The Bay of Pigs is an inlet

Inlet

An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...

 of the Gulf of Cazones

Gulf of Cazones

Gulf of Cazones is a large gulf in southern Cuba. It is located at , south of provinces of Matanzas and Cienfuegos....

 on the southern coast of Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. By 1910, it was included in Santa Clara Province

Santa Clara Province

Santa Clara was a historical province of Cuba. Until 1976, its territory was that of the modern Cuban provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Sancti Spíritus....

, and then instead to Las Villas Province by 1961, but in 1976, it was re-assigned to Matanzas Province

Matanzas Province

Matanzas is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns in the province include Cárdenas, Colón, Jovellanos and the capital of the same name, Matanzas...

, when the original six provinces of Cuba were re-organized into 14 new Provinces of Cuba

Provinces of Cuba

Administratively, Cuba is divided into 15 provinces and one special municipality not included in any province. The last modification was approved in August 2010 , splitting Havana province into two new provinces: Artemisa and Mayabeque...

.

Geography

This bay is about 30 kilometers south of Jagüey Grande

Jagüey Grande, Cuba

Jaguey Grande is a municipality in the Matanzas Province of Cuba. It is located east of the Zapata Peninsula, north of the Bahia de Cochinos, along the Carretera Central, in the center of the province.-Demographics:...

, 70 kilometers west of the city of Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...

, and 150 kilometers southeast from the capital city Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

. On the western side of the bay there are coral reefs

Coral reef

Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...

 bordering the main Zapata Swamp

Zapata Swamp

Zapata Swamp is located on the Zapata Peninsula in the southern Matanzas province of Cuba. It is located less than southeast of Havana.-Species and preservation:...

, part of the Zapata Peninsula

Zapata Peninsula

Zapata Peninsula is a large peninsula in Matanzas Province, southern Cuba, at . Ciénaga de Zapata National Park is located on the peninsula....

. On the eastern side are beaches bordering margins of firm ground with mangroves and extensive areas of swampland to the north and east. At the north end of the bay is the village of Buena Ventura

Buena Ventura

Buena Ventura may refer to:*Buena Ventura, New Mexico, a town in the United States*USS Buena Ventura , a United States Navy cargo ship in commission in 1918...

 adjacent to Playa Larga (Long Beach), and 35 kilometers southeast of that is Playa Girón (Giron beach) at the village of Girón, named after the notorious French pirate Gilberto Giron (c.1604).

History

Playa Girón and Playa Larga were the landing sites for seaborne forces of armed Cuban exiles in the Bay of Pigs Invasion

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...

, an American CIA-sponsored attempt to overthrow the new government of Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...

 in April 1961.

Etymology

The English translation of cochinos as pigs is erroneous. In the Caribbean, it is a common name for the Orangeside triggerfish

Orangeside triggerfish

The orangeside triggerfish is a species of fish in the Balistidae family....

 (Sufflamen verres), that inhabits coral reefs in Bahía de Cochinos, rather than swine (Sus scrofa).