Holguín Province

Holguín Province
Location of Holguin Province in Cuba
Location of Holguin Province in Cuba
Country Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba
Capital Holguín
Area 9,292.83 km² (3,588 sq mi)
Population 1,029,083 (2004[1])
Density 110.7 /km² (287 /sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Area code +53-024
Website : Holguín.cu

Holguín is one of the provinces of Cuba, the second most populous after Ciudad de la Habana. It lies in the southeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín (the capital), Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa.

The province has a population of slightly over one million people. Its territory exceeds 9,300 km² (3,590.8 sq mi), 25 percent of which are covered by forest.

Contents

History

Statue of Christopher Columbus near Guardalavaca

Christopher Columbus landed in what is believed to have been today's Holguín province on October 27, 1492. He declared that it was "the most beautiful country human eyes had ever seen".

The Holguín province was established in 1978, when it was split from the Oriente region.

Economy

Like much of Cuba, Holguín's economy is based around sugarcane, though other crops such as corn and coffee, as well as mining, are also large earners for the province.

A large cobalt processing plant with shipping facilities was built at Moa, using foreign investment, much of it from Canada. Chromium, nickel, iron and steel plants dot the province as well.

Tourism has only recently begun to be developed, with a number of hotels around the Guardalavaca area and Cayo Saetia. The Cuchillas del Toa Biosphere Reserve Sierra Cristal National Park and Alejandro de Humboldt National Park are partly located in the province.

Municipalities

Holguín is divided into 14 municipalities:

Municipality Population
(2004)
Area
(km²)
Location Remarks
Antilla &0000000000012222.00000012,222 &0000000000000100.000000100
Báguanos &0000000000052854.00000052,854 &0000000000000806.000000806
Banes &0000000000081274.00000081,274 &0000000000000781.000000781
Cacocum &0000000000042623.00000042,623 &0000000000000661.000000661
Calixto Garcia &0000000000057867.00000057,867 &0000000000000617.000000617 Buenaventura
Cueto &0000000000034503.00000034,503 &0000000000000326.000000326
Frank País &0000000000025621.00000025,621 &0000000000000510.000000510 Cayo Mambí
Gibara &0000000000072810.00000072,810 &0000000000000630.000000630
Holguín &0000000000326740.000000326,740 &0000000000000666.000000666 Provincial Capital
Mayarí &0000000000105505.000000105,505 &0000000000001307.0000001,307
Moa &0000000000071079.00000071,079 &0000000000000730.000000730
Rafael Freyre &0000000000050080.00000050,080 &0000000000000620.000000620
Sagua de Tánamo &0000000000052013.00000052,013 &0000000000000704.000000704
Urbano Noris &0000000000043892.00000043,892 &0000000000000846.000000846
Source: Population from 2004 Census.[1] Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.[2]

Demographics

In 2004, the province of Holguin had a population of 1,029,083.[1] With a total area of 9,292.83 km² (3,588 sq mi),[3] the province had a population density of 110.7/km² (286.7/sq mi).

Notable people

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality". Retrieved on 2007-10-06. (Spanish)
  2. Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
  3. Government of Cuba (2002). "Population by Province". Retrieved on 2007-10-02. (Spanish)

External links