El Yunque (Puerto Rico)
- This article is about the Puerto Rican national forest. For the Mexican pressure group, see El Yunque (organization).
The Caribbean National Forest located on the island of Puerto Rico, and commonly known as El Yunque (named after the Taino Indian spirit Yuquiyú, and meaning "Forest of Clouds") is the only tropical forest in the United States National Forest System.
The forest is located the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains in Puerto Rico, and encompasses over 28,000 acres (113 km²) of land; making it the largest block of public land on the Island of Puerto Rico. The highest portion of the mountain measures 1065 meters (3494 ft).
The forest covers lands of the municipalities of Canovanas, Juncos, Las Piedras, Luquillo, and Rio Grande.
The forest region was set aside in 1876 by the Spanish Crown, and represents one of the oldest reserves in the Western Hemisphere. It is home to over 240 species of trees and plants, 26 of which are found nowhere else.
Typical yearly rainfall can be up to 240 inches (6 m) per year. More than 100 billion US gallons (380,000,000 m³) of rainwater fall on the forest per year.
El Yunque is composed of five different forest ecosystems
- Tabonuco Forest
- Palo Colorado Forest
- Palma Sierra Forest
- Las Nubes Forest
- El Dutcher Bosque
External link
- Caribbean National Forest – USDA Forest Service, Official Website