IAS Gyan

Daily News Analysis

GUANTANAMO BAY                

23rd February, 2022 Geography

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Context:

  • US is laying the groundwork to release prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center and at least move closer to being able to shut it down.

 

Guantánamo Bay:

  • Guantánamo Bay is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is an inlet of the Caribbean Sea.
  • The strategic importance of the bay is that it is close to the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and Panama.
  • This strategic importance was recognized during the Spanish-American War, in 1898, when U.S. marines landed there.
  • Since the 1959 revolution, the Cuban government has protested the U.S. presence and periodically has threatened to seize the base.
  • Often called “Gitmo” by naval personnel assigned there, it is used primarily as a U.S. fleet training base in the Caribbean Sea.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-half-of-guantanamos-prisoners-could-get-out-7781048/