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“ The Most Beautiful Land Ever Beheld ”

Quick Facts: The Geography of Cuba

Location: Caribbean island, south of Florida and west of Haiti. Area: (slightly smaller than Pennsylvania) total: 42,803 square miles (110,860 sq km) land : 42,803 square miles (110,860 sq km) water: 0 square miles Borders: U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, 18 miles (29 km). Terrain: mostly flat savannas and rolling hills, with mountains in southeast.

Elevation extremes: highest point: Pico Turquino, in the Sierra Maestra—6,578 feet (2,005 meters). lowest point: sea level at coast Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (Nov. to Apr.); rainy season (May to Oct.). Natural hazards: hurricanes, which may hit from August to October, droughts.

Source: CIA World Factbook 2015.

Cuba also boasts rich animal life, with 900 fish, 4,000 mollusk (shellfish), 146 reptile, and 350 bird species. Among the birds are hawks, flamingos, par- rots, ducks, songbirds, the bee hummingbird (at 2.5 inches, or 6.4 centime- ters, the smallest bird in the world), and the Cuban trogon. Among the rep- tiles are snakes, more than 90 species of lizards and iguanas, giant sea turtles, and two species of crocodiles. There aren’t many mammals, though. Of the 38 native species, 27 are bats and 10 are jutías , large wild rodents. The other species, which looks like a rat, is the rare, insect-eating Cuban solenodon . Deer and wild boar are also present but are not native to the island.

TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS 1. What is Cuba’s largest river? 2. Why is the trogon considered the national bird of Cuba?