Pinar del Río Province

Pinar del Río is the westernmost province of Cuba. Its capital is Pinar del Río. With 10931 km ², it is Cuba's third largest province and is bordered to the east by the province of Artemisa. To the north it borders on the Gulf of Mexico and to the south by the Caribbean.

Geography

The 175 km long Cordillera de Guaniguanico forms the backbone of the province of Pinar del Río. She rises at Pan de Guajaibón up to 699 meters. South and north of the mountains are coastal plains, the majority of which is marshy. In the mountains is the Sierra del Rosario, which is under UNESCO protection, is also the west of the Sierra de los Órganos (Organ Pipe Mountains). In the valley in between, the Valle de Viñales, Viñales is the major tourist spot. In this valley are called Mogotes, which are covered cone karst rocks. Due to the karstic subsurface There are also many caves in this area. Even underground rivers exist.

The longest river in the province is the Río Cuyaguateje, which is 112 km, the western part of the Sierra de los Órganos drains and flows into the Bahía de Cortés. Most of the tree vegetation consists of pine forests, of course, but also so typical of Cuba royal palms are ubiquitous.

A with respect to flora and fauna interesting Regio is also the biosphere reserve Guanahacabibes Peninsula, the peninsula is also the westernmost point of Cuba. Much of the coast of Pinar del Río was mangrove forest ( from deforestation ) or rocky (very sharp-edged by the erosive forces of the sea cliffs), so little sandy beaches are available.

Economy

The main product is the province's tobacco. Around 80 % of the tobacco production in Cuba comes from the region of Pinar del Río. However, sugar cane, rice and citrus fruits are grown. In addition, cattle breeding. Until 1997, was mined in the Minas de Matahambre in the northwest of copper, but it was closed as " uneconomic ".

Administrative divisions

The Pinar del Río province is subdivided into eleven Municipalities:

By the year 2010, the municipios Bahía Honda, Candelaria and San Cristóbal belonged to the province of Pinar del Río. Since 2011 they belong to the newly created province of Artemisa.