Cordillera Central

Cordillera Central, limestone mountain range that forms the interior of Puerto Rico island. It consists of three parts. The Cordillera Central proper occupies the west-central part of the island, extending about 50 miles (80 km) from San Germán in the west to the watershed between the Manatí and La Plata rivers in the east-central part of the island. In the cordillera, 11 miles (18 km) north of Ponce, is the island’s highest peak, Cerro de Punta (4,390 feet [1,338 metres]). Limonite (iron-ore) deposits are found in the Las Mesas hills in the west.

There is a gradual transition between the Cordillera Central and the lower Sierra de Cayey farther east, the peaks of which rise to 3,000 feet (900 metres). The central mountains have more granitic outcrops than do the western mountains. The rivers of both the Cordillera Central and the Sierra de Cayey, notably the Arecibo, La Plata, and Loíza, are used extensively for hydroelectric power and water supply. The third section, another subsidiary branch, is the Sierra de Luquillo, which constitutes the northeastern part of the island; it is separated from the Sierra de Cayey by the Caguas, Gurabo, and Blanco valleys. Almost two-thirds of this humid tropical region is occupied by the Caribbean National Forest.