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del Río. A small section is in Artemisa, the province that bor- ders Pinar del Río to the east. The Cordillera de Guaniguanico may not soar—its highest mountain, Pan de Guajaibón, reach- es an elevation of just 2,293 feet (699 m). Nonetheless, the range offers vistas of dramatic beauty, including valleys dotted by steep, isolated, domelike limestone formations. Lakes, Rivers, and Wetlands Inland, Cuba has relatively little open water. The largest natu- ral lake, Laguna de Leche, has a surface area of only about 26 square miles (67 sq km). It’s located in central Cuba’s Ciego de Ávila Province. The man-made Zaza Reservoir, at approxi- mately 44 square miles (114 sq km), is the largest freshwater body of water in Cuba. It’s in Sancti Spíritus Province. Cuba’s rivers, of which there are approximately 200, are mostly short. The longest, at about 230 miles (370 km), is the Río Cauto. An important source of water for irrigation, it rises in the mountains of southeastern Cuba and winds through the

provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Granma. Before emptying into the Gulf of Guacanayabo, the Cauto spreads out into a broad swath of wetlands. Flowing 81 miles (130 km) across the eastern province of Guantánamo, the Toa is Cuba’s second-longest river. It has dozens of tributaries . Other sig- nificant rivers include the

Educational Video

Scan to see El Nicho Park, in the Sierra del Escambray, Cienfuegos Province:

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Cuba Facts and Figures