Holguín Province

Holguín Province
Province of Cuba
Country Cuba
Capital Holguín
Area[1]
 • Total 9,209.71 km2 (3,555.89 sq mi)
Population (2010-12-31)[1]
 • Total 1,037,161
 • Density 110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Area code(s) +53-024
Website Holguín.cu

Holguín (Spanish pronunciation: [olˈɣin]) is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Havana and Santiago de Cuba. 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 (3,600 sq mi), 25 percent of which are covered by forest.

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, offering beach resorts in the outskirts of the region, with a number of hotels around the Guardalavaca area, Playa Pesquero, 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. Recently a large number of turists are being reported to have had visited the city and its rich culture and beauty.

Municipalities

Holguín is divided into 14 municipalities:

MunicipalityPopulation
(2004)		Area
(km²)		LocationRemarks
Antilla12,22210020°50′55″N 75°45′9″W / 20.84861°N 75.75250°W
Báguanos52,85480620°45′47″N 76°01′46″W / 20.76306°N 76.02944°W
Banes81,27478120°58′12″N 75°42′41″W / 20.97000°N 75.71139°W
Cacocum42,62366120°44′38″N 76°19′27″W / 20.74389°N 76.32417°W
Calixto García57,86761720°51′15″N 76°36′7″W / 20.85417°N 76.60194°W Buenaventura
Cueto34,50332620°38′54″N 75°55′54″W / 20.64833°N 75.93167°W
Frank País25,62151020°39′53″N 75°16′53″W / 20.66472°N 75.28139°W Cayo Mambí
Gibara72,81063021°06′26″N 76°08′12″W / 21.10722°N 76.13667°W
Holguín326,74066620°53′20″N 76°15′26″W / 20.88889°N 76.25722°W Provincial Capital
Mayarí105,5051,30720°39′34″N 75°40′40″W / 20.65944°N 75.67778°W
Moa71,07973020°38′24″N 74°55′3″W / 20.64000°N 74.91750°W
Rafael Freyre50,08062021°01′42″N 75°59′47″W / 21.02833°N 75.99639°W
Sagua de Tánamo52,01370420°35′10″N 75°14′30″W / 20.58611°N 75.24167°W
Urbano Noris43,89284620°36′5″N 76°07′57″W / 20.60139°N 76.13250°W
Source: Population from 2004 Census.[2] Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.[3]

Demographics

In 2004, the province of Holguin had a population of 1,029,083.[2] With a total area of 9,292.83 km2 (3,587.98 sq mi),[4] the province had a population density of 110.7/km2 (287/sq mi).

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lugar que ocupa el territorio según la superficie y la población" (PDF). Una MIRADA a Cuba (in Spanish). Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas. Cuba. 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  3. ↑ Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  4. ↑ Government of Cuba (2002). "Population by Province" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-10-02.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Holguín Province.