Cuba is not known for large rivers, strong winds, or pronounced waterfalls, but this does not mean that it does not have beautiful landscapes and suitable places for adventures on the river routes, according to reports from the Cuban Academy of Sciences.
Sailing, nature interpretation, and living adventure in the middle of a wild landscape contain a particular charm when they are associated with PP streams.
Cuba’s rivers are short, fast, and have little current. Due to the abundance of limestone on the island, many of them have underground channels, which increases their irregularity.
There are two slopes: north and south. The largest river is the Cauto, and the largest is the Toa, both located in the east of the country (those on the southern slopes are slightly higher).
A river is a continuous flow of water. Rivers are formed by the accumulation of rainwater and melting snow from the mountains or by the rise of groundwater to the surface of the earth. The main ones flow into the lake or sea; on the other hand, tributaries are rivers that flow into another river.
The elongated and narrow shape, the complex geology, and the arrangement of the orographic massifs determine the characteristics of the surface drainage of the island of Cuba.
It and the Isle of Youth have 633 rivers that flow on the surface or underground to the sea; 272 drain a territory of 32,283 square kilometers to the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic, in total.
Meanwhile, 361 make it towards the Caribbean Sea basin, which drains a territory of 48,860 square kilometers. The rest of the territory (26 thousand two square kilometers) belongs to areas without clear river drainage, karsified lands, swamps, and mangroves.
Most of the rivers in Cuba flow in the north and south directions, although there are some that run in the east-west direction, which is, precisely, the most important in terms of length, expansion of the drained basin, and flow.
Reports from the Academy of Sciences also highlight that the highest river with the largest basin is the Cauto, which covers the territories of four provinces (Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín, and Las Tunas) and runs from east to west.
The largest rivers in the west, center, and east, respectively, are the Hatiguanico (Ciénaga de Zapata), Hanabanilla (Alturas de Trinidad), which flows from east to west, and the Toa (Sagua-Baracoa Group), which runs from the west. In the east.
In the west of the country, however, it is more common for rivers with low flows to receive important contributions from the ground at some points in their routes, as in the case of the rivers of Almendares, Mayabeque, San Juan, and Canímar, and La Yana in Ciego de Ávila, as the most famous.
Many are now used for boating and motorboating and offer sights that are much appreciated by tourists.
