!!!Gardens of the Queen

by Oleg Gaponyuk,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

4 October 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Christopher Columbus is a worldly recognised discoverer of America, but
he also explored many other lands, previously unknown to Europeans.
Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles and the Bahamas —
it is only a short list of his achievements.

[{Image src='01_Gardens of the Queen, Cuba.jpg' caption='Gardens of the Queen, Cuba' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='599'}]

The archipelago of Jardines de la Reina, lying 97 kilometers to the
south off the coast of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, is on that list too.
It was discovered in 1494 during the second expedition of Christopher
Columbus and was named so to honour the Queen of Spain: Jardines de la
Reina (Gardens of the Queen). The archipelago consists of around 30 big
islands that are practically uninhabited (the total area of 175 square
kilometres is inhabited by only 12 people) and an uncountable number of
cays.

[{Image src='02_Gardens of the Queen, Cuba.jpg' caption='Gardens of the Queen, Cuba' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

These pristine islands, unaffected by people, covered by impassable
mangroves and inhabited by crocodiles, turtles, iguanas and other
representatives of wildlife, undoubtedly can be compared to a heavenly
beautiful garden. But the true beauty of Jardines de la Reina is covered
in the water: there is a coral reef stretching for almost 150
kilometers.

[{Image src='03_Gardens of the Queen, Cuba.jpg' caption='Gardens of the Queen, Cuba' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

In 1996 the state of Cuba inscribed the archipelago and its surrounding
waters as a part of the national park. Tourists come here for scuba
diving in order to enjoy the underwater landscapes and wildlife. It's
quite a safe diving destination: these waters are protected from strong
sea currents and the temperature is rather comfortable — between +26C°
and +29C°, the visibility is over 30 meters.

[{Image src='04_Gardens of the Queen, Cuba.jpg' caption='Gardens of the Queen, Cuba' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

This protected area covering 2,170 square kilometers has no hotels (you
can only stay on the board of a floating hotel "Tortuga" or several
other dive-safari boats). Large-scale fishing activity is prohibited
here, so it helps to preserve the diversity of rich and colourful
underwater wildlife. The reef is a home to marine sponges, jellyfish,
corals, molluscs and fish, including several species of sharks.

\\ \\
[6 Panoramas of Gardens of the Queen, Cuba|Geography/America/Cuba/Pictures/Panoramas_Gardens_of_the_Queen]










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