Serrana Bank

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Serrana Bank (Spanish Banco Serrana ) is an isolated atoll located in the southwestern Caribbean Sea. It is located about halfway between Jamaica and Costa Rica, 360 km east of the coast of Nicaragua. The coral reef largely submerged is about 37 km long, up to 13 km wide and covers a sea area of approximately 500 km ². It consists of six small cays, of which South West Cay is the largest and best known. On Southwest Cay and Cay Narrow ever a lighthouse on North Cay is a small, permanently inhabited fishing village.

The six Cays, from south to north:

• Southwest Cay ( 500 x 200 meters)
• South Cay ( 150 x 25 meter )
• Little Cay (less than 100 meters in diameter )
• Narrow Cay
• East Cay
• North Cay

History

The Serrana Bank first appeared under that name in 1545 on a Dutch map on, it is named after the Spanish navigator Pedro Serrano, who was believed to have been exposed to an island of coral reef. For a long time under controversial, American sovereignty was, made ​​an agreement on the transfer of the Serrana Bank and other islands and coral reefs of Colombia on September 8, 1972. The agreement was, however, only in 1981 ratified by the U.S. Senate, so that on 17 September 1981, the islands came under Colombian sovereignty and the San Andrés y Providencia province have been assigned. However, also collects Nicaragua entitled to Serrana Bank. On 3 September 2007 the Category 5 Hurricane Felix the Serrana Bank happened.