Turneffe Atoll

Turneffe is located in the northern Caribbean Sea atoll. It is one of Belize (formerly British Honduras ), is the largest of the three atolls offshore Belize, before Lighthouse Reef and Glover 's Reef.

The Turneffe Atoll is located 32 km east of the city of Belize and south-east of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. It is 48.3 km long and 16.1 km wide. The total area is 525 km ². The lagoon is up to eight feet deep. The maximum elevation is 1.5 meters above sea level.

Geography

The Turneffe Atoll is one of the best developing atolls in the Caribbean. The atoll is largely covered with mangroves, while the inner lagoons have distinct seagrass systems. The sandy beaches of the eastern part of the atoll offer important nesting sites for turtles and crocodiles. The reef is home to more than 260 species of fish. These include the endangered goliath grouper of the genus Epinephelus the groupers, and also endangered great hammerhead. 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 in the northern part of the Southern Lagoon, while the Northern Lagoon is only two to four feet deep.

Islands

Among 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 Cay Tree
  • Big Cay Bokel
  • Pelican Cay
  • Grassy Cay Range
  • Crayfish Range
  • Deadman's Cays ( Deadman Deadman I to V)

By far the largest islands are Douglas Cay ( 70.45 km ²) and Blackbird Cay ( 19.83 km ²).

Economy

The tourism industry is one of the main economic resources of Belize. On the Turneffe Atoll three resorts are located. The atoll is the largest coral reef system in the Western Hemisphere and is visited accordingly by snorkelers, divers and sports fishermen. In 2012, day trips took place from 6894 groups of scuba divers to the atoll. Most of the scuba diver is brought to the atoll by dive boat from the mainland or nearby islands. As a popular dive sites in the Black Coral Wall, Vincent Wall and Sandy Lane are.

Belize City
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