Isle of Youth, called Isla de la Juventud in Spanish, is a Cuban island in the Caribbean Sea. It lies 40 miles (64 kilometers) off the southwest coast of mainland Cuba. The island was formerly called the Isle of Pines. That name came from the pine, West Indian cedar, and mahogany forests on the hilly northern section of the island. Flat marshes cover the southern part of the island. The Isle of Youth has an area of about 1,180 square miles (3,060 square kilometers). Its principal city is Nueva Gerona.
