The Lajas Valley (Spanish: ''Valle de Lajas''), or the Yauco-Boquerón Valley (''Valle de Yauco-Boquerón''),
is an
anticlinal valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
that runs 30 km (19 mi) long and 5 km (3 mi) wide east-to-west in southwestern
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, within the municipalities of
Lajas,
Cabo Rojo,
Guánica, and
Sabana Grande. It is surrounded by the
Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands.
Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges:
* Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America
** ...
and the Santa Marta hills to the north, the
Sierra Bermeja (a small range in Lajas and Cabo Rojo) to the south, the
Boqueron Bay in Cabo Rojo to the west, and the Guánica Bay and southern karst to the east. The climate is considered moist to dry subhumid tropical. Its large extension and fertile soil have made it a good place for agriculture. However, it is one of the driest places of Puerto Rico, making irrigation necessary.
A
Tethered Aerostat Radar System aerostat is located at the Lajas Valley.
Seismological research in 2005 determined there is an ancient fault, the
South Lajas Valley Fault (SLVF), in the vicinity.
Gallery
File:Sierra Bermeja mountain range, Lajas Valley, Puerto Rico, 1935.jpg, alt=, Lajas Valley, Sierra Bermeja in the background. 1935
File:Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico.jpg, alt=, Laguna Cartagena, west Lajas Valley.
File:Plaza in Lajas barrio-pueblo, Lajas, Puerto Rico.jpg, alt=, The town of Lajas is located near the north center of the valley.
References
Geography of Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Lajas, Puerto Rico
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