Pico Turquino is the highest point in Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. It is located in the southeast part of the island, in the Sierra Maestra

Sierra Maestra

Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province from what is now Guantánamo Province to Niquero in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges , which joins with others extending to the west...

 mountain range

Mountain range

A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...

 in Santiago de Cuba Province

Santiago de Cuba Province

Santiago de Cuba Province is the second most populated province in the island of Cuba. The largest city Santiago de Cuba is the main administrative center...

.

The name is believed to be a corruption of turquoise

Turquoise

Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl648·4. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue...

  peak, named so for the blue hues taken by the heights in certain views. It was first mentioned (under the name "Tarquino") on a map drawn by Gerardo Kramer in the late 18th century.

A bust of José Martí

José Martí

José Julián Martí Pérez was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. In his short life he was a poet, an essayist, a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was also a part of the Cuban...

, sculpted by Jilma Madera

Jilma Madera

Jilma Madera was a well-known Cuban sculptor. Her two most famous works are the Christ of Havana and the bust of José Martí at the Pico Turquino....

, was placed on the peak to celebrate his centenary.

Turquino National Park

Turquino National Park

Turquino National Park is a National Park in Cuba. It is located in the heights of the Sierra Maestra mountain range, in the Santiago de Cuba Province, west of Guamá....

is established on a 229.38 km² (88.6 sq mi) area around the peak.