Nature of Cuba: description, characteristics and features, geographical location, flora and fauna

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Cuba is an amazing hot country with beautiful beaches and tropical forests. This is a true piece of paradise! The most wonderful island nation in the Caribbean. The coast of Cuba is surrounded by clear blue waters, on the shallows of which coral reefs have long settled, giving shelter to thousands of marine life.

City streets are bathed in sunshine and immersed in tropical greenery that surrounds architectural masterpieces. In the squares, you can easily meet Cubans dancing passionate latin or salsa, and on holidays you can see bright carnivals.

Once you see the variety of nature in Cuba, it is simply impossible not to fall in love with it! And how can you forget all the charm of her:

shady jungle adorned with exotic fruits;
colorful plains with a scattering of small bright houses;
hills and mountains covered with green forests.

To make you understand how beautiful the nature of Cuba is, photos will definitely be provided in thisarticle. And you will understand that it is worth visiting at least once in your life!

Geographic data

The Republic of Cuba lies in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, just between South America and the United States, and is considered the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Cuban Republic includes islands:

Juventud;
Cuba;
Cayo Fragoso;
Coco;
Quahaba;
Camaguey;
San Felipe;
Largo del Sur.

It also includes archipelagos:

Sabana;
Los Colorados;
Jardines de la Reina.

In total, the republic has about 1600 islands, large and small. The main and largest of them is Cuba.

Because the coastline is quite large (5745 km!), there are just over three hundred beaches in the country, with mesmerizing fairy-tale landscapes.

In addition, the island of Cuba is dotted with rocky cliffs and coves, as well as mangrove swamps and coral reefs.

The country is adjacent to islands such as Jamaica and Haiti, as well as Florida on the US side and Mexico on the South American side.

The capital of the republic is the city of Havana, famous for the production of the highest quality cigars in the world. Time zone Moscow time +8.

Significant objects of the island of Cuba

Bays: Buena Vista, Cochinos.
Bays: Anna Maria, Guantanamo, Guacanaybo, Santa Clara, Batabano.

In addition, thethe Zapata peninsula and Cape Cruz, which is the southernmost point of Cuba.

Climatic features

Tropical Cuba has only two distinct seasons:

Rainy season (May to October).
Dry season (November to April).

The air is characterized by high humidity, which lasts for all 12 months, and the sea breeze brings a pleasant coolness to the coastline, which is especially felt after sunset. After the heat of the day, this is just what you need.

Water resources

On the island of Cuba there are quite a few small rivers and streams, of which there are about 600 in total. Some of them flow into the Caribbean Sea and form a wetland right on the shore. The largest of the swamps is Zapata, which is considered a protected area.

Description of the nature of Cuba

There are many plains on the territory of the country, but the mountains occupy only a third of it. The highest mountain range is the Sierra Maestra, stretching along the perimeter of the southeast coast for 250 km. The highest point of Cuba is Turquino Peak, rising 1974 meters above sea level.

The most interesting of the freshwater lakes can be called the Laguna de Leche, the bottom of which is covered with chalk deposits, which turn water into fresh milk during high tides.

This country can rightly be called a paradise on earth, as it is literally immersed in fragrant tropical flowers growing in the shade of trees decorated with exotic fruits. In total, there are more than 3,000flora representatives. Once upon a time, in pre-colonization times, forests enveloped almost the entire territory of Cuba, leaving only 10% for everything else. But with the advent of foreign invaders, the area of the forest drastically decreased to 14%. It is no coincidence that the royal palm is present on the Cuban coat of arms, since it was she who survived on the plains.

In the 60s of the last century, people finally came to their senses and began to carry out active work to restore forest areas, due to which today 30% of the entire territory is covered with vegetation.

Among the variety of species in Cuba you can find:

guaiac wood;
mahogany;
cedrelu;
logwood.

They all grow on plains and low hills. In addition, pine forests can be seen in the drier parts of the country (such as Hootenwood Island). But the real pearl of the tropics is the beautifully crowned microcycas palm (Microcycas Calocoma), which has been known for over a hundred million years and can be admired in the province of Pinar del Rio.

Swimming along the river waters of Haguani, Toa or Duaba, you can see multi-tiered rainforests called hylaea, which make up ficuses, Guiana carapas and gwareas. The tier closest to the water is made up of palm trees and tree ferns.

The national pride of Cuba is the ginger lily (Hedychium coronarium), which reaches a height of abouttwo meters, and its white flowers resemble large butterflies.

Animals of Cuba

This paradise is home to birds such as the pelican, gull, dove, hummingbird, heron, sparrow and vulture.

There are also various reptiles, among which lizards stand out with a special variety.

Of the mammals, of particular interest are the Red Book juvenile, resembling a big-nosed badger, hutia conga, similar to a large 50-centimeter rat. And bats in Cuba live happily ever after, as about 23 species are known to live in different parts of the country.

What is there on Liberty Island?

This paradise has amazing views of Cuban nature, and the most beautiful and famous of them can be called the caves near the city of Matanzas. This city is located near Varadero, and they made it famous:

Saturn Cave, which is famous for hiding an underground lake with surprisingly clear and warm water.
Belmayar Cave, which was discovered back in the distant 50th year of the 19th century by shepherds looking for a lost sheep. It is about 2.5-3 kilometers long, all ennobled with stalactites and stalagmites, which are at least 40,000 years old. In the bowels of the cave there is more than one karst lake framed by multicolored crystals.

The most beautiful places in Cuba

Due to numerous tourist reviews, the Viñales Valley is considered the most charmingplace of the country. And not in vain, since its entire area is covered with lush green vegetation, and around it there are karst hills that look very peculiar. The famous Cuban tobacco is grown here, the plantations of which are surrounded by the houses of hardworking farmers. The landscape is typical Cuban nature beauty indescribable.
It is impossible to talk about the beauty of the island nation without mentioning Sirena Beach (Playa Paraiso), because the views that open to its visitors are truly mesmerizing. Its shore is covered with the most delicate white sand, which borders on perfectly clear blue water, in which you can see the bottom to the smallest detail. Not far from the land, you can admire starfish, stingrays and turtles, as well as various exotic fish. Therefore, it would be useful to take an underwater camera with you, which will capture in detail all the diversity of the underwater world.
The Jardines del Rey archipelago is a fabulously beautiful small islands that stretch for two hundred kilometers. And it rightfully bears this name, which in translation sounds like “the gardens of the king”, because it is here that you can admire the wild nature of Cuba, which is perfectly preserved in the Parque Natural El Baga National Park.
The Zapata Peninsula is a huge swamp that has been declared a protected area. It is home to many unique representatives of flora and fauna, which cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.

If you love outdoor activities and landscapes wild in their naturalness, then Cuba is the place thatdeserves more than close attention. But to get the most pleasant emotions from her, the trip should be planned for the dry season.