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.

Holguín Province
Coat of arms of Holguín Province
CountryCuba
CapitalHolguín
Area
 • Total9,209.71 km2 (3,555.89 sq mi)
Population
 (2010-12-31)[1]
 • Total1,037,161
 • Density110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
Area code+53-024
ISO 3166 codeCU-11
HDI (2019)0.762[2]
high · 13th of 16
Websitewww.Holguín.cu

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 is covered by forest.

History edit

 
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 land human eyes had ever seen".

The Holguín province was established in 1978, when it was split from the Oriente region.

Economy edit

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 nickel plus cobalt processing plant with shipping facilities was built in Moa, using foreign investment, much of it from Canada. Chromium, 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 Esmeralda, Playa Yuraguanal, Playa Blanca, 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. Gibara is a little visited historical port located west of the main Guardalavaca resorts. Recently a large number of tourists are reported to have visited the city and its rich culture and beauty.[citation needed] Direct flights to Canada and Europe from Holguin airport limit transfer time to around 1 hour to most resorts on the Costa Holguinera. Canadians and Europeans share the coral beaches with Cubans.

Municipalities edit

Holguín is divided into 14 municipalities:

Municipality Population
(2004)
Population

(2012)

Area
(km2)
Location Remarks
Antilla 12,222 12,415 100 20°50′55″N 75°45′9″W / 20.84861°N 75.75250°W / 20.84861; -75.75250 (Antilla)
Báguanos 52,854 50,700 806 20°45′47″N 76°01′46″W / 20.76306°N 76.02944°W / 20.76306; -76.02944 (Báguanos) Correct name: Báguano
Banes 81,274 79,856 781 20°58′12″N 75°42′41″W / 20.97000°N 75.71139°W / 20.97000; -75.71139 (Banes)
Cacocum 42,623 41,558 661 20°44′38″N 76°19′27″W / 20.74389°N 76.32417°W / 20.74389; -76.32417 (Cacocum)
Calixto García 57,867 55,622 617 20°51′15″N 76°36′7″W / 20.85417°N 76.60194°W / 20.85417; -76.60194 (Calixto Garcia) Buenaventura
Cueto 34,503 32,999 326 20°38′54″N 75°55′54″W / 20.64833°N 75.93167°W / 20.64833; -75.93167 (Cueto)
Frank País 25,621 24,334 510 20°39′53″N 75°16′53″W / 20.66472°N 75.28139°W / 20.66472; -75.28139 (Frank País) Cayo Mambí
Gibara 72,810 71,991 630 21°06′26″N 76°08′12″W / 21.10722°N 76.13667°W / 21.10722; -76.13667 (Gibara)
Holguín 326,740 346,195 666 20°53′20″N 76°15′26″W / 20.88889°N 76.25722°W / 20.88889; -76.25722 (Holguín) Provincial Capital
Mayarí 105,505 102,354 1,307 20°39′34″N 75°40′40″W / 20.65944°N 75.67778°W / 20.65944; -75.67778 (Mayarí)
Moa 71,079 75,020 730 20°38′24″N 74°55′3″W / 20.64000°N 74.91750°W / 20.64000; -74.91750 (Moa)
Rafael Freyre 50,080 52,699 620 21°01′42″N 75°59′47″W / 21.02833°N 75.99639°W / 21.02833; -75.99639 (Rafael Freyre) Santa Lucia
Sagua de Tánamo 52,013 48,213 704 20°35′10″N 75°14′30″W / 20.58611°N 75.24167°W / 20.58611; -75.24167 (Sagua de Tánamo)
Urbano Noris 43,892 41,116 846 20°36′5″N 76°07′57″W / 20.60139°N 76.13250°W / 20.60139; -76.13250 (Urbano Noris) San German
Source: Population from 2004[3] and 2012[4] Census. Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.[5]

Demographics edit

In 2004, the province of Holguin had a population of 1,029,083.[3] With a total area of 9,292.83 km2 (3,587.98 sq mi),[6] the province had a population density of 110.7/km2 (287/sq mi).

Per the 2012 census,[4] the population was 1,035,072, and a similar population density of 111.38/km2 (288.5/sq mi).

Notable people edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  3. ^ a b Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  4. ^ a b Government of Cuba (2012). "National Census Report" (PDF) (in Spanish). p. 110. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  5. ^ Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  6. ^ Government of Cuba (2002). "Population by Province" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2005-11-18. Retrieved 2007-10-02.

External links edit