Holguín Province

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Holguín Province
Location of Holguin Province in Cuba
Location of Holguin Province in Cuba
Country Flag of Cuba 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

[edit] History

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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Municipalities

Holguín is divided into 14 municipalities:

Municipality Population
(2004)
Area
(km²)
Location Remarks
Antilla &0000000000012222.00000012,222 &0000000000000100.000000100 20°50′55″N 75°45′9″W / 20.84861, -75.7525 (Antilla)
Báguanos &0000000000052854.00000052,854 &0000000000000806.000000806 20°45′47″N 76°01′46″W / 20.76306, -76.02944 (Báguanos)
Banes &0000000000081274.00000081,274 &0000000000000781.000000781 20°58′12″N 75°42′41″W / 20.97, -75.71139 (Banes)
Cacocum &0000000000042623.00000042,623 &0000000000000661.000000661 20°44′38″N 76°19′27″W / 20.74389, -76.32417 (Cacocum)
Calixto Garcia &0000000000057867.00000057,867 &0000000000000617.000000617 20°51′15″N 76°36′7″W / 20.85417, -76.60194 (Calixto Garcia) Buenaventura
Cueto &0000000000034503.00000034,503 &0000000000000326.000000326 20°38′54″N 75°55′54″W / 20.64833, -75.93167 (Cueto)
Frank País &0000000000025621.00000025,621 &0000000000000510.000000510 20°39′53″N 75°16′53″W / 20.66472, -75.28139 (Frank País) Cayo Mambí
Gibara &0000000000072810.00000072,810 &0000000000000630.000000630 21°06′26″N 76°08′12″W / 21.10722, -76.13667 (Gibara)
Holguín &0000000000326740.000000326,740 &0000000000000666.000000666 20°53′20″N 76°15′26″W / 20.88889, -76.25722 (Holguín) Provincial Capital
Mayarí &0000000000105505.000000105,505 &0000000000001307.0000001,307 20°39′34″N 75°40′40″W / 20.65944, -75.67778 (Mayarí)
Moa &0000000000071079.00000071,079 &0000000000000730.000000730 20°38′24″N 74°55′3″W / 20.64, -74.9175 (Moa)
Rafael Freyre &0000000000050080.00000050,080 &0000000000000620.000000620 21°01′42″N 75°59′47″W / 21.02833, -75.99639 (Rafael Freyre)
Sagua de Tánamo &0000000000052013.00000052,013 &0000000000000704.000000704 20°35′10″N 75°14′30″W / 20.58611, -75.24167 (Sagua de Tánamo)
Urbano Noris &0000000000043892.00000043,892 &0000000000000846.000000846 20°36′5″N 76°07′57″W / 20.60139, -76.1325 (Urbano Noris)
Source: Population from 2004 Census.[1] Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.[2]

[edit] 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).

[edit] Notable people

  • General Calixto García (1839-1898), independence wars patriot
  • Commander in Chief Fidel Castro (1926), lawyer, former President of Cuba
  • Army General Raúl Castro (1931), former minister of the Revolutionary Army Forces and Vice-President of Cuba, current President of Cuba
  • Entrepreneur and Broadcaster Marcos Rodriguez, Sr. 1927-1992, former manager of CMKF Radio in Holguin

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c 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)

[edit] External links