208 



CUBA 



Many of the southward-flowing streams of this portion of the 

 island do not reach the sea directly, but disperse into vast 

 cienegas and swamps. Several of the stream valleys, like that of 

 the Yumuri of Matanzas, are accompanied by some of the most 

 restful and beautiful landscapes in the world. The Rio Armen- 

 daris, which nearly encircles Habana on the southward, affords 

 that city an abundant supply of water. In this and other por- 

 tions of the island where the limestone formation prevails, as in 

 all the white limestone areas of the tropics, a large portion of 

 the drainage is subterranean, accompanied by many remarkable 

 caverns. The rivers Cuyajabos, Pedernales, Guanajay, Copel- 

 lanias, San Antonio, and others along the south slope of Pinar 

 del Rio disappear in limestone caverns, where they continue 

 their seaward course. The falls of Rosario in this province are 

 of great beauty, as also is an immense natural bridge. 



In the province of Santiago and part of Puerto Principe the 

 drainage is more complicated. The limestone plateaus of north 

 and east Santiago de Cuba give rise to many rivers, the most re- 

 markable of which are the Cabanas, the Yamanigacy, and the 

 Moa, which in descending the escarpments of the high levels of 

 the Toar disappear beneath the surface and reappear on a lower 

 terrace, over the edge of which they are precipitated in cascades 

 of 300 feet to the coast. Other streams of this region, such as the 

 Yumuri of the east, find outlet through sharply cut canyons in- 

 denting the limestone cliffs of the back coast border. The cen- 

 tral portion of this province is dominated by the Rio Cauto and 

 its ramifications. This is the longest river on the island, and 



MOUTH OF THE YUMUKI OF THE EAST, NEAR BARACOA, SHOWING ELEVATED TERRACES 



