Skip to content
Archipelago

    Gulf of HondurasBelize

    17°18′N 87°33′W

    Lighthouse Reef

    Lighthouse Reef is an atoll in the Caribbean Sea, the easternmost part of the Belize Barrier Reef and one of its three atolls, the other two being Turneffe Atoll and Glover's Reef. Lighthouse Reef is located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) southeast of Belize City. 0 mi) wide.

    Cricket is actually the island man living there. he watches over the lobster and crab traps in the ocean
    Cricket is actually the island man living there. he watches over the lobster and crab traps in the ocean

    Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA / CC BY 2.0

    Chart

    7 landforms

    Overview

    Lighthouse Reef is an atoll in the Caribbean Sea, the easternmost part of the Belize Barrier Reef and one of its three atolls, the other two being Turneffe Atoll and Glover's Reef. Lighthouse Reef is located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) southeast of Belize City. The atoll is of oblong shape, approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) long from north to south, and about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide. It forms a shallow sandy lagoon with an area of 120 square kilometres (46 sq mi) and a depth between 2 and 6 metres (6 ft 7 in and 19 ft 8 in) deep. The reef is one of the best developed and healthiest reefs in the Caribbean, "with an emergent fringing reef, a sloping fore reef with a coral rimmed shelf edge, vertical coral walls, and numerous patch reefs in the shallow central lagoon." There are several islands, listed here from north to south:

    Sandbore Caye Northern Caye Half Moon Caye Saddle Caye Long Caye Hat Caye Lighthouse Reef is known as a snorkelling and diving destination, considered one of the best dive sites in Belize and the whole Caribbean. Notable diving locations are Half Moon Caye Wall, Long Caye Aquarium ("The Aquarium"), Silver Caves, Tres Cocos, and West Point. In addition to these coral reefs, it is also home to the Great Blue Hole.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Census, cataloged

    • Major islands2
    • Minor islands1
    • Islets3
    • Rocks & skerries1

    Major islands

    2
    • Northern Caye

      Area
      3.9 km²
      High point
      9 m

      Northern Caye is an island of the Lighthouse Reef Atoll 50 miles (80 km) off the coast of Belize. The former Lighthouse Reef Resort (closed 2005) catered to scuba diving enthusiasts. The caye is noted for its saltwater crocodiles and snowy egrets.

    • Long Caye

      Area
      2.3 km²
      High point
      7 m

      Long Caye is an island 40 miles (64 km) off the coast of Belize. The Caye is only 8 miles (13 km) away from the Great Blue Hole and is located in the same atoll as Lighthouse Reef.

    Minor islands

    1

    Islets

    3
    • Sandbore Caye5 m · 0.04 km²
    • Unnamed island0.01 km²
    • Unnamed island1 m · 0.4 ha

    Rocks & skerries

    1
    • Unnamed island<0.1 ha

    Figures

    Comparative heights

    Sea level5 m10 m9 mNorthern Caye9 mHalf Moon Caye7 mLong Caye5 mSandbore Caye
    High points by island, metres above sea level.

    Islands by area

    0.00010.0010.010.1110Northern Caye: 3.9 km²Northern CayeLong Caye: 2.3 km²Long CayeHalf Moon Caye: 0.17 km²Half Moon CayeSandbore Caye: 0.04 km²Sandbore CayeUnnamed island: 0.01 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.4 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: <0.1 haUnnamed island
    km², log scale
    Northern Caye3.9 km²
    Long Caye2.3 km²
    Half Moon Caye0.17 km²
    Sandbore Caye0.04 km²
    Unnamed island0.01 km²
    Unnamed island0.4 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Wikidata
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs