Cienfuegos

For other uses, see Cienfuegos (disambiguation).
Cienfuegos
Municipality

Typical street in Cienfuegos

Coat of arms
Nickname(s): La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South)

Cienfuegos municipality (red) within
Cienfuegos Province (yellow) and Cuba

Location of Cienfuegos in Cuba

Coordinates: 22°08′44″N 80°26′11″W / 22.14556°N 80.43639°WCoordinates: 22°08′44″N 80°26′11″W / 22.14556°N 80.43639°W
Country Cuba
Province Cienfuegos
Founded 1819[1]
Area[2]
 • Total 333 km2 (129 sq mi)
Elevation 25 m (82 ft)
Population (2012)[3]
 • Total 164,924
 • Density 500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Demonym Cienfuegueros
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Postal code 55100-55500
Area code(s) +53 43
Vehicle registration CF

Cienfuegos (Spanish pronunciation: [sjenˈfweɣos]) is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about 250 km (160 mi) from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South). Cienfuegos literally translates to "One Hundred fires". Cien meaning one hundred, and fuego(s) meaning fires.

History

Marti Park and City Hall

The area was called the Cacicazgo de Jagua by the early Spaniards, and was settled by indigenous people.

The city was settled by French immigrants from Bordeaux and Louisiana, led by Don Louis de Clouet, on April 22, 1819.[1] Its original name was Fernardina de Jagua, in honor of Ferdinand VII of Spain. The settlement became a town (Spanish: Villa) in 1829, and a city in 1880. The city was subsequently named Cienfuegos, sharing the name with Cienfuegos, a Captain General in this time, in the island.

Near Cienfuegos was the scene of a battle on May 11, 1898, between American marines who attempted to sever underwater Spanish communication lines and the Spanish defenders.

During the Cuban Revolution the city saw an uprising against Fulgencio Batista and was bombed, on September 5, 1957.[4]

In 1969 and 1970, Soviet Union naval vessels visited the city. This appeared to be in violation of the Kennedy-Khrushchev agreements of 1962. However, there was no notice given by the United States, and no confrontation ensued.[5]

Hurricane Dennis 2005

In 2005, Hurricane Dennis made its second landfall near Cienfuegos at about 1:00PM AST (17:00 UTC) with winds of 232 km/h (144 mph), and gusts reaching 285 km/h (177 mph).

Geography

Near the entrance to Bahia de Cienfuegos (bahia meaning "bay") is Castillo de Jagua (full name Castillo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Jagua), a fortress erected in 1745 for protection against Caribbean pirates.

Cienfuegos, one of the chief seaports of Cuba, is a center of the sugar trade, as well as coffee and tobacco. While sugarcane is the chief crop, local farmers grow coffee.

Tree-lined residential street in Cienfuegos in 2009.

The downtown contains 6 buildings from 1819–50, 327 buildings from 1851–1900, and 1188 buildings from the 20th century. There is no other place in the Caribbean which contains such a remarkable cluster of Neoclassical structures.

Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Cienpolofuegos had a population of 163,824.[3] With a total area of 333 km2 (129 sq mi),[2] it has a population density of 492.0/km2 (1,274/sq mi).

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Cienfuegos has a tropical savanna climate, abbreviated "Aw" on climate maps.

Climate data for Cienfuegos
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 27
(81)		 28
(82)		 29
(84)		 29
(85)		 31
(87)		 32
(89)		 32
(89)		 32
(89)		 32
(89)		 31
(87)		 28
(83)		 28
(82)		 29.9
(85.6)
Average low °C (°F) 17
(63)		 17
(62)		 18
(65)		 21
(69)		 22
(71)		 22
(71)		 22
(71)		 22
(71)		 22
(71)		 22
(71)		 19
(67)		 18
(64)		 20.2
(68)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 18
(0.7)		 30
(1)		 33
(1.3)		 46
(1.8)		 119
(4.7)		 150
(6)		 122
(4.8)		 160
(6.3)		 173
(6.8)		 160
(6.3)		 41
(1.6)		 23
(0.9)		 1,075
(42.2)
Source: Weatherbase[6]

World Heritage Site

In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos on the World Heritage List, citing Cienfuegos as the best extant example of the 19th-century early Spanish Enlightenment implementation in urban planning.[7]

Sports

Cienfuegos fields a team in the Cuban National Series, the Cienfuegos Elefantes. Since joining the league in 1977-78, the best finish the Camaroneros have achieved is a 3rd place showing in the 2010-11 Cuban National Series. Despite finishing with the best record at 59-31, the Elefantes lost the semi-finals in six games to eventual champions, Pinar del Río.

Attractions

One of the turrets on the moonlit roof of Palacio de Valle
Sunset at Rancho Luna Beach
El Nicho,Cienfuegos

Famous residents

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Guije.com. "Cienfuegos" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  4. ↑ Castro speech commemorates Moncada assault
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Cienfuegos, Cuba". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  7. ↑ Cienfuegos at World Heritage List

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cienfuegos.