bus’ arrival in 1492 until the end of the
Spanish-American War in 1898. Internal
fighting had become so pronounced prior to
the war, that Americans living in Cuba requested protection, prompting the United
States to send the battleship U.S.S. Maine.
An explosion of unknown origin sank the
ship in Havana’s harbor on Feb. 15, 1898,
with a loss of 266 lives.
Two months later, the United States
declared war on Spain and by June 17, 1898,
U.S. troops landed in Cuba, including Teddy
Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. A month later
the Spanish navy had been defeated and by
August, the Spanish-American War was
over. Although the United States took credit
for the victory, it was clear that the open
rebellion by Cubans against Spanish control had weakened both the Spanish military and public resolve to pursue the war.
For some American soldiers, including the
Rough Riders, the war was almost a romantic venture.
A U.S. military government was installed in Cuba. Although U.S. laws were
drawn up over the next few years of occupation to allow Cuba some self-determination,
it was clear that Cuba lay in the U.S. sphere
of influence under the famous Monroe Doctrine of 1823.
The Platt Amendment to a U.S. arms
appropriations bill required Cuba to accept
all acts of the military government as legitimate, permitted U.S. purchase or lease of
Cuban territory for use of coaling and naval
stations and legalized the intervention by
endures, although Cuba gained its independence in 1902.
Under the Platt Amendment, the U.S.
Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay was leased
in 1902, and a treaty reaffirmed the lease in
1934. The site occupies 45 square miles (117
sq. km.) of land and water around the mouth
of Guantanamo Bay, which is an excellent
deep-water harbor. Much of the land on the
base was low and swampy, but the U.S.
military’s drainage and filling projects have
greatly expanded the useable land.
The United States used the base as a
U.S. NAVAL BASE
listening post during World War II to protect
BECOMES PRISON FOR
the Panama Canal. When Fidel Castro and
AL-QUEDA
his communist rebels took Cuba from dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959, U.S.-Cuban
TERRORISTS
relations became strained. The unsuccessThe U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo
ful Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles,
Bay, Cuba, is the destination for the worst of
supported tacitly by U.S. President John F.
Osamma bin Laden’s al-Queda terrorists
Kennedy, and the U.S. stand against the
and their Taliban supporters in AfghaniSoviet Union during the Cuban Missile Cristan. It is one of the few military bases
sis was justified by the United States based
outside of the United States totally and unon the Platt Amendment.
equivocally under U.S. control, a critical
Throughout Castro’s reign in Cuba, he
issue in the war on terrorism.
has periodically threatened the U.S. Naval
This is not the first time the Guantanamo
Base at Guantanamo Bay, even occasionally
Bay Naval Base has been used to detain
turning off the water to the base and harassindividuals, but it is the first time known
ing the facility and its occupants. The United
terrorists have been imprisoned there. CuStates, however, has been adamant about
ban and other refugees were held within the
maintaining its possession.
base during the 1990s, but the amount of
The base has had many roles over the
security necessary for that operation pales
years. It has airfields, training, repair, supin comparison to housing and controlling
ply and medical facilities, as well as housing
the current group from Afghanistan.
for detainees. Surrounded by high fences
How did the U.S. gain control of this
with concertina, or razor wire, electronic
section of Cuba and what is the
security devices, land mines and
Key West
geography of this place that makes
constant land and sea patrols, the
The Bahamas
Havana
it the most desirable location to
facility is considered very secure.
al-Queda’s New Home
Cub
a
detain terrorists?
A 10-year-old facility called
Cayman
Guantanamo Bay is one of
Camp X-Ray has been used to house
Islands
0
200 mi Jamaica
the best harbors on the island of
illegal Cuban and Haitian refugees.
Haiti
0
200 km
Cuba. Located on the southeast- Mayari
But with the arrival of the more
ern end of this elongated island,
violent and militant al-Queda dethe Bay is a drowned river mouth,
tainees, the facility has been upcalled an estuary. The U.S. Naval
graded and made even more seBase is a block of land and water
cure.
around the mouth of the Bay.
A basic reason, however, for
aestra
Cuba has occupied an imporusing Guantanamo Bay to detain
rra M
e
Baracoa
i
S
Naval Base
Guantanamo
tant economic and geopolitical poterrorists is that only American mili(USA)
sition in the Caribbean since the
tary law is applied there. A location
arrival of the Spanish in the late
outside the United States proper was
15th century. The island’s geocritical to using military courts to
a
0
25 mi
Guantanamo Bay
S e
graphical position was perfect for
try the detainees rather than don
0
25 km
b e a
the Spanish, who used its harbors
mestic American law.
b
i
r
M. Johnson
C a
©2002
for staging sites to assemble the Geography in the News 01/25/02
And that is Geography in the
manpower and equipment to conNews. January 25, 2002. #608.
quer South and Central America’s native
the United States at any time to preserve
(The author is a Professor of Geography
populations. Later, these harbors served as
Cuban independence. The Cubans had to
at Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
break-in-bulk points for gold transportation
ratify these restrictions in 1901 as the only
This article was revised from one written by
back to Spain.
alternative to permanent U.S. military occuthe author on Guantanamo Bay in 1994.)
The Spanish ruled Cuba from Columpation. The legacy of the Platt Amendment
© 2002 Maps.com