Serranilla Bank

Serranilla Bank is a special place in the western Caribbean Sea. It is a partially underwater reef with a few tiny, empty islets. It lies about 350 kilometres (220 miles) northeast of the Punta Gorda River in Nicaragua, and about 280 kilometres (170 miles) southwest of Jamaica.

The closest land nearby is Bajo Nuevo Bank, which is 110 kilometres (68 miles) to the east. People have known about Serranilla Bank since 1510, when it first appeared on Spanish maps.

Today, Colombia looks after Serranilla Bank as part of its area called San Andrés and Providencia. However, there have been disagreements about who should control the bank. Colombia, Jamaica, the United States, and once Honduras have all had claims to it. In 2012, a big court called the International Court of Justice said that Colombia has the right to control Serranilla Bank, but it did not discuss the claim from the United States.

Geography

Serranilla Bank is a mostly underwater area made from old coral that is now covered by shallow reefs. It stretches about 40 kilometres (25 miles) long and 32 kilometres (20 miles) wide, covering more than 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles). Only a few small spots of land called cays and two rocks rise above the water. These include West Breaker, Middle Cay, East Cay, Beacon Cay, and Northeast Breaker. They have very little plant life, just some bushes and a few trees.

Beacon Cay is the largest of these small islands. It has small military buildings used by Colombian naval workers and a tall lighthouse built in 1982. The lighthouse sends out two flashes of white light every 20 seconds to help ships navigate.

History

The Serranilla Bank was first called Placer de la Serranilla. It was mentioned by Louis-Michel Aury, whose ship wrecked there in 1820. In 1822, Colombia claimed control of the islands under its new constitution.

Over time, several countries have made claims to the Serranilla Bank. Between 1982 and 1986, Colombia and Jamaica shared fishing rights in the area. In 1993, they agreed to manage nearby waters together, though the waters very close to the islands remain under Colombia’s control. Nicaragua also claimed the islands but accepted a court decision in 2012 that Colombia owns them. The United States once claimed the area under an old law but mostly gave up these claims in 1972, though it is not clear if Serranilla Bank was included. Honduras also claims the area in its constitution but agreed to a boundary with Colombia in 1986 that gave up control of the bank.

Notable fauna

In 1952, Serranilla Bank was where people last saw the Caribbean monk seal. This seal is no longer alive today.