Nashauna Drummond, Lifestyle Coordinator
North-East Cay in Pedro Banks. - Contributed
Ever heard of Pigeon Island, Two Bush or Gun Cay? No? But I'm sure you have heard of Lime Cay and Pedro Cays. These are all part of the Jamaican archipelago. Jamaica is not a single island as most of us think, but actually a chain of islands, rocks and cays.
Jamaica can claim archipelagic status because, as identified by international law of the sea, an archipelago is a group of islands within 100 miles off the coast. Most of Jamaica's cays and islands are on the south coast. The Bahamas and Hawaii are two very popular archipalagic states.
The inventory of the executive director of Caribbean Coastal Management Foundation, Peter Espeut, has 65 rocks, cays and islands making up the Jamaican archipelago.
Of these, only six are inhabited. The island of Jamaica is the largest and most populous, followed by Middle and Top Cay in the Pedro Banks. The Pedro Banks is made up of four cays. In a census conducted by Peter Espeut in 2005, there were: 76 houses and 140 residents on Top Cay. Middle Cay had 212 houses and 348 residents. Two of the Morant Cays and Navy Island in Portland. The Pedro Cays are known as a frontier settlement because it comprises mostly men; there are no children on these islands. North East Cay in the Pedro Bank is about six times the size of Lime Cay. The Pedro Cays in the Pedro Banks is about 60 miles from Kingston which takes four-five hours (by a very fast boat) to reach. There is a lighthouse on Top Cay and a Jamaica Defence Force base was built on Middle Cay in 1966. The cays in the Pedro Banks are the farthest from the islands.
Archipelagic state
Head of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, Admiral Peter Brandy, explained that claiming Archipelagic state, extends the baseline from which Jamaica's territorial waters can be measured. It also extends Jamaica's exclusive economic zone. This means sole right to exploit the sea bed, for example, for fishing.
Rich wildlife
Pedro Banks is a shallow body of water that supports an abundance of life on its surrounding reef. Reefs are integral to protecting our islands from natural disasters such as hurricanes. It provides a habitat for the sea's inhabitants from which fishermen on the bank benefit. This also acts as a nursery for fish. The surrounding reef, as well as the sandy patches of the cays, supports the queen conch and Jamaica has the largest deposit of this variety in the world.
The south-west cays in the Pedro Banks is a bird sanctuary. This cay is used by several species of terns, frigates, and booby birds, as both a nesting and roosting site. It is also thought to be an important area for hawsbill turtle nesting.
Like Lime Cay, Pelican Cay is one of the group of islands in the archipelago of Jamaica that is enjoyed by many on weekends
Two Bush Cay
Pigeon Island in Portland Bight.
A map of the Pedro Cays.
With no electricity on the cays, the fishermen dry their fish to preserve them. - Contributed photos
Photos and maps courtesy of Peter Espeut and Christopher Barnes.
The islands, rocks and cays in Jamaica's archipelago
Anvil Rock - Bowden, St. Thomas
Bare Bush Cay - Portland Bight
Big Half-Moon Cay - Portland Bight
Big Pelican Cay - Portland Bight
Big Portland Cay - Portland Bight
Blower Rock - Pedro Bank
Bogue Islands - Montego Bay, St. James
Booby Cay - Negril
Booby Cay - Pedro Cays
Booby Cay - Morant Cays
Bush Cay - Falmouth, Trelawny
Bushy Cay - Port Royal Cays
Cabarita Island - Port Maria, St. Mary
Careening Cay - Portland Bight
Christmas Island - Kensington, Portland
Dolphin Island - Portland Bight
Drunken Man's Cay - Port Royal Cays
East Crall - Wreck Bay, St. Catherine
Emerald Island - Bowden, St. Thomas
Fort Cay - Blue Mahoe, St. Thomas
Gordon Cay - Kingston Harbour (now joined to the mainland)
Great Goat Island - Portland Bight
Green Cay - North Bloody Bay, Hanover
Green Island - Green Island, Hanover
Gun Cay - Port Royal Cays
Hogsty Cay - Pera, St. Thomas
Lilyroot Cay - Bowden, St. Thomas
Lime Cay - Port Royal Cays
Little Goat Island - Portland Bight
Little Half-Moon Cay - Portland Bight
Little Pelican Cay - Portland Bight
Little Portland Cay - Portland Bight
Long Island - Salt River, Clarendon
Maiden Cay - Port Royal Cays
Man O' War Cays - West Harbour, Portland Bight
Mango Cay - Palm Point, St. Thomas
Mid Crall - Wreck Bay, St. Catherine
Middle Cay - Pedro Cays
Monkey Island - San San, Portland (also called Pellew Island)
Morant Cays
Navy Island - Port Antonio, Portland
Needles - Portland Bight
Northeast Cay - Morant Cays
Northeast Cay - Pedro Cays
One Tree Island - Green Island, Hanover
Pedro Cays
Pelican Cay - SE of North Negril Point
Pellew Island - San San, Portland (or Monkey Island)
Pigeon Island - Portland Bight
Portland Rock
Rackham's Cay - Port Royal Cays
Refuge Cay - Port Royal
Rocky Cay - Portland Bight
Salt Island - Salt River, Clarendon
Sandbank Cay - Portland Bight
Santamaria Island - Oracabessa, St. Mary
Sapphire Island - Tower Isle, St. Mary
Short Island - Salt River, Clarendon
South Cay - Port Royal Cays
Southeast Cay - Port Royal Cays
Southeast Cay - Morant Cays
Southwest Cay - Pedro Cays
Southwest Rock
Tern Cay - Portland Bight
West Crall - Wreck Bay, St. Catherine
Woods Island - Folly, Portland
Pelican Cay
Middle Cay in Pedro Banks
Little Portland Cay in Portland Bight
