246 OUBA AND POBTO 1UCO 



the island axis, or in a direction west-northwest : first, the 

 greal central Cibao range, with its two side branches, 

 tlif Tina Mountains and the Montagues Xoires Cahos; 



s >nd, the southern eordillera, with its two culmination- 



and outlying Canal Mountains; and, third, the Sierra de 

 Monte Cristi, with the Puerta Plata group in the fore- 

 ground, including the small ridge of the Samana peninsula. 

 At the same time there are some less important isolated 

 elevations, such as the Morne du Cap, the Sambo Hills, 

 the Penones, and Mount Busu. In addition to the sharp 

 slopes of the thousands of V-shaped gorges cut by the 

 numerous streams, the main ranges are separated from 

 one another, especially in the republic of San Domingo, 

 by extensive ceutral valley plains, which were at one time 

 either arms of the ocean or lakes, and, like the mountains, 

 they trend northward and westerly. The largest of these, 

 lying between the north-coast sierra of Monte Cristi and 

 the great central eordillera of Cibao, extends one hundred 

 miles from the sea at the Haitian boundary into the Gulf 

 of Samana, which is its prolongation. Two rivers, the 

 Yaqui and Yuna, enter the middle portion of this valley 

 from the central mountains, and, diverging, thread it in 

 opposite directions to the sea. The western portion, 

 watered by the first-mentioned river, is known as the 

 valley of Santiago or of the Yaqui, while the eastern part 

 is the Yega Real. In no places is this valley over fifteen 

 miles in width, and at each end it is marked by salt- 

 marshes and lagoons. The two divisions present marked 

 dissimilarities in vegetation, due to differences of rainfall 

 and moisture. The windward division, covered by 

 beautiful deciduous plants, is a most fertile, beautiful, and 

 well-watered valley. The Santiago plain is an arid region 

 covered by chaparral, where, as in Arizona, several species 

 of thorny acacias dispute the ground with cactus, here 

 more diversified than anywhere in the West Indies, and 

 including arborescent opuntias, like the nopal of Mexico ; 

 tall, columnar cereus, like the pitahaya of California ; and 



