Windward Passage facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Windward Passage
The Windward Passage marked in red.
Windward Passage Location in Haiti Show map of Haiti Windward Passage Location in Cuba Show map of Cuba Windward Passage Location in Caribbean Show map of Caribbean
Coordinates	20°N 74°W / 20°N 74°W / 20; -74
Basin countries	Cuba Haiti
Max. width	80 kilometres (50 mi)
Average depth	1,700 metres (5,600 ft)

The Windward Passage (French: Passage au Vent; Spanish: Paso de los Vientos) is a strait in the Caribbean Sea, between the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola. The strait specifically lies between the easternmost region of Cuba and the northwest of Haiti. 80 km (50 mi) wide, the Windward Passage has a threshold depth of 1,700 m (5,600 ft).

With Navassa Island on its southern approach, it connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and is in the direct path of shipping between the Panama Canal and the eastern seaboard of the United States. From either the eastern tip of the Guantánamo Province of Cuba, or the western tip of Haiti's Nord-Ouest Department, it is possible to see lights on the other side of the Windward Passage.

Territorial dispute

For decades, Cuba and Haiti had disputes over where the maritime boundary between the two nations was. In 1977, they settled by signing the Cuba–Haiti Maritime Boundary Agreement setting the official boundary.

Geology

The Septentrional-Oriente fault zone passes through the Windward Passage from the southern coast of Cuba to the northern coast of Hispaniola. During the Holocene the slip rate between these two islands was 9 ± 3 mm (0.35 ± 0.12 in)/year. The Septentrional Fault extends east at least to the still active Mona Rift in the Mona Passage, where extension occurs between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The last rupture of this fault occurred in 1842; the resulting earthquake and tsunami devastated Cap Haitien. Considerable seismic hazard continues to exist on this fault: