El Yunque is a mountain located west of

Baracoa Baracoa, whose full original name is: ''Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa'' ("Our Lady of the Assumption of Baracoa"), is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba. It was visited by Admiral Christopher ...

and the Baracoa Bay in

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 ...

's Guantanamo Province. It has a

table mountain Table Mountain (; ) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, cableway or hik ...

shape that resembles an

anvil An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually Forging, forged or Steel casting, cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked"). Anvils are massive because the hi ...

("yunque" in Spanish).

Overview

El Yunque was mentioned by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

in his chronicles about the discovery of the Americas. The Yunque is situated between the banks of the rivers Duaba and Toa, it is long and has a total area of . El Yunque was declared a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

by the Cuban National Commission of Monuments on December 25, 1979. El Yunque is covered with Cuban moist forests and the lower slopes are planted with

cocoa bean The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao tree ...

under the shade of groves of

royal palm ''Roystonea regia'', commonly known as the royal palm, Cuban royal palm, or Florida royal palm, is a species of Arecaceae, palm native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Florida, and parts of Central America. A large and attractive palm, it has been plan ...

Gallery

File:Coccothrinax yunquensis.jpg, View from El Yunque File:Baracoa_5706B.JPG, El Yunque from Baracoa bay File:El Yunque Baracoa Cuba.jpg, El Yunque in 2006 File:DirkvdM baracoa palmtrees.jpg, View to the west from the foot of El Yunque

References

External links

Mountains of Cuba Geography of Guantánamo Province {{Cuba-geo-stub