9781422286272

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Cuba

Mexico. It is only 90 miles (145 kilometers) from the tip of Florida, the south- ernmost point of the continental United States. The long, slender main island takes up 40,519 square miles (104,904 sq km), all but about 2,000 square miles (5,178 sq km) of the nation’s total area. It is 782 miles (1,258 km) in length from east to west, but only 120 miles (193 km) at its widest point and a mere 20 miles (32 km) at its narrowest. The largest of the outlying islands is Isla de Pinos, or Isla de la Juventud. With an area of 849 square miles (2,198 sq km), it is the only other Cuban island that has traditionally been populated. The rest of the cays are divided into four chains. Los Colorados and Sabana-Camagüey are off the northern coast of the main island, with Los Canarreos and Jardines de la Reina in the south. Most are undeveloped and uninhabited. Two exceptions are Cayo Coco and Cayo Largo, which boast new tourist resorts. About two-thirds of the main island was originally covered by flat wood- ed meadows or tropical grasslands called savannas. Much of it is now used for farming or was cleared to build villages and towns. These plains are inter- rupted by mountains. The Sierra de los Organos and Sierra del Rosario are in

Words to Understand in This Chapter

archipelago— a group of neighboring islands. cay— a small sandy island or coral reef. endemic— native to a particular area and existing nowhere else.