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La Havana - Cuba
 
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La Havana - Cuba |
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Havana Province, (Spanish: Provincia de la Habana), is one of the provinces
of Cuba. The city of Havana is a separate province, surrounded by the
province of Havana. It had 711 066 people in the 2002 census.[2] The second
largest city after Havana is Artemisa (81,209).
La Habana Province has borders with the city of Havana, Pinar del Rio, and
Matanzas. It has coasts in the south and north and has dozens of towns and a
few small cities which rank between the 20 and 40 largest of the island.
The southern coast of the province is characterized by swamps and wetlands.
Much of the province's agriculture is geared towards the production of food,
primarily cattle, potatoes and fruit. Unlike much of Cuba, sugar and tobacco
play only a small role in the province's economy. There is also much
industrialisation in the province, with numerous electricity plants and
sugar mills.
The Province of La Habana is located on the central western part of Cuba. It
has an area of 8,221 square kilometers (3,288 square miles) and is the
smallest province of Cuba. The population estimates according to the 1953
census were approximately 1,538,803 residents, second largest following the
province of Oriente.
The population consisted of more than 75% metropolitan areas, with the La
Habana municipality being the most populated. La Habana was established by
the cacique or Indian chief Abana, and consisted of the entire Province of
La Habana and a major part of the Province of Matanzas. Diego Velázquez
established the capital of the Republic in 1515 at the mouth of the Río
Mayabeque, the most significant river in the area. The capital was relocated
in 1519 to an area called Puerto Carenas near a village called La Habana.
This small village eventually became the most important city of Cuba,
sometimes referred to as "the Paris of the Americas."
The Province of La Habana consists of 26 municipalities, which are Aguacate,
Alquízar, Batabanó, Bauta, Bejucal, Caimito del Guayabal, Guanabacoa, Guines,
Guira de Melena, La Habana, Isla de Pinos, Jaruco, La Salud, Madruga,
Marianao, Melena del Sur, Nueva Paz, Quivicán, Regla, San Antonio de las
Vegas, San Antonio de los Baños, San José de las Lajas, San Nicolás, Santa
Cruz del Norte, Santa María del Rosario, and Santiago de las Vegas.
This province forms part of the geographic region called Occidente, which
encompasses the Provinces of Pinar del Río, La Habana, Matanzas, and Las
Villas. The La Habana Province corresponds to the region called Sección de
La Habana-Matanzas, which is divided into two subregions: 1) Alturas de La
Habana-Matanzas, and 2) Llanura Roja, La Habana-Matanzas. Its orography
consists of three main mountain groups that extend through the province. The
Havana harbor, la bahía de La Habana, located on the northern coast of the
province, is its most important geographical element. The harbor is one of
the most secure and protected harbors in the world, which has allowed the
city of La Habana to considerably prosper throughout the years.
There are many important areas in the Province of La Habana, such as the
cities of Guanabacoa, Regla, Santa María del Rosario and Marianao. La Habana
is also the location of Cuba's largest lagoon, called Ariguanabo, and many
of Cuba's beautiful beaches such as Santa Fe, Cojímar, Tarará, Marbella, and
Jibacoa.
The Province of La Habana was, without a doubt, the most industrialized
province of Cuba. Of significant importance were its textile manufacturers,
construction, footwear, metallurgic, graphics and lithography, and fishing
industries. Other important agricultural products of this province were
sugar cane, cattle, tobacco, fruits and vegetables. There were thirteen
major sugar mills in La Habana: Amistad, Fajardo, Gómez Mena, Habana,
Hershey, Josefita, Mercedita, Occidente, Portugalete, Providencia, Rosario,
San Antonio, and Toledo.El Morro fortress seen from
Havana, built in 1589 to protect the city from pirates and French corsairs
Castillo de la Real Fuerza, built in 1577
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