Cuban Landscapes

Cuba's relief is generally flat, featuring elevations to the west, center and south-east of the island, which represent only 25% of the whole surface. These ranges are divided into three main groups. The flat lands roll over the country in gigantic and fertile strips, fundamentally devoted to agriculture and cattle ranching. Soil conditions, abundant rainfall and temperatures favor the cultivation of a vast variety of vegetables, fruits, rice and sugarcane. The extensive flatlands reach out in the distance in some points of the Cuban geography to link opposite coasts.

The Cuban mountains are characterized by steep limestone formations as high as 2,000 meters. The disappearance of the original vegetation as a result of deforestation has led to a progressive calcification and today it goes as far as the low hills and the coastal regions. The Western Mountain Range, known as Cordillera de Guaniguanico consists of the Alturas Pizarrozas del Norte and Sur and the Sierras de los Órganos and el Rosario. The Pan de Guajaibón represents its highest point with 699 m. Interesting formations are to be found in the Sierra de los Órganos: abrupt and almost cylindrical mountains, named "mogotes" grow across the red-soiled strip in the Viñales Valley, alternating with extensive fields where the best tobacco in the World is cultivated.

The Guamuhaya Mountain Range or Sierra del Escambray reaches towards the sky along the south-center border, near the ancient city of Trinidad, teeming with charming landscapes featuring lakes and waterfalls. A major coffee and tobacco growing area, the range is also full of ancient vegetation species, specially represented by the giant ferns. Its forests and mountains, up to 1,156 m, invite adventurous walking tours and those interested in observing the local fauna.

The Sierra Maestra occupies the whole south-eastern portion of the island. The steep and often insurmountable barrier consists of the Cordillera del Turquino to the west and the Cordillera de la Gran Piedra to the east of the city of Santiago de Cuba. With an elevation of 1,974 m, Pico Turquino is the highest Cuban mountain. This Sierra holds a special place in Cuban history: revolutionaries gathered here to start the final guerrilla operation that would bring about the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Groups of smaller elevations, whose heights range up to 1 170 m, dot the north of the Sierra Maestra, which in turn hold the last surviving Cuban rainforests. All along the eastern range high quality coffee and cocoa are cultivated.