Cuba - Lonely Planet [51]
* * *
Useful Phrases
Menu Decoder
Food Glossary
FRUTAS (FRUITS)
VERDURAS (VEGETABLES)
ENSALADA (SALAD)
CARNE (MEAT)
PESCADO & MARISCOS (FISH & SHELLFISH)
POSTRES (DESSERTS)
COMIDA EN LA CALLE (SNACKS & STREET FOOD)
TéCNICAS (COOKING TECHNIQUES)
Return to beginning of chapter
Environment
* * *
THE LAND
WILDLIFE
NATIONAL PARKS
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
* * *
THE LAND
Measuring 1250km from east to west and between 31km and 193km from north to south, Cuba is the Caribbean’s largest island with a total land area of 110,860 sq km. Shaped like an alligator and situated just south of the Tropic of Cancer, the country is actually an archipelago made up of 4195 smaller islets and coral reefs, though the bulk of the territory is concentrated on the expansive Isla Grande and its 2200-sq-km smaller cousin, Isla de la Juventud.
* * *
Cuba’s worst ever hurricane in human terms occurred on November 9, 1932 off the southern coast of Camagüey province and left more than 3000 people dead. Hurricane Ike in 2008 was of an equitable strength (Category 4) but killed only seven people.
* * *
Formed by a volatile mixture of volcanic activity, plate tectonics and erosion, the landscape of Cuba is a lush and varied concoction of caves, mountains, plains and mogotes (strange flat-topped hills). The highest point, Pico Turquino (1972m), is situated in the east among the lofty triangular peaks of the Sierra Maestra, while further west, in the no less majestic Sierra del Escambray, ruffled hilltops and gushing waterfalls straddle the borders of Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus provinces. Rising like purple shadows in the far west, the 175km-long Cordillera de Guanguanico is a more diminutive range that includes the protected Sierra del Rosario reserve and the distinctive pincushion hills of the Valle de Viñales.
Lapped by the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea in the south, and the foamy, white chop of the Atlantic Ocean in the north, Cuba’s 5746km of coastline shelters more than 300 natural beaches and features one of the largest tracts of coral reef in the world. Home to more than 900 reported species of fish and more than 410 varieties of sponge and coral, the country’s unspoiled coastline is a marine wonderland that entices tourists from all over the globe.
The 7200m-deep Cayman Trench between Cuba and Jamaica forms the boundary of the North American and Caribbean plates. Tectonic movements have tilted the island over time, creating uplifted limestone cliffs along parts of the north coast and low mangrove swamps on the south. Over millions of years Cuba’s limestone bedrock has been eroded by underground rivers, creating interesting geological features including the ‘haystack’ hills of Viñales and more than 20,000 caves countrywide.
As a sprawling archipelago, Cuba boasts thousands of islands and keys (most uninhabited) in four major offshore groups: the Archipiélago de los Colorados, off northern Pinar del Río; the Archipiélago de Sabana-Camagüey (or Jardines del Rey), off northern Villa Clara and Ciego de Ávila; the Archipiélago de los Jardines de la Reina, off southern Ciego de Ávila; and the Archipiélago de los Canarreos, around Isla de la Juventud. Most visitors will experience one or more of these island idylls, as the majority of resorts, scuba diving and virgin beaches are found in these regions.
* * *
The Caribbean manatee can grow 4.5m in length and weigh up to 600kg; grazing on seaweed in estuaries and rivers it can consume up to 50kg of plant life a day.
* * *
Being a narrow island, never measuring more than 200km north to south, means Cuba’s capacity for large lakes and rivers is severely limited (preventing hydroelectricity). Cuba’s longest river, the 343km-long Río Cauto that flows from the Sierra Maestra in a rough loop north of Bayamo, is only navigable by small boats for 80km. To compensate, 632 embalses (reservoirs) or presas (dams), larger than 5km altogether, have been created for irrigation and water supply; these supplement