| Guantánamo | |
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| — Municipality — | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Cuba |
| Province | Guantánamo |
| Established | 1797[1] |
| Area[2] | |
| • Total | 741 km2 (286.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Population (2004)[3] | |
| • Total | 244,603 |
| • Density | 330.1/km2 (855/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | +53-21 |
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.
Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool. These are traditional parts of the economy.
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The municipality is mountainous in the north, where it overlays the Sierra Maestra (mountains), and borders the Windward Passage of the Caribbean Sea in the south. It is crossed by the Guantánamo, Yateras, Guaso, San Andrés and Sabanalamar rivers. The Guantánamo Bay is a natural harbour south of the city.
The municipality is divided into the barrios of Arroyo Hondo, Baitiquirí, Bano, Bayate, Caimanera, Camarones, Caridad, Corralillo, Cuatro Caminos, Filipinas, Glorieta, Gobierno, Guaso, Hospital, Indios, Isleta, Jaibo Abajo, Las Lajas, Macurijes, Mercado, Ocujal, Parroquia, Palma de San Juan, Rastro, Tiguabos and Vínculo.[1]
About 15 km away from the city lies the Guantánamo Bay, a superior natural harbor which has been controlled by the United States as the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base since 1902, following the Platt Amendment decree. It is the site of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
In 2004, the municipality of Guantánamo had a population of 244,603.[3] With a total area of 741 km2 (286 sq mi),[2] it has a population density of 330.1 /km2 (855 /sq mi). "Guantanamera" ("The girl from Guantánamo") is perhaps the best known Cuban song and that country's most noted patriotic song.
Notable natives of Guantánamo include athletes Joel Casamayor, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Yumileidi Cumbá, Jaime Jefferson, Yargelis Savigne, Dayron Robles, Luis Delís, Cuban-American gymnast Annia Hatch, and cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez.
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