Moa, Cuba

Moa
Municipality

A photo of Moa with the many nickel factories in the background

Moa municipality (red) within
Holguín Province (yellow) and Cuba

Location of Moa in Cuba

Coordinates: 20°38′23″N 74°55′3″W / 20.63972°N 74.91750°W / 20.63972; -74.91750Coordinates: 20°38′23″N 74°55′3″W / 20.63972°N 74.91750°W / 20.63972; -74.91750
Country  Cuba
Province Holguín
Area[1]
 • Total 730 km2 (280 sq mi)
Elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2004)[2]
 • Total 71,079
 • Density 97.4/km2 (252/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Area code(s) +53 24

Moa is a municipality and an industrial city in the Holguín Province of Cuba. Its name is believed to mean "water here".[3]

Geography

Located in the easternmost area of its province, at the borders with Guantánamo Province, Moa is bordered by the municipalities of Sagua de Tánamo, Frank País, Baracoa and Yateras.

Environment

Large nickel and cobalt deposits located in the Moa area are exploited in part by a joint venture with the Canadian company Sherritt International.

The extensive mining and nickel processing has large impact on the local environment. The coastal waters and nearby land is contaminated by the pollution from mines and processing plants.[4]

Nickel Production

The nickel production is concentrated on the factories "Pedro Soto Alba" and "Ernesto Che Guevara", of Moa, in territory of Holguín in the Oriente of Cuba. While the Nickel Processor Plant "Pedro Soto Alba" is a limited liability company between Cuba and Sherrit International Canadian Company, the "Ernesto Che Guevara" belong to the government enterprise Cubaníquel. As average per year, The "Soto Alba" and "Che Guevara" produces more than 30.000 tons of nickel each one. [5]

Demographics

In 2010, the municipality of Moa had a population of 75,015.[2] With a total area of 730 km2 (280 sq mi),[1] it has a population density of 97.4/km2 (252/sq mi).

Culture

Moa boasts of an amazing history, of legendary men that made their way and today deserve a space in the country's identity. November 7th, 1939 marked the foundation of that Cuban city because a sawmill started operating then, thus planting the seed of the town to grow; and there was a man who worked there and made significant contributions to the local culture, we mean Jamaican John Alexander Christie Duccas.

It is that he not alone built the first school in Moa, but also paid the teacher with his money.

Duccas contributed and collaborated with the construction of the place's first baseball ballpark, and created the first technical school in town, where good mechanics were trained. One of Duccas' sons followed his father's example by taking such experience to the city of Baracoa, what they appreciated in the first village ever founded by Spanish colonizers in Cuba.

John Alexander Christie Duccas had a direct participation in visits to Moa by important personalities like Father Enrique Perez Cerantes, and played a significant contribution to building the first church in town, in order to bring residents closer, as they used to fight too often.He opened a school for the workers to learn how to read and write, and his direct collaboration in the construction and establishment the Cross at Los Loros Bridge was indeed valuable, which became the first cultural symbol in Moa.

Nowadays the city has a public broadcasting center located in El Caribe. The radio station CMKV La Voz del Níquel broadcasting 18 hours a day through 92.7. FM and Local TV station MoaTV on the 59.0 VHF. Being a small town in the east side of the island it has been the crib of many good artists nationwide recognized such as Edilberto Rodriguez Tamayo, writer; Pablo Velasco Mir, historian of the city; Yanixa Almaguer Gomez, Camilo Velazco Petiton, radio hosters; Gladys Molina, Kenya Legra, Erlin Sablon, Alejandro Urgelles, and Danilo Fuentes Cortes, Radio and TV personalities.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Statoids. "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  2. 1 2 Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  3. ↑ (in Spanish) Moa on EcuRed
  4. ↑ cathalac.org. "Moa, Cuba". Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  5. ↑ http://www.sulphuric-acid.com/sulphuric-acid-on-the-web/acid%20plants/Moa-Bay-Nickel.htm

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