General geographic presentation
Cuba is the seventh largest island in the world and the largest in the Caribbean. The Tropic of Cancer touches it to the north and it enjoys an interesting geographical location. Cuba is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Its neighbors include Haiti, whose coastline is located 77 km to the east, and whose silhouette can be clearly seen when the weather is clear. Drawing a line 140 km to the south, we find Jamaica. To the west, the first land we encounter is the Mexican peninsula of Yucatán, 210 km away, while to the north, 145 km from the Cuban coastline, stretches Florida.
Regarding the surface area of Cuba, Cuban teachers usually teach schoolchildren that it is 111,111 km², when in fact it is 110,922 km². For comparison, the surface area of Portugal is 92,212 km². In addition to the main island, there are some 3,715 km² of islands and islets ( cayos, which number about 1,600), grouped under the names of Canarreos, Colorados, Jardines del Rey and Jardines de la Reina. The Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth, formerly Isle of Pines), Turiguanó Island and Cayo Romano are the largest of these islands. In terms of dimensions, Cuba measures 1,250 km in its longest length (from Cabo San Antonio in the west to Punta de Maisí in the east) and 32 km in its smallest width (191 km for the largest). In total, the island has 3,735 km of coastline, sometimes made up of beaches and swampy lowlands, sometimes of steep rocky cliffs.
Cuban Relief
About two thirds of the territory is covered by savannah. The third third is made up of mountainous massifs.
Among these, the Sierra Maestra (southeast), because of its role in Cuban history, is one of the most famous. From Coaba to the American base of Guantánamo, it stretches over 240 km long and 30 km wide, and is home to the second largest city in Cuba - Santiago de Cuba - as well as a myriad of small towns and villages. Here, it is the Pico Turquino that dominates, from the top of its 1,972 m. From there, the mountains descend to the Caribbean Sea in the south, while they gradually soften in the north to the Cauto River , the most important river of the island, to finally disintegrate in the Manzanillo swamps. Not far from Santiago, around the Cerro de la Cantera, is the area known as the Cobre
, dominated by the Gran Piedra, an imposing rock rising to 1,214 meters. This part of the Sierra Maestra is very rich in copper, nickel and other minerals. The mines are numerous. Although the region is not volcanic, it is not unusual for the earth to shake.Other Cuban mountainous areas include those in the east, such as the Sierra del Cristal, dominated by the Pico del Cristal (1,231 m), which is found north of the extreme tip of the island. In the same region, the Baracoa, Nicaro and Nipe sierras
surround one of the most important nickel deposits in the world: that of Moa. In the center of the island, on the southern side, we find the Sierra del Escambray, home to the Guamuhaya massif and the San Juan peak. This chain, full of lakes, rivers and caves, is actually made of two mountainous groups, Sancti Spiritus and Trinidad. It is at the foot of the latter that we find the eponymous city, famous for its colonial charm.Of lesser scale (728 m of maximum altitude), the Sierra de los Organos and the Sierra del Rosario stand up to them in the extreme west of the territory. In the first one, we will discover astonishing geographical formations: prehistoric caves and mogotes
(rounded limestone hills), those of Viñales being the most remarkable. In addition to these main massifs, there are smaller hill groups such as the Sierra de Cubitas (Camagüey province) and the Bejucal-Madruga-Limonar heights (Havana province).As for the two non-mountainous thirds,
plains and valleys are predominant. Since the arrival of the conquistadors, sugar cane (entire forests were razed for this intense cultivation) and tobacco have been cultivated there without faltering. Although these two commodities have made Cuba famous, the island's landscapes are also filled with vegetable and fruit crops and, although the drought tends to have a negative impact on animal husbandry, there are still many farms. Higher up, especially in the mountains of the east and center of the island, coffee crops occupy large areas of land. Finally, we should mention the very lowlands and swampy areas of Cuba, located mainly in part of the southern coast of Matanza (Zapata Peninsula) and in the area between Trinidad and Manzanillo. Lagoons and artificial lakes for irrigation are numerous here, especially in the area of Guanahacahibes. The lagoons with the largest size are La Leche (north of Ciego de Avila province) and Ariguanabo (west of Havana province).Coastline, rivers and seabed
Cuba's incredible geological diversity has given rise to a coastal relief no less breathtaking. In the 19th century, an English traveler did not hesitate to compare the panorama offered by the Sierra Maestra coastline, facing Jamaica, to the Italian Riviera of Genoa. Generally speaking, two types of coastal landscapes share the limelight in Cuba: those lined with stones polished by the waves called diente de perro (dog tooth), and those of fine sand. In addition, a multitude of bays, small and large, whose shape reminds of a bottle neck(bolsas say the Cubans), follow one another along the coastline. From east to west, they are called Nipe, Nuevitas, Matanzas, Havana and Mariel on the north coast; Guantánamo, Santiago (these two are by far the largest), Casilda, Cienfuegos and Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) on the south coast.
On the white water side, Cuba is crossed by no less than 200 rivers. However, due to the particular shape of the island, they are short (40 km long maximum for the vast majority of rivers) and, due to the relief, flow either in the north-south or south-north direction. Two rivers stand out, however, because of their slightly more fanciful route and their size. The Cauto River is 370 km long, while the Sagua la Grande River is 163 km long. Cuba also has a dense network of underground rivers, a vast reservoir of fresh water. Finally, it should be noted that the abrupt relief of some regions of the country is the origin of sumptuous waterfalls, the Hanabanilla river (Sancti Spíritus province) being the first!
Let's take a look at the maritime specificities of Cuba. Some particularly remarkable sites have been sculpted by the combined action of winds, currents, tides and seismic movements: El Paso de los Vientos, between Cuba and Haiti; The Old Bahamas Channel, along the northern coast; the Yucatán Strait, between the Guanahacahibes Peninsula and Mexico; but also the Florida Strait, between Havana and Miami... As for the seabed, the waters along the southern coast conceal submarine trenches sinking extremely deep into the ground. The Fosa de Bartlett, 60 km south of the Sierra Maestra, is one of the deepest in the world: an abyss of 7,243 meters! For the rest, the island platform surrounding Cuba is 100 to 200 meters deep. From the cayos, these islets forming a real chain around Cuba, one can see in the distance, at varying distances from the coast, bangs of foam betraying the presence of coral barriers. Thus, the reef located off Camaguëy is the second largest in the world after the Australian barrier: it measures 400 km long!
Cuban cayos
The cayos refer to the 1,600 or so islands and islets scattered around Cuba over an area covering 3,715 km², i.e. an area larger than Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and Saint-Martin combined. The word itself, cayo, is a translation of the Anglo-American word key, mainly used in Florida to designate islets. Generally quiet and very well preserved, little or not built, these lands shelter in their immense majority superb landscapes. The sea being shallow around the cayos (10 to 20 m), an airplane flight over the cayos is worth the admiration of the spectator: blue-turquoise monochrome and clear waters revealing schools of coral are worth the flight! If the tourism industry has not passed by these small paradises, in most cases, a certain balance has been found between respect for the environment and economic profitability. These cayos are grouped in four archipelagos.
Archipelago of Canarreos. Located in the province of Havana and grouping no less than 350 islands and islets, it is one of the most important of the Cuban archipelagos. It stretches from the point of Camagatos (in the province of Pinar del Río) to the edge of the Bay of Pigs. If crabs and sea turtles are legion, here the lobster is king! Some 2,000 tons of them are caught each year before being canned in Nueva Gerona, capital of the island of La Juventud.
Archipelago of the Colorados. This archipelago is located between a 200 km long coral reef and the northern coast of the province of Pinar del Río. Although it is the smallest Cuban archipelago in terms of number of islands, it is no less sumptuous. The most famous cayos here are Arenas, Diego Rapada, Ines de Soto, Jutías and Buenavista, as well as the Sancho Pardo sandbar. Fish and shellfish lovers, you are in the right place!
Archipelago of Jardines del Rey. This archipelago is located about 15 kilometers off the coast of the province of Camagüey and includes about 400 islands and islets that stretch over 400 km long, from the Hicacos peninsula to the tip of Práctica. A coral reef of the same length borders the archipelago to the north (the second largest in the world after Australia). Following a movement from west to east, one will notice that the cayos progressively gain in size to become, at the level of Morón, true islands. These are the islands of Turiguano, Cayo Romano, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Coco, Guajaba and Norte.
Archipelago of Jardines de la Reina. The fourth and last group of Cuban islands and cayos is located in the Gulf of Guacanayabo. Named by Christopher Columbus in honor of the Spanish queen, Isabel the Catholic, it is home to some sensational islands: Gran Bajo de Buena Esperanza, Laberinto de las Doce Leguas, Caballones Grande and Cinco Balas. Wild beauty!
