THE ISLAND OF SANTO DOMINGO L'41 



be found along the eastern half of the north coast from 

 Manzanilla Bay, where the boundary of the two republics 

 meets the sea, eastward to the Samana peninsula. This 

 is separated from the remaining portion of the island by a 

 great plain stretching from Samana Bay to Manzanilla 

 Bay, threaded by two long rivers, the Yaqui del Norte and 

 the Yuna. South of this the main larger orographic sec- 

 tion, the Sierra Cibao, is formed by a zone of lofty moun- 

 tain lands which runs diagonally the entire length of the 

 island from the eastern cape, Engano Point, to Cape St. 

 Nicolas, on the Windward Passage. The third and shorter 

 section, which is a western ramification of the above, off- 

 shooting near the center of the range, is limited by the 

 river Artibonite on the north, the San Juan on the east, 

 and on the south by a valley occupied by a chain of lakes. 

 The fourth and last section is formed by the tall mountains 

 of the southwestern peninsula. The central of these sys- 

 tems, the Cibao (Rocky) Mountains, constitute the mother 

 range of the whole Antillean uplift, and extend through the 

 island for a distance of four hundred miles. At its eastern 

 end this range is low and narrow, rarely acquiring a height 

 of more than a thousand feet ; but going westward near the 

 center of the island, it increases in area and altitude, rising 

 until some of its numerous peaks are from eight to nine 

 thousand feet high great projecting summits, standing 

 above a labyrinth of secondary crests extending in every 

 direction from the axial line as superb monuments of ero- 

 sion which have survived the general lowering of the land 

 through the geologic ages. 



The highest peaks are not necessarily along the main 

 rest, the loftiest, known as Mount Tina, 10,300 feet in 

 height, being situated to the south of the axial line, 

 northwest of the city of San Domingo. The highest emi- 

 aence of the main ridge is Pico dd Faqui, so called because 

 it is constantly enveloped in silvery clouds. This rises to 

 9700 feet, while near by are many mountains 8000 feet or 

 more in altitude. Still farther west, toward the Windward 



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