Scorpion Reef
Native name: Arrecife Alacranes | |
---|---|
![]() ISS image of Scorpion Reef | |
![]() ![]() Scorpion Reef | |
Geography | |
Location | Gulf of Mexico Progreso Municipality Yucatán, Mexico |
Coordinates | 22°22′58″N 89°40′57.8″W / 22.38278°N 89.682722°WCoordinates: 22°22′58″N 89°40′57.8″W / 22.38278°N 89.682722°W |
Archipelago | Campeche Bank |
Total islands | 5 |
Major islands | Isla Pérez |
Administration | |
Official name | Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes |
Designated | 2 February 2008 |
Reference no. | 1820[1] |
Scorpion Reef (Spanish: Arrecife Alacranes) is a reef surrounding a small group of islands in the Gulf of Mexico off the northern coast of the state of Yucatán, Mexico.[2] Designated a national park, the reef is part of the Campeche Bank archipelago and is the largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico.[3][4] It contains five main vegetated islands: Isla Pérez, Isla Desertora, Isla Pájaros, Isla Chica, and Isla Desterrada.[3][4] Isla Pérez is the only inhabited island and includes a lighthouse.[3] The reef, including its islets and surrounding waters, has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a population of magnificent frigatebirds.[5]
History[]
The British postal steamer Tweed shipwrecked in Arrecife Alacranes in 1847, with the loss of 72 lives and a cargo of mercury during a journey from Havana to Veracruz.[6][7]
Map
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Alacranes Reef". Yucatan Today. 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ a b c "Arrecife Alacrán". GulfBase. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ a b "Instituto Nacional de Ecología" (in Spanish). Parque Marino Nacional Arrecife Alacranes. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ "Arrecife Alacranes". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "The Wreck of the West India Ship Tweed". The Times. No. 19519. London. 9 April 1847. col A-E, p. 5.
- ^ Alone in Mexico: The astonishing travels of Karl Heller, 1845-1848. University of Alabama Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0-8173-1588-7.
External links[]
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arrecife Alacranes. |
- Coral reefs
- Biosphere reserves of Mexico
- Protected areas of Yucatán
- Protected areas of Campeche
- Ramsar sites in Mexico
- Islands of Yucatán
- Islands of Campeche
- Reefs of Mexico
- Islands claimed under the Guano Islands Act
- Important Bird Areas of Mexico
- Important Bird Areas of the Caribbean
- Seabird colonies
- Marine geography stubs
- Southern Mexico geography stubs