developed and those to the east of the islands of Abaco, 

 Eleuthera and Andros are very extensive. The reefs 

 which protect the northern shore of New Providence, 

 to the east and west of Nassau are particularly well 

 situated for inspection by the visitor with little time to 

 spare, owing to their protected position, and may be 

 visited by small boats in good weather. 



Much of the present land of the Bahamas was ac- 

 cumulated in the form of chemical deposits in the la- 

 goons of preglacial atolls and the platforms on which 

 the present reefs stand v/ere formed during a glacial 

 period when the land was over 250 feet above the 

 present sea level. In some respects the Bahamas area like 

 Cuba and Jamaica is closer to the coral seas type and 

 there are several true atolls, notably Hogsty reef, to 

 the east of Cuba, and the drowned atoll of Cay Sal 

 Bank, lying between Cuba and the Florida Keys. 



Cuba. Off the north coast of Cuba are the Colorados 

 reefs which are barrier reefs, more closely allied to reefs 

 of the true coral seas. They lie up to 20 miles offshore 

 and extend from Cape San Antonio to Bahia Honda. 

 Other reefs on the north coast extend from east of 

 Havana to Nuevitas Bay. There are scattered reefs 

 only at the eastern end of the island. 



The southern reef is more nearly similar to the 

 Florida reefs. It grows at some distance back from the 

 edge of the shelf and is not a barrier reef of the true 

 coral seas type. This formation is best developed east 

 and west of the Isle of Pines where it guards the Gulf 

 of Batabano, and also between Trinidad and Cape 

 Cruz. Together these are the longest reefs in the West 

 Indies. 



Jhe Idlest Indies generally conform to the foregoing 



40 



