New
7 Natural Wonders of the World
New Seven Wonders of Nature-One
of 28 nominees. Winners will be announced in 2011.
El Yunque is perhaps the most famous
peak in Puerto Rico despite not being
the tallest, measuring 3,526 feet
above sea level (Cerro de Punta, measuring
4,390 ft, is the tallest peak in the
island.). The mountain is located
in the Sierra de Luquillo, and is
part of the El Yunque National Forest
(known as Caribbean National Forest
until April 2, 2007).
The true sub-tropical rainforest
lies completely within the boundaries
of the El Yunque National Forest,
part of the U.S. Forest Service. It
consists of a small crescent shaped
band that lies over the tops of the
peaks of the forest, located near
to eastern end of Puerto Rico. At
the top of the rainforest lies a narrower
band of the forest in which plant
life is stunted due to a thinner layer
of soil at higher elevations on the
rocky mountain, as well as higher
winds. Many well marked trails make
it easy to explore.[2]
El Yunque National Forest
El Yunque National Forest, formerly
known as the Caribbean National Forest,
is located on the island of Puerto
Rico. It is commonly known as only
El Yunque, a Spanish approximation
of the aboriginal Taino word "Yu-ke"
thought by scholars to mean "White
Lands". However the lightning
storms that occur there were to the
Spaniards the sound of a giant hammer
hitting an anvil (yunque in Spanish).
It is also the name of the second
highest mountain peak in the Forest.
El Yunque is the only tropical rain
forest in the United States National
Forest System.
The forest is located on the slopes
of the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains
in Puerto Rico, and encompasses 28,002
acres (43.753 mi² or 113.32 km²)
of land, making it the largest block
of public land on the island of Puerto
Rico. El Toro, the highest mountain
peak in the forest rises 1,078 metres
(3,537 ft) above sea level.[3]
This small series of
waterfalls are just off road # 191 on
the north side of the El Yunque rainforest.
The water is clean and clear, you can
stand under the waterfall and sit in
the pools.
