Cuban Geography
Geographical Information
From the geo-tectonic standpoint, Cuba, like the rest of the Caribbean islands, is a mountain formed by faults as a result of volcanic activity during the Tertiary Period 65 million years ago. The further clue to the process of Cuba emerging from the sea has been the discovery of marine fossils in caves located high above the sea level. However, its relief is basically low, yet ridden with differentiated landscapes classified into three main categories: extensive flat lands, low hills (up to 300 m) and mountains (over 1000 m). Cuba is surrounded by an array of archipelagos made up by several cays and islets which provide protection from the strong marine currents. The Canarreos Archipelago to the southwest, which also counts for the Isle of Youth; the Queen's Gardens Archipelago to the southeast; the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago to the north-center and closing the circle to the northeast Los Colorados Archipelago.
The Caribbean Current wraps the island in its embrace, resulting in high seawater temperatures. The sea's depth increases abruptly near the coastline up to 8,000 meters. The Cuban coastline extends for 5,745 Km, out of which 2,537 form the south coast. There are around 300 natural sandy beaches, mainly along the northern coast, such as the well-known Varadero and the beaches east of Havana. A great deal of the coastline is constituted by the so- called crags and rocky strips that create savage and romantic seascapes. On the other hand, wide coastal strips located at the river basins are covered by swamps whose underlying vegetation is composed of the mangrove forests. In these areas there are a large number of caves, once hide-outs for Indians and buccaneers.
Nearly 200 rivers, mostly short and flat, crisscross the island. They originate in the mountain areas and some go underground for most of their course. Many of these rivers have also excavated deep gorges and canyons in the hills. During the rainy season most rivers overflow, while during the dry season disappear. The main rivers according to length are: the Cauto (343 km), the Zaza (145 km), the Sagua La Grande (144), the Caonao (132 km), the Agabama (145 km) and the Mayarí (107 km). Practically no Cuban river is navigable and the fact that the majority flow underground, makes them a huge attraction for divers.
Several natural pocket bays exist along the coast line, mainly at river basins, formed by the fusion of a few emptying water courses which flood the basins. Equipped with very narrow accesses these natural bays are well protected against storms and sea penetrations. The first European settlers took advantage of this situation and that is why the first villages were established around bays like those of Santiago, Havana and Matanzas.
In Cuba dams make up for the instability of the rivers and at the same time soften the effects of floods during the rainy season. They are also water reservoirs to supply the populations. The second largest dam in Cuba is used for power generation purposes: Hanabanilla, located south of the central province of Villa Clara. The largest dam is Zaza, in the province of Sancti-Spíritus, holding over a billion m³ of water. There are other water reservoirs north of the city of Santiago de Cuba and south of the capital.
