Cayo Levisa
Geography
LocationPinar del Río Province
Coordinates22°53′04″N 83°31′27″W / 22.88444°N 83.52417°W / 22.88444; -83.52417
Area1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi)
Length42 km (26.1 mi)
Administration
Additional information
Official websiteOfficial website

Cayo Levisa is a cay in Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. Accessible only through boats from Palma Rubia, the white sand beaches on its north coast attract tourism. It has several snorkeling and diving sites. It is part of the Colorados Archipelago coral reef and well known for its black coral.[1]

Geography

The cay is roughly 1.5 km2 (150 hectares) in size and 4.2 km long.[2][3] It is several hundred yards wide in most points,[4][5] with a maximum width of 750 m and a minimum of 280 m.[3] It is located roughly 150 km west of Havana.[1] Swamps cover more than three quarters of the surface of the island; the south side is inaccessible due to a forest of mangroves.[6]

Climate

The average temperature in Cayo Levisa is between 21 °C and 33 °C and the water temperature varies between 1 °C and 3 °C.[3]

Coral reefs

The Benthic zone of the coral reef was analysed in 2002 and 2003. Foliaceous and calcareous algae cover at least half of the substrate. Live coral cover was 30–40%, with ten dominant species of coral occurring more densely than sponges and gorgonians. Disease was identified in less than 3% of coral colonies, with white plague being the most common disease.[7]

Tourism

According to Rough Guides in 2003, the island is more developed for tourism than nearby Colorados Archipelago islands like the Cayo Jutías. A boat leaves from Palma Rubia at 11 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m.[8] There is a hotel facility on the island made up of 20 cabins,[1] as well as a restaurant and a dive centre.[8] According to a 2006 study, it is the only cay in the archipelago to offer diving, at coral reefs of depth 5 m to 30 m.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Cayo Levisa - Cayo Jutias". Hicuba.com. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
  2. ↑ "Hotel Villa Cayo Levisa". Archived from the original on 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  3. 1 2 3 "Cayo Levisa Geography". Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  4. ↑ Boobbyer, Claire (January 11, 2011). Frommer's Cuba. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 320. ISBN 9780470449141. Retrieved April 15, 2014. Frommer's Cuba By Claire Boobbyer.
  5. ↑ "Sitio Web de la Cultura en La Palma". Archived from the original on 2013-11-05.
  6. ↑ "Ecosystems in Cayo Levisa". Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Estructura y Salud de la Comunidad de Corales en Arrecifes de la Zona de Buceo de Cayo Levisa, Archipielago Los Colorados, Cuba" [Structure and Health of the Coral Community in Reefs of the Diving Area of Cayo Levisa, Los Colorados Archipelago, Cuba]. Revista de Investigaciones Marinas (in Spanish). 27 (3): 197–208. 2006.
  8. 1 2 McAuslan, Fiona; Norman, Matthew (2003). Cuba. Rough Guides. p. 206. ISBN 9781858289038.
  9. ↑ "Descripcion de Puntos de Buceo en Cayo Levisa, Archipielago Los Colorados, Cuba" [Description of Dive Sites in Cayo Levisa, Los Colorados Archipelago, Cuba]. Revista de Investigaciones Marinas (in Spanish). 26 (2): 133–146. 2006.

Further reading

  • Fauquemberg, David; Guérard, Gilles; Angel, Martin (2005). Cuba (in Italian). Geoguide. p. 190. ISBN 9788836531424.
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