Pico Turquino
Pico Turquino is the highest point in Cuba. It is located in the southeast part of the island, in the Sierra Maestra mountain range in the municipality of Guamá, Santiago de Cuba Province.
The name is believed to be a corruption of turquoise peak, named so for the blue hues taken by the heights in certain views. It was first mentioned on a map drawn by Gerardo Kramer in the late 18th century. It was first climbed in 1860 by F.W. Ramsden.
A bust of José Martí, sculpted by Jilma Madera, was placed on the peak to celebrate his centenary.
Fidel Castro and his soldiers summitted the peak in 1957 during their insurgency. According to Che Guevara, Castro's second-in-command, the mountain had an "almost mystical significance" to the revolutionaries, due to it being the highest point in Cuba.
Turquino National Park is established on a area around the peak.
