Bordered by the Northern Karst Belt to the northwest and costal plains to the north and south, the numerous ridges and foothills of the three subranges combined extend throughout the island.

At 1,338 meters (4,390 ft) on the town line between Ponce and Jayuya, Cerro de Punta is the summit of the Cordillera Central and the highest point in Puerto Rico.

During the Spanish colonization of Puerto Rico, the Cordillera Central was likely shared by different Taíno cacicazgos or chiefdoms: Yagüecax, Otoao, Jatibonico, Guaynia and Turabon.

This helped develop the mountainous region of the island and attracted a high influx of immigrants from coastal cities such as San Juan and Ponce, but also from Europe thanks to the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 which encouraged non-Spanish Europeans to settle and cultivate the land.

This was the most important engineering project built by the Spanish government in Puerto Rico during the 19th century and it highly influenced the human development of the region.

[2] The mountain range begins in the western part of the island in the municipalities of Mayagüez, Maricao, and Las Marías close to the Mona Passage in the west coast of Puerto Rico.

Another western portion of the range that is sometimes included in the Cordillera Central, called the Santa Marta Hills, is located to the southwest in the municipalities of Sabana Grande, San Germán, Lajas and Cabo Rojo.

The Cordillera Central proper keeps eastward through the municipalities of Maricao, Lares, Utuado, Yauco, Adjuntas, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Ponce, Jayuya, Juana Díaz, Villalba, Ciales, Orocovis, Corozal, Barranquitas, Coamo, Comerío and Aibonito; this section contains the highest peaks of the range and Puerto Rico, such as Cerro de Punta which is the highest point in the island.

[16]The northern edge of the Cordillera Central was formed throughout millions of years through the interactions between the North American and Caribbean plate tectonics.

Most of the endangered species are also endemic, and they include species such as the Cordillera maiden fern (Amauropelta inabonensis), only found in Cerro Rosa, Cook's holly (Ilex cookii) which is only found in Cerro de Punta and Mount Jayuya, and the palo de ramon (Banara vanderbiltii) of which only 20 wild individuals remain.

The Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea) and the West Indian (Swietenia mahagoni) and Honduran mahogany trees (S. macrophylla) have been introduced and successfully adapted to the mountain forests.

[34] The following table lists the 50 highest mountain peaks of Puerto Rico that are located in the Cordillera Central, including those of the Sierra de Cayey.