Cayo Levisa, where white sand beaches, snorkeling and diving sites attract tourists.<ref name=ONeal>{{cite news |url=https://www.keysnews.com/living/our_man_in_havana/under-the-cuban-sun/article_302c3451-630c-53e8-9369-250509fc2e9e.html |title=Under the Cuban sun |first=Rob |last=O'Neal |newspaper=Key West Citizen |date=2 August 2018 |accessdate=12 May 2026}}</ref>
==Conservation== In 2022, Cuba made the ''Este del Archipiélago de Los Colorados'' (East Los Colorados Archipelago) a Marine Protected Area (MPA), {{convert|291|mi2}} "of vibrant mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and climate-resilient corals - plus spawning sites for several economically important species of groupers and mutton, cubera, and gray snappers",<ref name=WCS>{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17197/Cuba-Names-East-Los-Colorados-Archipelago-a-New-Protected-Area-English-and-Spanish.aspx/ |title=Cuba Names East Los Colorados Archipelago a New Protected Area (English and Spanish) |date=27 January 2022 |publisher=Wildlife Conservation Society |accessdate=12 May 2026}}</ref> as well as the endangered hawksbill sea turtle.<ref name=NASA/> Fishing is prohibited in a section of the MPA called the Corona San Carlos Wildlife Refuge, with an area of {{convert|272|km2}}.<ref name=NASA/><ref name=WCS/>
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==Table of major islands== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- |style="background: #CCC;"|Island ||style="background: #CCC;"| Capital || style="background: #CCC;"|More islands ||style="background: #CCC;"| Area<br/>(km<sup>2</sup>, Census 2012) ||style="background: #CCC;"| Population<br/>(Census 2012) |-style="background: #FFF;" |Banco Sancho Pardo ||||||align="right"|0.1 ||align="right"|0 |-style="background: #FFF;" |Cayo Alacranes ||Punta Casiguas||Medano, Punta Alcaranes||align="right"|4.4 ||align="right"|0 |-style="background: #FFF;" |Cayo Buenavista ||Punta Del Oeste||Punta del este||align="right"|14.9 ||align="right"|0 |-style="background: #FFF;" |Cayo Ines de Soto ||Playuelas||La Pasa de la legua, Punta Brava, cayo redondo, Cayo Legua, cayo Pescador, Punta Hicacel, Cayo Prieto, Punta Boquerones||align="right"|6.23 ||align="right"|0 |-style="background: #FFF;" |Cayo Jutías ||Playa Santa Lucia||||align="right"|4 ||align="right"|0 |-style="background: #FFF;" |Cayo Levisa ||Cayo Levisa||Punta Bailarina, Playa Sur||align="right"|2.5 ||align="right"|5 |-style="background: #FFF;" |Cayo Rapado Grande ||Playa Cedro||Punta Vinagrera, Punta Remagillal, Punta Perche, La Playita||align="right"|5.47 ||align="right"|0 |-style="background: #FFF;" |Cayos Punta Tabaco ||Cayo diego||Cayo De Limones||align="right"|2.21 ||align="right"|0 |-style="background: #FFF;" |Other islands ||Cayo Curoita|| Cayo Catalanes, Cayo Dios, Cayo Arenas, Cayo Cabezo Seco, Cayo Paraiso||align="right"|3.4 ||align="right"|0 |-style="background: #DDD;" | class="sortbottom" | || Colorados Archipelago||pueblo Cayo Levisa ||Cayo Jutias|| align="right"|43.3||align="right"|5 |}
==See also== * Geography of Cuba * Antilles
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{coord|22|24|N|84|25|W|type:isle_region:CU_scale:500000|name=Colorados Archipelago|display=title}}
Category:Geography of Pinar del Río Province Category:Archipelagoes of Cuba