Gatas is a small island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in barrio Playa

Playa (Ponce)

La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...

 in the municipality of Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

 in southern Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. The island is home to the Club Náutico de Ponce

Club Náutico de Ponce

The Club Náutico de Ponce is a sports complex located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The club is located on Isla de Gatas , near the La Guancha recreational and cultural area, and next to the Port of Ponce....

, a private sports complex, and it is located near La Guancha

Paseo Tablado La Guancha

The La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...

 and next to the Port of Ponce. Together with Caja de Muertos, Morrillito

Morrillito

Morrillito is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos natural reserve, because of its native turtle traffic...

, Ratones, Cardona

Cardona Island Light

Cardona Island Light is the only 6th order lighthouse in Puerto Rico with a cylindrical attached tower. The light is located on Cardona Island, a small island on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was listed in the U.S...

, Isla del Frio

Isla del Frio

Isla del Frío is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. Together with Caja de Muertos, Gatas, Morrillito, Ratones, Cardona, and Isla de Jueyes, Isla del Frío is one of seven islands ascribed to the municipality of Ponce...

, and Isla de Jueyes

Isla de Jueyes

Isla de Jueyes are a group of three small uninhabited islands off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. Together with Caja de Muertos, Gatas, Morrillito, Ratones, Cardona, and Isla del Frio, Isla de Jueyes is one of seven islands ascribed to the municipality of Ponce. At an area of 2.89 cuerdas, they...

, Gatas is one of seven islands in the municipality of Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

.

Location and geography

While geographically it is considered an island on its own right, Gatas is actually physically attached to the Puerto Rico mainland, thanks to the construction of a dike in the 1950s. In this sense it now a cape

Cape

Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...

 more than an island in the strictest sense. The dyke grew the original one-acre island to the current 13 acres (0.053 square kilometers).

Gatas is located at latitude 17°57'49"N and longitude -66°37'05" (Latitude. 17.96944°, Longitude. -66.6175°) The island, located 0.2 km south of the mainland Puerto Rican shore across from Punta Penoncillo, extends 0.5km west from Punta Caranero to the east.

The island has an elevation of 10 feet, and it has a beach on the western side.

Development

The island is a small low island and fully developed thanks to the construction of the Club Nautico de Ponce and its marina

Marina

A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....

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