GEOGRAPHY. 47 



lead down from the two headlands to the lower plateau between them. 

 From Ballandra Point the bay extends westward about 45 kilometers to the 

 flat delta of Rio Yuna, maintaining an average width of about 16 kilometers 

 and a depth great enough to admit the largest ships nearly to the head of 

 the bay. Shoal water at the mouth of the bay restricts entrance to an 

 easily defended channel near the northern shore, but within the bay there 

 is ample room for many ships to maneuver or to lie safely at anchor. 



Along most of the eastern half of the north shore the mountains rise 

 almost from the water's edge, but at Santa Barbara de Samana they are 

 lower and more broken and the shore is indented by a little bay, which is 

 shut off from the greater bay by several pretty little wooded rocky islets. 

 (See PL III, B.) The west half of the north shore is bordered by a nar- 

 row fringe of terraced lowlands, back of which the mountains rise steeply. 

 Near the west end of this terraced area is the town of Sanchez, the terminus 

 of the Ferrocarril de Santiago y Samana and a port of entry. As the town 

 is a considerable distance from deep water large vessels are unable to dock 

 there and have to load and unload cargo from lighters. 



From the head of the bay to San Lorenzo Bay the south shore is jagged 

 with cliffed spurs that extend into the water from a lofty, even-profiled 

 limestone plateau. East of San Lorenzo Bay is a stretch of low, thickly 

 wooded country, back of which rise low, jagged mountains. Sabana de la 

 Mar, the only village worthy of notice on the south shore, cannot be reached 

 by ships because of very shallow water. 



Samana Bay is the drowned extremity of the great Cibao Valley, but 

 traces of rather recent slight emergence are seen in raised beaches, raised 

 coral reefs, and sea caves that now stand above tide. Many such caves 

 have been found west of San Lorenzo Bay. 



EAST COAST. 



From Cape Rafael, a low point at the entrance to Samana Bay, the coast 

 trends southeastward, in line with the end of Samana Peninsula, to Cape 

 Engafio. It is skirted by a broken reef. Cape Engafio is a low, reef- 

 locked point that rises several kilometers inland into low hills. A bank, 

 which at its outer margin is in places only 30 fathoms below the surface, 

 extends eastward from Cape Engafio for 50 kilometers into the Mona 

 Passage. This bank may be the cause of the heavy swells that prevail in 

 this part of the Mona Passage. A lateral extension of this bank borders the 

 coast at Point Espada, a prominent cliff over 90 meters high. 



Between Point Espada and the east end of Saona Island is a semi- 

 circular indentation in which deep water reaches within a short distance of 

 the shore. Most of the shore along this indentation is bold and rocky, 

 and part of it is bordered by a raised coral reef. Yuma Bay, north of Cabo 

 Falso, receives Rio Yuma, which drains a considerable area in the eastern 

 peninsula. 



