Sierra Maestra

The Tallest Mountian Range in Cuba

Cuba has many mountain ranges, but the largest mountain range is the Sierra Maestra in the southeast, including Cuba's highest peak, Pico Turquino (2,005 m). These mountains are known for their rugged terrain. Sierra Maestra is located in the southern part of Cuba. The mountain ranges from Cape Cruz, at the south shore of the Gulf of Guacanayabo, to the Guantánamo River valley. This mountain is heavily wooded; it yields cedar, mahogany, ebony, and other hardwood trees. These trees are used for making coffee, the coffee trees are grown under shaded trees and other perennials, such as eucalyptus, to mimic the conditions of a forest understory. Coffee trees are used to produce coffee beans, which are seeds that are processed into coffee. The mountain is riddled with deposits of copper, iron, manganese, silver, chromium, asphalt, and marble, which are great for exporting to gain more resources for the country and other countries. The climate is tropical; it is hot and humid, and susceptible to hurricanes. Birds include the fairy hummingbird, Cuban trogon, and the critically endangered ivory-billed woodpecker, among others. As for reptiles, in the Moa Sagua Baracoa region, there are fifty-eight species, fourteen of which are strict endemics. In the Sierra Maestra, there are approximately fifty-five species of animals, nine of which are strict endemics. The Sierra Maestra Range is the largest and most important mountainous area of Cuba, it is a spectacular landscape value, sheer, lush, and misty.