| The Caribbean islands are not large but they have | | | | the Environment (CITMA), which also regulate |
| paradisaical surroundings with beaches and vegetation | | | | everything regarding the protection of the |
| typical of the tropic, some of them with volcanoes. | | | | environment all over the country in every production |
| In Cuba, beaches and vegetation are richer and larger | | | | and service center. |
| than in the rest of the small islands. They are | | | | During the last years the tourism industry has |
| different from each other, that is why they are | | | | developed the exploitation of these small islands, |
| divided into different groups: the Bahamas Islands, | | | | mainly in three of the four Cuban archipelagos. This is |
| and the Greater and the Lesser Antilles. The first | | | | the activity that has a major and varied influence on |
| ones are mostly small, coralline, completely plain, | | | | these islands. Hotels, marinas, airports and scuba |
| without mountains or watercourses where the | | | | diving centers have being built and tours to the reefs |
| beaches and other sea features are the main | | | | on small boats have been organized, all of which |
| attraction; the other two groups of Antillean Islands | | | | requires a motorized transportation infrastructure. Not |
| have, as their main attraction, its nature as well as | | | | only the four airports, two on the Northern coast |
| the bird and marine biological variety, a fact that | | | | (The King's Gardens Archipelago) and two on the |
| differentiates them from The Bahamas. | | | | Southern coast (Canarreos archipelago) are |
| Even between these two groups of Antilles there | | | | consistent with this effort, but also the "pedraplenes" |
| are notorious differences. One of them is the | | | | (roads built to connect the main island with the small |
| presence of archipelagos. From the Greater Antilles, | | | | islands and the keys) of which we will be talking now. |
| (Cuba, Jamaica, La Espanola and Puerto Rico), Cuba is | | | | Due to the fact that these islands are separated |
| the only one that has an archipelago so numerous. | | | | from the main island (Cuba) by not very deep waters |
| The same happens in the Lesser Antilles, among | | | | and affected by sea streams, and taking into |
| which Islas Virgenes (The Virgin Islands), the | | | | account such local factors as sediment flow and the |
| American as well as the British, are the most similar | | | | sea fauna migrations, some roads similar to those |
| to Cuba in this aspect. The rest of the small islands | | | | existing in other countries with experience on this |
| have a few tiny islands around them, including | | | | matter were built to facilitate communication |
| Cayman Islands. | | | | between the small islands and the rest of Cuba; for |
| The Cuban archipelagos have remained almost intact | | | | instance, the road connecting the Florida keys. |
| since its discovery by the Spanish; this is due to the | | | | Five of these roads, known in Cuba as "pedraplenes", |
| fact that they were never attractive for settlement | | | | have been built, all of them in the Northern coast: |
| except for the Island of Youth (formerly Island of | | | | one in Los Colorados Archipelago (Jutia Key) and the |
| Pine trees) and the Turiguano Island, where there | | | | rest (four) at Sabana-Camaguey or the King's |
| was only a small village. In some other keys were | | | | Gardens Archipelago. We will describe each of them |
| only groups of fishermen who did not settled in, just | | | | in further articles about the archipelagos. |
| stayed occasionally. While the Caribbean Islands | | | | The fact that these archipelagos are so isolated from |
| looked forward developing tourism, the Cuban | | | | the economic, political and social life from the rest of |
| archipelagos stayed almost unaltered. | | | | the country has enabled their natural elements to |
| There were interesting natural elements in these | | | | remain almost intact until now. That is why it is so |
| islands (known as keys in Cuba), some of them very | | | | necessary to preserve the most valuable |
| attractive, such as the wild horse flock in Cayo | | | | ecosystems for the next generations, where we find |
| Romano (the third largest Cuban island), but the | | | | representative specimens, taking steps in every |
| economic conditions at that time were not favorable | | | | archipelago to handle each situation correctly, with |
| for the development of tourism. | | | | the main objective of maintaining their eco-systems |
| It was not until the decade of the 70' and the 80' of | | | | as naturally as possible, with strict control of visits, |
| last century that these places were thought of as a | | | | and encouraging on visitors and neighbor communities |
| tourist attraction because some of them had | | | | the love and care for nature. |
| excellent beaches, were close to the Main Island | | | | These measures make possible to regulate the |
| (Cuba) and did not have dangerous animals that could | | | | number of visitors. In these areas you won't find |
| harm visitors. | | | | tourist facilities or the comfort you find in specialized |
| Studies were carried out about the possibility of | | | | centers or hotels. Therefore, the entities in charge of |
| exploiting these territories without affecting the | | | | safeguarding the protected areas, the National Center |
| environment or barely affecting it. Nowadays, man | | | | of Protected Areas (CNAP) and the National System |
| has influenced the area in several ways with different | | | | of Protected Areas (SNAP) forming part of CITMA, |
| effects, the most important for the environment | | | | are the promoters and guardians of these areas in |
| being fishing, tourism and the proclamation of | | | | Cuba. |
| protected areas. | | | | At the archipelagos and Cuban coasts there are |
| Fishing is practiced with the widely accepted | | | | National Parks, Ecological Reserves, Flora Shelters, |
| techniques in part of the area and supervised by | | | | Fauna Shelters and Protected Natural Landscapes, |
| competent authorities, without affecting the sea | | | | categories included in the Cuban Constitution as well |
| biological variety and closely watching the closed | | | | as others proposed by international organizations |
| seasons. Harbors do not affect the preservation of | | | | such as the Biosphera Reserve and the Ramsar |
| the environment, they have been in the area for | | | | Places, among others. |
| many years and their influence is checked by | | | | In next articles we will make a tour along the Cuban |
| institutions of the Ministry of Sience, Technology and | | | | coasts, starting at the San Antonio Cape. |