Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
Encyclopedia
Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt is a national park
in the Cuba
n provinces of Holguín
and Guantánamo
. It is named after the German
scientist Alexander von Humboldt
who visited the island in 1800 and 1801. The park was inscribed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
in 2001 for of its size, altitude range, complex lithology
, landform diversity, and wealth of endemic
flora and fauna.
The rivers that flow off the peaks of the park are some of the largest in the insular Caribbean
. The park is said to be the most humid place in Cuba and this causes a high biological diversity. The park has an area of 711.38 km² (274.7 sq mi), of which 685.72 km² (264.8 sq mi) land area and 22.63 km² (8.7 sq mi) marine area. Elevation ranges from sea level to 1168 m (3,832 ft) on El Toldo Peak.
16 of Cuba's 28 endemic plant species are protected in the park including such fauna as Dracaena
cubensis and Podocarpus
ekman. Fauna present in the park includes various species of parrot
s, lizards, hummingbird
s, the endangered Cuban Solenodon
(endemic), hutia
and snails.
period being known; this is located in the coastal zone of Aguas Verdes. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries some peripheral places were used as refuges or camps by maroons
.
The park began to be laid out in the 1960s, with the declaration of the Jaguani and Cupeyal del Norte nature reserves. This continued into the 80s with the proposal of the Ojito del Agua Refuge, associated with the last sighting of the Royal Woodpecker
, a last remnant of this species which was already extinct in its other habitats in the United States
and Mexico
. In 1996 these protected areas were united to form a National Park that was named after Alexander von Humboldt
. Being one of the most important biosphere reserves in the Caribbean
basin, the National Park, along with Cuchillas del Toa
was declared a UNESCO
World Natural Heritage Site in 2001.
There are unique flora and fauna elements in this unique ecosystem, with some of the highest indexes of endemicity in the archipelago.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in the Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n provinces of Holguín
Holguín Province
Holguín is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Ciudad de la Habana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the northeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín , Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa....
and Guantánamo
Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo is the easternmost province of Cuba. Its capital is also called Guantánamo. Other towns include Baracoa. The province surrounds the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.-History:...
. It is named after the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scientist Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
who visited the island in 1800 and 1801. The park was inscribed as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 2001 for of its size, altitude range, complex lithology
Lithology
The lithology of a rock unit is a description of its physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand or core samples or with low magnification microscopy, such as colour, texture, grain size, or composition. It may be either a detailed description of these characteristics or be a summary of...
, landform diversity, and wealth of endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
flora and fauna.
The rivers that flow off the peaks of the park are some of the largest in the insular Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. The park is said to be the most humid place in Cuba and this causes a high biological diversity. The park has an area of 711.38 km² (274.7 sq mi), of which 685.72 km² (264.8 sq mi) land area and 22.63 km² (8.7 sq mi) marine area. Elevation ranges from sea level to 1168 m (3,832 ft) on El Toldo Peak.
16 of Cuba's 28 endemic plant species are protected in the park including such fauna as Dracaena
Dracaena (plant)
Dracaena is a genus of about 40 species of trees and succulent shrubs. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae . It has also formerly been separated into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae...
cubensis and Podocarpus
Podocarpus
Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m in height...
ekman. Fauna present in the park includes various species of parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s, lizards, hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s, the endangered Cuban Solenodon
Cuban Solenodon
The Cuban Solenodon or Almiqui , is a species of soricomorph that is endemic to Cuba. It belongs to the family Solenodontidae along with a similar species, the Hispaniolan Solenodon...
(endemic), hutia
Hutia
Hutias are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the family Capromyidae that inhabit the Caribbean Islands. They range in size from , and can weigh up to . Twenty species of hutia have been identified, and half may be extinct. They resemble the nutria in some respects...
and snails.
History
The Alexander von Humboldt National Park has historically been an area of land little used by man, with only one archaeological site from the pre-ColumbianPre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
period being known; this is located in the coastal zone of Aguas Verdes. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries some peripheral places were used as refuges or camps by maroons
Maroon (people)
Maroons were runaway slaves in the West Indies, Central America, South America, and North America, who formed independent settlements together...
.
The park began to be laid out in the 1960s, with the declaration of the Jaguani and Cupeyal del Norte nature reserves. This continued into the 80s with the proposal of the Ojito del Agua Refuge, associated with the last sighting of the Royal Woodpecker
Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker
The Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker or Carpintero real is, or was, a Cuban subspecies of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker . Once classified as a separate species, recent research has indicated that C. p...
, a last remnant of this species which was already extinct in its other habitats in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In 1996 these protected areas were united to form a National Park that was named after Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
. Being one of the most important biosphere reserves in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
basin, the National Park, along with Cuchillas del Toa
Cuchillas del Toa
Cuchillas del Toa is a Biosphere Reserve in Cuba. It is located in the eastern part of the country, mostly in the Guantánamo Province and reaching to the north into the Holguín Province. Most of the reserve is established in the drainage area of the Toa River, which flows for to the Atlantic...
was declared a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Natural Heritage Site in 2001.
There are unique flora and fauna elements in this unique ecosystem, with some of the highest indexes of endemicity in the archipelago.