GUANTNAMO BAY

Spanish Baha De Guantnamo, inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting southeastern Cuba. One of the largest and best sheltered bays in the world, it has a narrow entrance to a harbour approximately 6 mi (9 km) wide and 12 mi long and capable of accommodating large vessels. The strategic importance of the bayclose to the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and Panamawas recognized during the SpanishAmerican War, in 1898, when U.S. marines landed there. A large, 45-sq-mi (116-sq-km) U.S. naval base, which now includes fortifications and airfields, was established by treaty in 1903. Since the 1959 Revolution, the Cuban government has protested the U.S. presence and periodically has threatened to seize the base. Often called Gitmo by naval personnel assigned there, it is used primarily as a U.S. fleet training base in the Caribbean Sea. Guantnamo Bay is served by the ports of Caimanera and Boquern, which are linked by railroad and highway to the city of Guantnamo, 21 mi to the north.