Cuba Essay, Research Paper

Cuba

Cuba is the largest island of the West Indies, lying south of Florida

and east of Mexico’s Yucat?n Peninsula. The Republic of Cuba is combined with

the surrounding islands. On the East, Cuba is separated from the island of

Hispaniola by the Windward Passage. The U.S. maintains a naval base at Guant?

namo Bay in the Southeast. The capital and largest city of Cuba is Havana.

The island extends about 760 miles from Cabo de San Antonio to Cabo Mais?

, the western and eastern extremities. The average width is about 50 miles. The

total area is 44,218 square miles including the area of the Isla de la Juventud

(Isle of Youth) and of other islands of the country.

Land and Resources

About 1/4 of the surface of Cuba is hilly, the remaining consists of

flat or rolling terrain. The hilly areas are scattered throughout the island and

do not come from a central mass. The main 3 ranges are the Sierra de Trinidad in

the central part of the island, the Sierra Maestra, in the Southeast, and Sierra

de los ?rganos in the West. The first two ranges are under 3000 feet. The Sierra

Maestra, has the greatest in altitude and mass, and contains Pico Turquino (6561

ft), the highest point in Cuba. Most of the soil of Cuba is relatively fertile.

One of the natural features of the island is the large number of

limestone caverns. Most of the many rivers of Cuba are short and unnavigable.

The main river is the Cauto, located in the Southeast. The coast of Cuba is very

irregular and is indented by numerous gulfs and bays. The total length is about

2500 miles. The island has a large number of harbors.

Climate

The climate of Cuba is subtropical, the annual temperature is 77?. The

annual rainfall averages about 52 inches. More than 60% of the rain fall during

the wet season, which extends from May to October. The island lies in a region

heavily hit by hurricanes during the hurricane season.