Earth: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°W |
| Archipelago | Campeche Bank |
| Total islands | 5 |
| Major islands | Isla Pérez |
| Administration | |
Mexico | |
| Official name | Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes |
| Designated | 2 February 2008 |
| Reference no. | 1820[1] |
Scorpion Reef (Spanish: Arrecife Alacranes) is an atoll containing a small group of islets in the Gulf of Mexico, about 125 km (78 mi; 67 NM) 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". https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1820. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ↑ "Alacranes Reef". Yucatan Today. 2008. http://yucatantoday.com/en/topics/alacranes-reef. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Arrecife Alacrán". GulfBase. http://www.gulfbase.org/reef/view.php?rid=arrecife14. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Instituto Nacional de Ecología" (in Spanish). Parque Marino Nacional Arrecife Alacranes. http://www2.ine.gob.mx/publicaciones/libros/2/alacranes.html?id_pub=2. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ↑ "Arrecife Alacranes". BirdLife International. 2021. http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/arrecife-alacranes-iba-mexico.
- ↑ "The Wreck of the West India Ship Tweed". The Times (London) (19519): col A-E, p. 5. 9 April 1847.
- ↑ Alone in Mexico: The astonishing travels of Karl Heller, 1845-1848. University of Alabama Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0-8173-1588-7.
External links
 |  |
