Cayos Arcas

Cayos Arcas

Satellite image of Cayos Arcas
Gulf of Campeche islands
Cayos Arcas Location in Gulf of Mexico
Geography
Location	Bay of Campeche[1]
Coordinates	20°13′N 91°59′W / 20.21°N 91.98°W / 20.21; -91.98
Archipelago	Campeche Bank[2]
Adjacent to	Gulf of Mexico Yucatán Channel
Total islands	Nine
Major islands	Arrecife Alacranes[3] Cayo Arenas[4] Triangulo Oeste[5] Triangulo Este[6] Banco Obispo Norte[7] Banco Obispo Sur[8] Cayos Arcas[9] Banco Nuevo[10] Banco Pera[11]
Administration
Mexico
Federal Entity of Mexico	Campeche
Capital city	Campeche City

The Cayos Arcas is a chain of three tiny sand cays and an accompanying reef system in the Gulf of Mexico, 128 kilometres (80 miles) from the mainland.^[12] It is located approximately 130 kilometres (81 miles) from the mainland, west of Campeche. Their aggregate land area is 22.8 hectares (56.3 acres). They belong to the municipality of Campeche in the state of Campeche.

The main island is Cayo del Centro, with an area of 13.7 hectares (33.9 acres), which is scantily covered with grass. Bushes and several clumps of palms are also present. A pair of lighted range beacons stand on the cay. Cayo del Este, a cay 5.2 hectares (12.8 acres) large and 3 metres (9.8 feet) high, lies on a detached reef lying 0.5 kilometres (0.3 miles) southeast of Cayo del Centro. Cayo del Oeste, a cay 3.9 hectares (9.6 acres) in area and 2 metres (6.6 feet) high, lies on a small detached reef about 1.4 kilometres (0.9 miles) west of the south end of Cayo del Centro.^[13][14]

The chain is uninhabited, and lacks structures except for the beacons on Cayo del Centro. Vegetation on the islands is sparse, consisting of sand shrubs and grasses. It currently serves as a navigational marker. Cayos Arcas Terminal, an extensive chain of petroleum stations on the Arcas' reef system is located to the south of the islands. The Arcas oil rigs are currently among the largest oil producers in the gulf in terms of output.