Acul Bay, also known as North Acul Bay, is a bay on the northern coast of Haiti north of the city of Acul-du-Nord and west of the city of Cap-Haïtien.
| Acul Bay | |
|---|---|
| Baie de l'Acul (French) | |
  Acul Bay | |
| Location | Haiti |
| Coordinates | 19°44′00″N 72°20′00″W / 19.7333°N 72.3333°W |
| Type | Bay |
| Part of | Caribbean Sea |
| Max. length | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
| Max. width | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Surface area | 30 km2 (12 sq mi) |
Geography
editAcul Bay is open to the ocean on the North. It extends from the tip of Labadee to the East of Cape Balimbé West. Acul Bay gradually slopes and is nearly 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in length and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in width, with a bottleneck in the middle of a width of about 500 metres (1,600 ft).[1][2]
Out from the bay, many shoals emerge, forming numerous islets that are dangerous to navigation. Many shipwrecks dating back several centuries are stranded or lying at the bottom of the water. Among these islands, Rat Island was also named l'île La Amiga (Friendly Island)[3] by Christopher Columbus because it was where he first encountered Guacanagaríx, who was a cacique of the indigenous Taino people, and established the settlement La Navidad.[4]
References
edit- ^ Kay Soley. "Pointe Sable et la Baie de l'Acul" [Sand Pointe and Acul Bay] (in French). Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ "Bay de l'Acul". Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ "L'ÎLE À RATS OU L'ÎLE AMIGA" [Rat Island or Friendly Island] (in French). Petit Futé. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ Columbus, Ferdinand (1959). The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus by his son Ferdinand. New Brunswick: Rutgers, The State University. pp. 82–86, 121.