Sierra Cristal National Park () is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. It is located in the municipalities of

Mayarí Mayarí is a municipality and town in the Holguín Province of Cuba. History The origins of the city date back to 1757 in Spanish Cuba, when the first farms were established here by immigrant colonists. On 19 January 1879 the city became the se ...

and

Sagua de Tánamo Sagua de Tánamo () is a municipality and town in the Holguín Province of Cuba. Overview The Sierra Cristal National Park () is partly located in the Sagua de Tánamo municipality and partly in neighboring Mayarí. The municipality is divided i ...

in southern

Holguín Province Holguín () is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Havana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the southeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín (the capital), Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa. The provinc ...

. It was the first National Park created in Cuba in 1930, and covers an area of .

Overview

It is located in the heights of Sierra Cristal (Cristal Mountains), one of the highest mountain range in Cuba (second only to

Sierra Maestra The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view i ...

). Cristal Peak (''Pico Cristal'') reaches an elevation of .

Conservation

The ranges are dominated by pine forests. Cuban pine (''Pinus cubensis'') can reach heights of in this area. The endangered

Cuban solenodon The Cuban solenodon or ''almiquí'' (''Atopogale cubana'') is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to Cuban moist forests, mountainous forests on Cuba. It is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Atopogale''. An elusive animal, it ...

(''Solenodon cubanus'') can be found in Sierra Cristal. A research center established in 1988 in ''Pinares de Mayarí'' monitors the ecology of the region.

References

National parks of Cuba Mountains of Cuba Geography of Holguín Province Mayarí Protected areas established in 1930 1930 establishments in Cuba Tourist attractions in Holguín Province {{Cuba-geo-stub

Overview

Conservation

See also

References