Clear blue waters illuminate the Caribbean Sea

Clear blue waters illuminate the Caribbean Sea. Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features an astronaut view of the Caribbean Sea from the International Space Station.

The various shades of blue water across the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean outline the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and southern Florida. Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region has more than 700 islands, islets, reefs and cays (see the list of Caribbean islands). Island arcs delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea: the Greater Antilles on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (which includes the Leeward Antilles).

They form the West Indies with the nearby Lucayan Archipelago (The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands), which are sometimes considered to be a part of the Caribbean despite not bordering the Caribbean Sea. On the mainland, Belize, Nicaragua, the Caribbean region of Colombia, Cozumel, the Yucatán Peninsula, Margarita Island, and The Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Guayana Region in Venezuela, and Amapá in Brazil) are often included due to their political and cultural ties with the region. Clear blue waters illuminate the Caribbean Sea

The photo was taken by a member of the Expedition 62 crew on March 30, 2020. 

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer