• Submitted by: admin
• Pinar del Río
• Politics and Government
• 11 / 04 / 2007

In those huge towers of land the greatest rivers of the planet emerge, and the water generated from those peaks nourishes half the worlds inhabitants.

With such data, one may wonder what is Cuba and even Pinar del Rio doing, because 33% of its territory is covered by mountains.

Esperanza Novo Padrino, secretary of the Provincial Commission of Turquino Plan said that international entities such as Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO have recognized the Cuban program for mountains as an unprecedented project, unique in the world in both social and economic aspects.

Mountains cover 18% of Cuban territory and seven percent of the population lives in those mountain areas, they are grouped into four ranges: at the western part Cordillera de Guaniguanico, at the centre Guamuhaya and Escambray, and the biggest ones at the eastern part, Sierra Maestra and Macizo Nipe-Sagua Baracoa.

American blockade has also reached Cuban mountains, even when our State and Government have tried to recover their economic capacity and improve the life quality of the inhabitants.

Pinar del Rio has achieved some advances, for instance the infant mortality rate is now of one percent; children have free education since elementary school to university.

Not everything is perfect; there is some dissatisfaction with transportation and housing repairs, as well as gastronomic and commercial offers.

Source: By Marilyn Blanco, Guerrillero