Below is one of the many attractions of Puerto Rico that attract many visitors throughout the year.
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.
In descending order of land area the forest is located in the municipalities of Río Grande, Naguabo, Luquillo, Ceiba, Canóvanas, Las Piedras, Fajardo, and Juncos. Forest headquarters are located in Río Grande.
The forest region was initially set aside in 1876 by the King Alfonso XII of Spain, and represents one of the oldest reserves in the Western Hemisphere. It was established as the Loquillo Forest Reserve on 17 January 1903 by the General Land Office with 65,950 acres (266.9 km2), and became a National Forest in 1906. It was renamed Caribbean National Forest on 4 June 1935. It is home to over 200 species of trees and plants, 23 of which are found nowhere else. The critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata), with an estimated wild population of 30 individuals, occurred exclusively in this forest until 19 November 2006, when another wild population was released by the Department of Natural Resources in the municipality of Utuado's Rio Abajo State Forest.
Typical yearly rainfall can be up to 6 m (240 inches) per year, which constitutes more than 380,000,000 m³ (100 billion US gallons) spread over the forest.
El Yunque is composed of four different forest vegetation areas: Tabonuco Forest, Palo Colorado Forest, Sierra Palm Forest, and Dwarf Forest.
El Yunque is also renowned for its unique Taíno petroglyphs.
An Executive Order signed by President George W. Bush on 2 April 2007 changed the name of the Caribbean National Forest to El Yunque National Forest, better reflecting the cultural and historical feelings of the Puerto Rican people.
Directions:
El Yunque National Forest
HC-01, Box 13490
Rio Grande, PR
00745-9625
(787) 888-1880
The forest is open daily from 7:30 AM until 6:00 PM
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.
In descending order of land area the forest is located in the municipalities of Río Grande, Naguabo, Luquillo, Ceiba, Canóvanas, Las Piedras, Fajardo, and Juncos. Forest headquarters are located in Río Grande.
The forest region was initially set aside in 1876 by the King Alfonso XII of Spain, and represents one of the oldest reserves in the Western Hemisphere. It was established as the Loquillo Forest Reserve on 17 January 1903 by the General Land Office with 65,950 acres (266.9 km2), and became a National Forest in 1906. It was renamed Caribbean National Forest on 4 June 1935. It is home to over 200 species of trees and plants, 23 of which are found nowhere else. The critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata), with an estimated wild population of 30 individuals, occurred exclusively in this forest until 19 November 2006, when another wild population was released by the Department of Natural Resources in the municipality of Utuado's Rio Abajo State Forest.
Typical yearly rainfall can be up to 6 m (240 inches) per year, which constitutes more than 380,000,000 m³ (100 billion US gallons) spread over the forest.
El Yunque is composed of four different forest vegetation areas: Tabonuco Forest, Palo Colorado Forest, Sierra Palm Forest, and Dwarf Forest.
El Yunque is also renowned for its unique Taíno petroglyphs.
An Executive Order signed by President George W. Bush on 2 April 2007 changed the name of the Caribbean National Forest to El Yunque National Forest, better reflecting the cultural and historical feelings of the Puerto Rican people.
Directions:
El Yunque National Forest
HC-01, Box 13490
Rio Grande, PR
00745-9625
(787) 888-1880
The forest is open daily from 7:30 AM until 6:00 PM