Bay of Pigs

Map showing the location of the Bay of Pigs.

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A sign on the beach reads Giron. First defeat of the Yankee Imperialists in Latin America.

The Bay of Pigs (Spanish: Bahía de Cochinos, also known as Playa Girón) is an inlet of the Gulf of Cazones on the south coast of Cuba. It is located in the province of Matanzas, east of the Zapata Swamp, south of Jagüey Grande and west of the city of Cienfuegos. The English translation of cochinos as "pigs" might be erroneous, as in all probability here it refers to a species of triggerfish (Balistes vetula), rather than pigs (Sus scrofa).

The bay is the site of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, an unsuccessful April 1961 United States CIA-backed invasion by 1,400 Cuban exiles and a number of American citizens — whom many people believe were directed by President John F. Kennedy — in an attempt to overthrow the government of President Fidel Castro.