Old Bahama Channel
Encyclopedia
The Old Bahama Channel is a strait
off the northern coast of Cuba
and the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago
and south of the Great Bahama Bank
. It is approximately 100 miles (161 km) long and 15 miles (24 km) wide.
The Old Bahama Channel divides the northernmost bank of the West Indies into two nearly equal parts. To the north and northeast of it is the Great Bahama Bank
and the Bahama Islands; and on the south of it the bank on which the island of Cuba rests. The Old Bahama Channel is connected at its north-western extremity end to the Florida Straits by two arms, enclosing Cay Sal Bank
, of which the northern is called Santaren Channel and the southern Nicholas Channel
. It is considered as terminating on the east between Cape Maysi
in Cuba, and the Bahamas island of Inagua
. However, it can also be considered to include the deep sea which separates the minor banks north of Haiti from this island, so that it extends to the Mona Passage, or the strait between the islands of Hispaniola
and Puerto Rico
. The narrowest portion of the Old Bahama Channel is between 22°
and 23° North latitude
, where its width rarely exceeds twelve miles.
The Spanish colonial trade routes, which originally favored the Old Bahama Channel, shifted to the Straits of Florida
(the New Bahama Channel) as it was a safer alternative. In the Old Bahama Channel, ship captains had to pick their way through the low lying cay
s and shoal
s of the southern Bahamas.
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
off the northern 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...
and the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago
Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago
Sabana-Camagüey is an archipelago that lines Cuba's north-central Atlantic coast. It is located off the northern coast of the provinces of Matanzas, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey, and is bounded to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, specifically by the Nicholas Channel ...
and south of the Great Bahama Bank
Bahama Banks
The Bahama Banks are the submerged carbonate platforms that make up much of the Bahama Archipelago. The term is usually applied in referring to either the Great Bahama Bank around Andros Island, or the Little Bahama Bank of Grand Bahama Island and Great Abaco, which are the largest of the...
. It is approximately 100 miles (161 km) long and 15 miles (24 km) wide.
The Old Bahama Channel divides the northernmost bank of the West Indies into two nearly equal parts. To the north and northeast of it is the Great Bahama Bank
Bahama Banks
The Bahama Banks are the submerged carbonate platforms that make up much of the Bahama Archipelago. The term is usually applied in referring to either the Great Bahama Bank around Andros Island, or the Little Bahama Bank of Grand Bahama Island and Great Abaco, which are the largest of the...
and the Bahama Islands; and on the south of it the bank on which the island of Cuba rests. The Old Bahama Channel is connected at its north-western extremity end to the Florida Straits by two arms, enclosing Cay Sal Bank
Cay Sal Bank
Cay Sal Bank is the third largest and the westernmost of the Bahama Banks. It is located between 23º27'N - 24º10'N and 079º25'W – 080º35'W...
, of which the northern is called Santaren Channel and the southern Nicholas Channel
Nicholas Channel
Nicholas Channel is a strait off the northwestern coast of Cuba. It lies east of Havana. It separates Cuba from the most southwestern of the islands of the Bahamas....
. It is considered as terminating on the east between Cape Maysi
Maisí, Cuba
Maisí is a municipality and town in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba.The easternmost point of Cuba, Punta Maisí is located in this municipality.-Demographics:...
in Cuba, and the Bahamas island of Inagua
Inagua
Inagua is the southernmost district of the Bahamas comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua.Great Inagua is the third largest island in The Bahamas at 596 sq mi and lies about 55 miles from the eastern tip of Cuba. The island is about 55 x 19 miles in extent, the highest point...
. However, it can also be considered to include the deep sea which separates the minor banks north of Haiti from this island, so that it extends to the Mona Passage, or the strait between the islands of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The narrowest portion of the Old Bahama Channel is between 22°
22nd parallel north
The 22nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 22 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, North America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean....
and 23° North latitude
23rd parallel north
The 23rd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 23 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, North America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean....
, where its width rarely exceeds twelve miles.
The Spanish colonial trade routes, which originally favored the Old Bahama Channel, shifted to the Straits of Florida
Straits of Florida
The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys and Cuba. The strait carries the Florida Current, the beginning of...
(the New Bahama Channel) as it was a safer alternative. In the Old Bahama Channel, ship captains had to pick their way through the low lying cay
Cay
A cay , also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island formed on the surface of coral reefs. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans , where they provide habitable and agricultural land for hundreds of thousands of people...
s and shoal
Shoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
s of the southern Bahamas.