THE ISLAND OF CUBA. 
185 
ing in the main of broad, undulating plains and shallow valleys. It is 
only at the two ends of the island, namely, in Pinar del Rio in the west 
and Santiago in the east, that the country presents any decided features 
Throughout Pinar del Rio Province runs a range of hills parallel to the 
coasts, a little north of the middle of the island, known as the Organ 
Mountains (Sierra de los Organos). These rise in many places to alti¬ 
tudes exceeding 2,000 feet, and culminate in the summit known as Guagui- 
bon, which has an altitude of about 2,500 feet. From the crest of this range, 
which forms a watershed, the land descends gently northward and south¬ 
ward to the coast. The southward slopes form the celebrated tobacco land 
known as Vuelta Abajo. 
In Santiago Province, at the eastern end of the island, the country breaks 
up in bold relief. Along the south coast is the Sierra Maestra, separating 
the coast from the valley of the Rio Cauto, reaching altitudes exceeding 
5,000 feet, and in one peak, Turquino, a height of 8,320 feet. This range 
extends unbroken from Cape Cruz eastward to Santiago, and thence in a 
more broken plateau-like form, to the east end of the island. The interior 
of Santiago Province north of the valley of the Cauto consists in the main 
of a greatly dissected plateau, rising to altitudes of 1,000 to 2,000 feet. 
The rivers of Cuba are numerous, but short, and few of them are of any 
importance to navigation. The largest stream is the Rio Cauto, in 
Santiago province, which drains a broad and very fertile valley. The next 
river in point of importance is the Sagua la Grande, on the north slope of 
the island, in Santa Clara Province, which is navigable for about twenty 
miles. Of the many other streams of the island few are navigable at all, 
while others are navigable only within their estuaries. 
Agriculture. 
There were in 1899, 60,711 farms, with a total area of 262,858 caballerias, 
a caballeria being equal to 33 acres. The average size of a farm in Cuba 
was 143 acres, and the average area cultivated per farm, 13 acres. Of the 
entire area of Cuba, 30 per cent, was reported to be in farms, but only 3 
per cent, of the area of the island, and only 10 per cent, of the area in farms 
was under cultivation. The most highly cultivated parts of the island were 
in Matanzas and Havana provinces. In Puerto Principe cultivation is com¬ 
paratively slight, most of the farms consisting of mere cattle ranches. 
Sugar cane is far the most important crop of the island, occupying 47 
per cent., or nearly one-half the cultivated area. Sweet potatoes are sec¬ 
ond on the list, with 11 per cent.; tobacco, 9 per cent. Bananas occupy 
little less than 9 per cent., and other crops occupy still smaller propor¬ 
tions. Sugar cane is produced in all the provinces of the island, but 
has the greatest importance in the provinces of Santa Clara and 
Matanzas, which together produced nearly three-fourths of the crop, as 
•neasured by the area under cultivation. Santiago produces about one- 
