Guantanamo Bay

The body of water in this image is Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The city of Guantanamo is on the northeast side of the bay. The US military leases the land (yes, they send checks) around the lower half of this bay from the government of Cuba under a 1903 treaty.

You can see the boundary road in the image, closely following the mostly rectangular border (it runs NE-SW through the swamp on the west side).

Guantánamo Bay is a U.S. naval base located on the southeastern coast of Cuba. It was established in 1898 during the Spanish-American War and became a permanent U.S. base following the 1903 Cuban-American Treaty, which granted the United States control of the area while recognizing Cuban sovereignty. The base covers about 45 square miles and is the oldest overseas U.S. naval installation still in operation.

Guantánamo Bay is best known in recent decades for the detention center established there in 2002, where individuals captured during the "War on Terror" were held, often without trial. This detention facility has been highly controversial, drawing criticism from human rights organizations and legal experts due to allegations of indefinite detention, lack of due process, and reports of torture. Despite calls for its closure, the detention center remains operational, though its population has significantly decreased over the years. The naval base itself also serves logistical and strategic purposes for the U.S. military.