Cuba is an island country located in the Caribbean Sea at the meeting point of the northern Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. It lies south of the U.S. state of Florida and the Bahamas, east of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, west of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola, and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands
. Geographically, Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and the 17th- largest island in the world. The main island stretches about 1,250 km (780 miles) long and varies in width from 31 km (19 miles) to 191 km (119 miles). It is surrounded by several smaller archipelagos, including the Colorados Archipelago to the northwest, Sabana-Camagüey to the north-central Atlantic coast, Jardines de la Reina to the south-central coast, and Canarreos to the southwest
. The capital city of Cuba is Havana, located on the northwest coast of the main island
. The island is approximately 150 km (93 miles) south of Key West, Florida, across the Straits of Florida
. Neighboring countries include Haiti about 77 km (48 miles) to the east across the Windward Passage, Jamaica about 140 km (87 miles) to the south, and The Bahamas about 22.5 km (14 miles) to the north
. In summary, Cuba is situated in the northern Caribbean, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east, and the Caribbean Sea to the south, making it a central island nation within the Greater Antilles island chain
