Geography of Cuba

Part of the West Indies

The island nation of Cuba is part of the Greater Antilles. The territory covers, including the Isla de la Juventud ( Isle of Pines also called ) and over a thousand small, lying on the Cuban shelf islands, a total area of ​​109,884 km ². The main island of the same name is the largest of about 1,000 West Indian or Caribbean Islands, which in addition to the Greater Antilles include the Lesser Antilles and the Bahamas. This island chain connecting the two continental blocks North and South America, and is under consideration of the relief of the seabed of the largest mountains in the world. The maximum height difference between the highest point in the West Indies, the Pico Duarte on Hispaniola ( 3,175 m), and the lowest point of is located ends in island near deep-sea trenches (distance from the coast, often only 30 km) is approximately 12,500 m.

Geographical location

Cuba is located just south of the Tropic of Cancer between 23 ° 17 'and 19 ° 49 ' north latitude (Havana is on a similar latitude as Aswan or Calcutta ), and between 74 ° and 85 ° west longitude. Up to the northwest, bordering the Gulf of Mexico, located on the main island of the majority of the north coast on the Atlantic Ocean, the entire south coast lies on the Caribbean Sea. The distance to the neighboring islands of Hispaniola and Jamaica Antilles is 77 km and 140 km. Until the American mainland is the smallest distance 180 km (Florida, to Key West, the southernmost island of the upstream Florida Keys there are only 140 km), 210 km from Cuba 's westernmost point away is the belonging to Mexico 's Yucatan Peninsula.

Coasts and Waters

On Cuba's main island are wide ranges of north coast rocky cliffs, since the island for millions of years out of the sea rises due to tectonic processes upwards. The south coast is rather flat; in their course of sandy beaches, mangrove forests, and especially the swamps of Zapata Peninsula, shallow wetlands extend similar to the Everglades.

The 50 kilometers from Cuba remote Isla de la Juventud, Cuba, the largest of smaller islands, has on their coasts distinct beach sections, some of which consist of black sand due to volcanic origin.

In Cuba, there are over 200 rivers, but all of them no longer than 250 kilometers and barely have water since the strong deforestation and monoculture in a wide range of levels. The main rivers of Cuba are: Río cauto (which was navigable the first decades after the European settlement and today is a lazy, shallow, barely flowing water is ), Rio Salado, Río Hanábana, Río Caonao, Jatibonico Río del Sur, Río Cojimar. Many waters are nowadays often affected by heavy dirt and weeds - so the Río Cojimar is now an open sewer Havana.

Geographical breakdown

Generally

While the other major islands of the Greater Antilles have pronounced mountainous character, the surface image of Cuba's main island, apart from four major mountain ranges, characterized by extensive lowlands. In an east- west extent of about 1250 km thereby varying the distance between the northern and southern coast 32-145 km. In addition, three-quarters of the territory levels with altitudes between 0 and about 100 meters. These flat landscapes seem very monotonous. If sedimentary rock as bedrock resulted in the formation of good soils result in large areas of sugar cane is mostly grown. In serpentine bedrock itself as infertile soils that allow for extensive grazing developed. Pastures overgrown with bushes with the brought in from Africa " Marabú " ( Dichrostachys cinerea) for several decades.

The highest mountains are located in eastern Cuba in the Sierra Maestra, with the highest elevation of the island, the 1,974 meter high Pico Turquino. North-east of Sagua - Baracoa is the massif. In Central Cuba, the Escambray and the Sancti-Spiritus mountains rise. In western Cuba, the Guaniguanico massif extends.

Eastern Cuba

Eastern Cuba is mountainous. The highest mountains are located in eastern Cuba in the Sierra Maestra, with the highest elevation of the island, the 1,974 m high Pico Turquino. Other high mountains are: Pico Martí 1,722 m, La Gran Piedra 1,214 m. Further to the northeast is the Sagua - Baracoa massif. North of the mountains there is tropical rainforest. South of the mountains is a dry plain, with Guantanamo as the driest area of Cuba.

Central Cuba

In Central Cuba, the Escambray and the Sancti-Spiritus mountains rise. But is dominated in central Cuba, the landscape of vast plains. These levels were completely deforested and are mainly used for sugar cane production.

Western Cuba

Western Cuba is about the province of Pinar del Río. Scenic most important is the mountain range. The Guaniguanico massif is divided into two mountain ranges - the Sierra del Rosario and the Sierra de los Organos. The Sierra del Rosario is geologically very diverse, with different rock composition and origin time. The first-mentioned chain has a more varied relief than the second, with the highest elevation west of Cuba, the Pan de Guajaibón ( 692 m).

In the Sierra de los Organos you can see three levels of relief, roughly, flat areas with altitudes between 100 and 130 meters, which vary greatly eroded hills of Pizarras and the peak areas of the Kalksierren with altitudes of 400 to 500 meters. The peak areas of the Sierras are remnants of the Miocene peneplain, at any level, starting exogenous forces have identified the mogotes from the surrounding rock ( Lehmann 1960). The highest elevation of the "Organ Mountains " is specified by flower and other authors of the 591 m high Pan de Azucar, in the latest available map (1991 ) is the Mogote same name just 335 m high. However, the map contains a measurement point with 616 m in the Sierra del Infierno. (Heights at various authors and the cards often vary by a few percent ).

When traveling from south to north through the province of Pinar del Rio you can see the following environments:

Isla de la Juventud

The south to 3050 km ² large Isla de la Juventud is flat for the most part. Only in the northern region around the main town of Nueva Gerona, there are small hills with elevations up to 280 m. While the north is used with its fertile soil as growing area for crops, the southern part of wetlands and pine forests running through it, which is why the island was until 1978 officially named Isla de Pinos ( Isle of Pines dt ). In addition, the island has the largest marble deposits of Cuba.

National Parks

Part of the government laws are enacted again and again to wide ranges in different regions of Cuba under protection. The anthropogenic changes, however, are already well advanced in most areas and the poverty of the rural population have the well-intentioned plans fail for the most part. Pure primary vegetation is therefore only in the total reserve in the northern part of the Sierra Maestra National Park " Alejandro de Humboldt" ( Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt, UNESCO Patrimony of Humanity ), as this area is military reserve, but lie about it since the revolution, no reliable reports more ago.