THE HISPANIOLA FLU VIAL SYSTEM AND ITS MORPHOSTRUCTURAL CONTEXT.

This paper presents results of the geomorphological study of river elements (or a morphostructural characterization of Hispaniola. The fluvial system and its primary and secondary drainage divides were delimited using a specially developed methodology. More than 120 uluvial basins were studied. The largest rivers are the sixth-order Yaque del Norte and Yaque del Sur. The (luvial density is in the range of 0.08-4.0 km/km², with highest values in the Cordillera Central. There are two large hydrological regions, the Western and the Eastern, with a northeastern transverse diagonal boundary, coinciding with the direction of the Beata Escarpment. Using quantitative data to characterize the morphostructure of the (luvial network in Hispaniola enabled us to make comparisons with a Cuban network. As is shown, the river pattern in Hispaniola is basically tectonic, with a remarkable directional diversity in the main first-order drainage divide. In the Caribbean area, Eastern Cuba is the only other location with this pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]