Havana

Havana
La Habana
Nickname: 
City of Columns[1]
Havana is located in Cuba
Havana
Havana
Havana is located in North America
Havana
Havana
Coordinates: 23°08′12″N 82°21′32″W / 23.13667°N 82.35889°W / 23.13667; -82.35889
Country Cuba
Established16 November 1519 (current place)
Municipalities15
Government
 • BodyGobierno Provincial de La Habana
 • GovernorReinaldo García Zapata (PCC)
Area
728.26 km2 (281.18 sq mi)
Elevation
59 m (195 ft)
Population
 (2021)
2,142,939[2]
 • Rank7th in North America
1st in Cuba
 • Density2,942.5/km2 (7,621/sq mi)
 • Urban
100 %
DemonymHabaneros-habaneras
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
 • Year2023
 • Total$41.1 billion[3]
 • Per capita$19,100
Time zoneUTC−5 (UTC−05:00)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (UTC−04:00)
Patron saintSan Cristóbal
HDI (2019)0.834[4]very high
Websitewww.lahabana.gob.cu
Official nameOld Havana and its Fortification System
TypeCultural
Criteriaiv, v
Designated1982 (6th session)
Reference no.204
Regionthe Caribbean

Havana (/həˈvænə/; Spanish: La Habana [la aˈβana] )[5] is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.[6] It is the most populous city, the largest by area, and the second largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region. The population in 2012 was 2,106,146 inhabitants,[7][6] and its area is 728.26 km2 (281.18 sq mi)[2] for the capital city side and 8,475.57 km2 for the metropolitan zone.[7] Its official population was 1,814,207 inhabitants in 2023.

Havana was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century. It served as a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Americas, becoming a stopping point for Spanish galleons returning to Spain. King Philip III of Spain granted Havana the title of capital in 1607.[8] Walls and forts were built to protect the city.[9] The city is the seat of the Cuban government and various ministries, and headquarters of businesses and over 100 diplomatic offices.[10] The governor is Reinaldo García Zapata of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).[11][12] In 2009, the city/province had the third-highest income in the country.[13]

Contemporary Havana can essentially be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado and the newer suburban districts.[14] The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbors: Marimelena, Guanabacoa and Antares. The Almendares River traverses the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay.[15]

The city attracts over a million tourists annually;[16] (1,176,627 international tourists in 2010,[16] a 20% increase from 2005). Old Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.[17] The city is also noted for its history, culture, architecture and monuments.[18] As typical of Cuba, Havana experiences a tropical climate.[19]

  1. ^ "How Obama's US-Cuba deal could shape Havana's future". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Demographic Yearbook of Cuba 2021/Anuario Demografico de Cuba 2021 (in Spanish)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  3. ^ "TelluBase—Cuba Fact Sheet" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  4. ^ "Subnational Human Development Index". Global Data Lab. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. ^ Cabrera, Lydia (2019-04-01). Anagó: vocabulario lucumí: El yoruba que se habla en Cuba (in Spanish). Linkgua. ISBN 978-84-9007-834-1.
  6. ^ a b Cuba. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
  7. ^ a b "Población total por color de la piel según provincias y municipios" (PDF). 2012 Official Census. Oficina Nacional de Estadística e Información. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Havana". The Free Dictionary. capital of Spanish Cuba in 1552
  9. ^ "Old Havana". www.galenfrysinger.com.
  10. ^ "Cuba – Embassies and Consulates". Embassypages.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018.
  11. ^ San Miguel, Raúl (18 January 2020). "Electos el Gobernador y Vicegobernadora en La Habana". Tribuna de La Habana (in Spanish).
  12. ^ (in Spanish) [1] Archived 22 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine Preside Esteban Lazo toma de posesión de las autoridades de Gobierno en La Habana
  13. ^ "Workforce and Salary (Section 4.5)" (in Spanish and English). Oficina Nacional de Estadisticas – Republica de Cuba. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Anuario Estadistico de Ciudad de La Habana" (in Spanish). ONE – Oficina Nacional de Estadisticas (National Statistics Office). Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  16. ^ a b "Section 15 (Turismo), article 15.7 (Visitantes por mes)" (in Spanish). ONE- Oficina de Estadisticas de Cuba. Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  17. ^ "Old Havana and its Fortification System". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO.ORG.
  18. ^ Goodsell, James Nelson (11 April 2017). "Havana". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  19. ^ "Havana climate summary". Weatherbase. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.

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