| Bay of Pigs | |
|---|---|
| Bahía de los Cochinos (Spanish) | |
 Bay of Pigs from Cueva de los Peces | |
  Bay of Pigs Location of Bay of Pigs inCuba | |
 Location of Bay of Pigs inCuba | |
| Location | Matanzas, Cuba |
| Coordinates | 22°13′N81°10′W / 22.217°N 81.167°W /22.217; -81.167 |
| Type | Bay |
| Etymology | Cochino meaning both "pig" and "triggerfish" |
| Part of | Gulf of Cazones |
| Ocean/sea sources | Caribbean Sea |
| Max. length | max. 27 km (17 mi) |
| Max. width | max. 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Surface area | 200 km2 (77 sq mi) |
| Shore length1 | 87 km (54 mi) |
| Max. temperature | 29 °C (84 °F) |
| Min. temperature | 22 °C (72 °F) |
| Frozen | Never |
| Islands | Cayo Piedra |
| Settlements | Playa Girón,Playa Larga |
| References | [1][2] |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
TheBay of Pigs (Spanish:Bahía de los Cochinos) is aninlet of theGulf of Cazones, located on the southern coast ofCuba. By 1910 it was included inSanta Clara Province, and then toLas Villas Province by 1961, but in 1976, it was reassigned toMatanzas Province, when the original six provinces of Cuba were re-organized into 14 newProvinces of Cuba.
The bay is historically important for the failedBay of Pigs Invasion of 1961. The area is a site known for its diving, with an abundance of marine fauna, e.g. 30 species of sponges belonging to 19 families and 21 genera,[3] to be found in the bay.[4]
InCuban Spanish,cochinos may also mean the queen triggerfish (Balistes vetula), which inhabit coral reefs in Bahía de Cochinos, in addition to the literal meaning,pigs (Sus scrofa).[5][6][better source needed]
This bay is approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) south ofJagüey Grande, 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of the city ofCienfuegos, and 150 kilometres (93 mi) southeast from the capital cityHavana. On the western side of the bay,coral reefs border the mainZapata Swamp, part of theZapata Peninsula. On the eastern side, beaches border margins of firm ground withmangroves and extensive areas of swampland to the north and east. At the north end of the bay, the village of Buena Ventura is adjacent to Playa Larga (Long Beach). 35 kilometres (22 mi) southeast of that,Playa Girón (Giron Beach) at the village of Girón, named after the notorious French pirateGilberto Giron (c. 1604).[7]
Playa Girón and Playa Larga were the landing sites for seaborne forces of armed Cuban exiles and the land strip for some American planes (but not many as America did not want Cuba to realize that it was American sponsored) in theBay of Pigs Invasion, an AmericanCIA-sponsored attempt to overthrow the new government of Cuban Prime MinisterFidel Castro in April 1961.
According to Fidel Castro's former bodyguard, the late Juan Reinaldo Sánchez, Castro lived in great luxury and had a private island called Cayo Piedra in the Bay of Pigs, replete with "mansions, guest houses, a heliport, dolphinarium, turtle lagoon, his luxury yachtAquarama – a gift fromLeonid Brezhnev – and deep-sea fishing speedboat".[8]
The Bay of Pigs is a relatively quiet site for diving. Dive centers exist in Playa Larga, Playa Girón and Caleta Buena. Twelve dive sites in the bay display excellent visibility of 20 to 40 metres (66 to 131 ft), an average water temperature of 22 °C (72 °F) in December and 29 °C (84 °F) in July. Walls of coral, caverns, and a variety of fish (including thebarracuda,lionfish, andgroupers, among others), coral, and sponges can be found in the Bay of Pigs.[4]
The Caves of the Fishes (Spanish:Cueva de los Peces), with 72 metres (236 ft) depth the deepestcenote of Cuba, is located at 18 kilometres (11 mi) south of Playa Larga.[9]
Surrounding the Bay of Pigs, theendemicwormlizardsAmphisbaena barbouri andA. cubana have been noted.[10] The following marine species have been registered along the eastern coast of the Bay of Pigs:
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