f the Caribbean Sea, but near the City of Santiago, and
to the eastward, they are separated from the ocean by a narrow coastal
plain, very much dissected. The streams which traverse it occupy valleys
several hundred feet in depth, while the remnants of the plateau appear
in the tops of the hills.

East of Guantanamo Bay there are mountains which are structurally
distinct from the Sierra Maestra, and these continue to Cape Maysi, the
eastern terminus of Cuba. To the west they rise abruptly from the ocean
bed, but further east they are bordered by terraced foothills. Towards
the north they continue straight across the island as features of bold
relief, connecting with the rugged Cuchillas of Baracoa, and with "El
Yunque" lying to the southwest.

Extending west from this eastern mass are high plateaus and mesas that
form the northern side of the great amphitheatre which drains into
Guantanamo Bay. Much of this section, when raised from the sea, was
probably a great elevated plain, cut up and eroded through the ages
since the seismic uplift that caused its birth.

The most prominent feature of the northern mountains of Oriente
Province, west of "El Yunque," is the range comprising the Sierras
Cristal and Nipe. These extend east and west, but are separated into
several distinct masses by the Rio Sagua, and the Rio Mayari, which
break through and empty into harbors on the north coast. The high
country south of these ranges has the character of a deeply dissected
plateau, the upper stratum of which is limestone.

The character of the surface would indicate that nearly all the
mountains of the eastern part of Oriente have been carved through
erosion of centuries from a high plateau, the summits of which are found
in "El Yunque" near Baracoa, and other flat topped mountains within the
drainage basins of the Mayari and the Sagua rivers. The flat summits of
the Sierra Nipe are probably remnants of the same great uplift.

Below this level are other benches or broad plateaus, the two most
prominent occurring respectively at 1,500 and 2,000 feet above sea
level. The highest summits rise to an altitude of 2,800 or 3,000 feet.
The 2,000 foot plateau of the Sierra Nipe alone includes an area
estimated at not less than 40 square miles. It would seem that these
elevated plateaus with their rich soils might be utilized for the
production of wheat, and some of the northern fruits that require a
cooler temperature than that found in oth