Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/548

 544 CUBA ly curved, the convex side being on the north. The entire coast line is 630 Spanish leagues in extent, equal to about 2,200 English miles. The shores are generally low, and lined with reefs and shallows, extending often from two to three miles into the sea, making the approach difficult and dangerous. Within these reefs there is occasionally a sandy beach, but around the greater part of the island there is a belt of low land but little above the level of the sea, and subject to floods and inundations. . Adja- cent to the N. coast, which is 306 leagues in length, and more regular in outline than that on the south, are 5 islands, 6 islets, 37" keys, and 521 small keys, the principal of which are Komano (172 sq. m.), Guajaba (21), Coco (28), Turiguaco (51), Cruz (59), Fragoso, Bocas de Anton, Verde, and the keys on the Colorado banks. On the S. side, the coast line of which is 324 leagues long, are, besides the isle of Pines, which is 43 m. long and 35 broad, 6 islets, 26 keys, and 677 small keys ; of these, Cayo Largo contains 32 sq. m. Between Cape Cruz and Ca- silda lie the Cayos de las Doce Leguas, which form an advanced curve to the coast, and which, were the sea to recede a little, would add very considerably to the width of the isl- and. There is another similar curve between Jagua and Cape Corrientes, formed by the Cayos de los Jardines. Most of the keys and reefs are of coral or limestone formation, and the extreme irregularity of the shore line is due to the ease with which rocks of this kind are acted on by water. Notwithstanding these peculiarities of the coast, Cuba has over 200 ports, including sheltered landings. The prin- cipal of these, besides Havana, which has one of the best harbors in the West Indies, are Bahia Honda, Puerto de Cabanas, Matanzas, Cardenas, Sagua la Grande, La Guanaja, Nuevitas, Manati, Malagneta, Puerto del Pa- dre, Gibara, Banes, and Nipe, on the N. coast ; and Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Man- zanillo, Cauto, Santa Cruz, Saza, Tunas, Ca- silda, Cienfuegos, Cochinos, and La Broa, on the S. Cuba is intersected by a range of mountains, more or less broken, which ex- tends through the entire island from E. to W., and from which the streams flow to the sea on each side. At the E. extremity the mountains spread over a wider territory than elsewhere, and some of them attain the height of 8,000 ft. From Point Maysi to Cape Cruz the range called Sierra del Cobre skirts the S. coast for about 200 m. At the W. end the mountains also approach the coast. Some ge- ographers have classified this chain into six groups ; but it is generally divided into three, the eastern, central, and western. Among them lie fertile valleys, some of which are 200 m. long and 30 m. wide. The ranges which give shape to these valleys generally give them also their names, as Sierra de los Organos, Sierra de Anafe, Sierra de la Perdiz. In some places groups of hills form the margin of the island, but for the most part low tracts inter- vene between the central elevation and the shores ; and in the wet season these are ren- dered almost impassable by the depth of water and the tenacity of the mud. From Jagua to Point Sabina, on the S. side, the country is a continuous swamp for 160 m., and there are many similar tracts of less extent on the N. side. The rivers are not large, but they are numerous, amounting to 260, independent of rivulets and torrents. The Cauto, the only navigable stream, properly so called, rises in the Sierra del Cobre and empties on the S. coast, a few miles from Manzanillo, opposite the banks of Buena Esperanza. Schooners ascend it about 60 m. Gunboats have passed up du- ring the present civil war, and several engage- ments have taken place on its banks. Some other streams are navigable for small vessels from 8 to 20 m. After the Cauto, the most important rivers are the Gtiines and the Ay or Negro. At one time a canal was projected through the Giiines river, which would cut the island in two. The Ay is remarkable for its falls, some of which are nearly 200 ft. high, and for its great natural bridge, after passing under which its waters flow smoothly. There are many mineral springs in the island, the principal of which are those known as the baths of San Diego ; they are sulphurous and thermal. Of similar character are those of Madruga, although one of the springs there is said to contain copper. There are other sul- phur springs at Charco Azul, Santa Maria del Eosario, San Miguel, and at Santa F6 on the isle of Pines; and sulphuro-gaseous springs exist at Cienfuegos and at Ciego Montero. Nitre predominates in the springs of Copey, and in those of Cacaqual near Havana. The latter was once a frequented bathing place, but is now abandoned. The geological forma- tion of Cuba is little known, the island having been thoroughly studied only in its commer- cial aspect. Even its topography is not yet accurately settled. The grand map engraved in Barcelona, although very valuable, cannot always be depended upon, for it is not the re- sult of triangulation, but a compilation of many maps drawn by native surveyors, added to and completed by the labors of the navy. The works of Humboldt still furnish the most exact data concerning the geology of Cuba. He thinks that the Caribbean was once a mediter- ranean sea, of which the mountain ranges of micaceous schist in Cuba, Hayti, and Jamaica formed the N. limit. The highest peaks of all these islands occur where the islands approach each other nearest, which induces the belief that the nucleus of these mountain ranges was between Cape Tiburon, Hayti, Cape Morant, Jamaica, and the mountains of Cobre, which overtop the Blue mountains of Jamaica. The Caribbean range, after its subsidence into the sea, contributed to the formation of the islands. In Humboldt's opinion four fifths of Cuba con- sists of low lands. The ground is covered with secondary and tertiary formations, and is