While the population is fairly small, so is the island.
The area is called Isla Mujeres, which is Spanish for “Island of Women.” Evidently, the island was sacred to the Maya goddess of childbirth and medicine.
The exact measurement of the small island in the Caribbean Sea is 4.3 miles long and 2,130 feet wide. It is home to about 12,600 residents. The Island of Women is 8.1 miles off the Yucatan Peninsula coast.
For Cubans trying to get into the United States, this small island is one of their first stopping points to rest. If they make it to the island, they only have to take a ferry to the Mexican mainland. From there, Cubans travel through Mexico in hopes of reaching the US border and then crossing.
This is one of the 12,000+ residents on the island.