Half Moon Caye

Belize /
 island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, natural monument
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Half Moon Caye, Belize is an World Heritage Site and a National Monument of Belize, managed by the Belize Audubon Society. Half Moon Caye is located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef Atoll, the furthest of Belize's three atolls from the mainland, and one of only four such atolls in the Western Hemisphere.

One of Half Moon Caye's principal inhabitants is the Red-footed Booby, with a population around 4,000 breeding birds. Half Moon Caye supports what is considered the only viable breeding Red-footed Booby colony in the western Caribbean. The colony can be viewed from an observation platform clearly marked on a path located in the forest on the western end of the caye.

A small fee is required by non-Belizean resident visitors to the Island, collected by the Audubon Society. There is a lighthouse which dates from 1930 on the island, built on the base of the previous 1848 structure, which itself replaced the first one built in 1820. There are also a number of shipwrecks in the caye's vicinity, a testament to the necessity of a lighthouse here.

A vertical wall of over 6,000' is located just south of Half Moon Caye, and is a popular scuba diving destination.
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Coordinates:   17°12'17"N   87°32'5"W
This article was last modified 3 years ago