Holguín Province
Holguín Province | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Cuba |
| Capital | Holguín |
| Area | |
| • 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 | UTC-5 (EST) |
| Area code | +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
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.
Municipalities
Holguín is divided into 14 municipalities:
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
- Aroldis Chapman, left-handed pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds
- 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
- Mario Kindelan two times boxing olympic champion 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens in the lightweight category
- Entrepreneur and Broadcaster Marcos A. Rodriguez son of Marcos Rodriguez, Sr. (1927-1992), former manager of CMKF Radio in Holguin
- Cesar Morales, Pianist
See also
References
- ^ a b "Lugar que ocupa el territorio según la superficie y la población" (PDF). Una MIRADA a Cuba (in Spanish). Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas. Cuba. 2010.
- ^ a b Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-06. Template:Es icon Cite error: The named reference "atenas" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
- ^ Government of Cuba (2002). "Population by Province". Retrieved 2007-10-02. Template:Es icon
External links
