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Havana

Havana (/həˈvænə/; Spanish: La Habana [la aˈβana] ; Lucumi: Ilú Pupu Ilé)[5] is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the 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 2002 was 2,137,847 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][8]

"Habana" and "Havanese" redirect here. For the dog breed, see Havanese dog. For other uses, see Havana (disambiguation) and Habana (disambiguation).

Havana
La Habana

Greater Havana

November 16, 1519 (current place)

Gobierno Provincial de La Habana

728.26 km2 (281.18 sq mi)

59 m (195 ft)

2,130,872 [2]

7th in North America
1st in Cuba

2,926/km2 (7,580/sq mi)

Habaneros-habaneras

2023

$41.1 billion[3]

$19,100

10xxx–19xxx

(+53) 07

0.834[4]very high

Old Havana and its Fortification System

Cultural

iv, v

1982 (6th session)

204

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. Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of capital in 1607.[9] Walls and forts were built to protect the city.[10]


The city is the seat of the Cuban government and various ministries, and headquarters of businesses and over 100 diplomatic offices.[11] The governor is Reinaldo García Zapata of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).[12][13] In 2009, the city/province had the third-highest income in the country.[14]


Contemporary Havana can essentially be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado and the newer suburban districts.[15] 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.[16]


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

Etymology[edit]

In 1514, Diego Velázquez founded the city San Cristóbal de la Habana, which meant "Saint Christopher of the Habana" and later became the capital of Cuba. Habana was the name of the local people group. It has been theorized that the name derived from Habaguanex, who was a chief of the Native American tribe. His name is Taíno, an Arawakan language, but nothing else is known. When Habana was adapted into English, the ⟨b⟩ was switched to a ⟨v⟩ because of a linguistic phenomenon known as betacism, which is a confusion between the voiced bilabial plosive and voiced labiodental fricative sounds that occurs in most modern Spanish dialects. Usage of the word Havana in literature understandably peaked during the Spanish–American War, but it also represents a type of cigar, a color, and a type of rabbit as well as the city.[21] Another theory for its etymology is that Havana comes from the Taíno word haba meaning "hanging basket" deriving from root affix ha- indicating something that hangs (cf. hamaka, 'hammock').[22]: 10, 45–7  Havana is still the prevailing name found in English language dictionaries in reference to the capital of Cuba.

: 58.4%, (Spanish descent were most common)[7][126]

White

or Mulatto (mixed race): 26.4%

Mestizo

: 15.2%

Black

: 0.2%[126]

Asian

A1 – Autopista Nacional, from Havana to and Sancti Spiritus, with additional short sections near Santiago and Guantanamo

Santa Clara

A4 – Autopista Este-Oeste, from Havana to

Pinar del Río

to Matanzas and Varadero

Via Blanca

Havana ring road (Spanish: Primer anillo), which starts at a under the entrance to Havana Harbor

tunnel

Autopista del Mediodia, from Havana to

San Antonio de los Baños

an autopista from Havana to

Melena del Sur

an autopista from Havana to

Mariel

: contains the core of the original city of Havana. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Habana Vieja

: a plaza in Old Havana, it was the site of executions, processions, bullfights, and fiestas.

Plaza Vieja

: a fortress located on the east side of the Havana bay, La Cabaña is the most impressive fortress from Spanish times, particularly its walls constructed at the end of the 18th century.

Fortress San Carlos de la Cabaña

: built in 1929 as the Senate and House of Representatives, the colossal building is recognizable by its dome which dominates the city's skyline. Inside stands the third largest indoor statue in the world, La Estatua de la República. Nowadays, the Cuban Academy of Sciences headquarters and the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (the National Museum of Natural History) has its venue within the building and contains the largest natural history collection in the country.

El Capitolio Nacional

: is a fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay; Morro Castle was built because of the threat to the harbor from pirates.

El Morro Castle

: a small fortress built in the 16th century, at the western entry point to the Havana harbor, it played a crucial role in the defense of Havana during the initial centuries of Spanish presence. It houses some twenty old guns and military antiques.

Fortress San Salvador de la Punta

: Havana's 20-meter (66 ft) marble statue of Christ (1958) blesses the city from the east hillside of the bay, much like the famous Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro.

Christ of Havana

: is an opera house famous particularly for the National Ballet of Cuba, it sometimes hosts performances by the National Opera. The theater is also known as concert hall, García Lorca, the biggest in Cuba.

The Great Theatre of Havana

: is the avenue that runs along the north coast of the city, beside the seawall. The Malecón is the most popular avenue of Havana, it is known for its sunsets.

The Malecon/Sea wall

: an Art Deco National Hotel famous in the 1950s as a gambling and entertainment complex.

Hotel Nacional de Cuba

: located in the former Presidential Palace, with the yacht Granma on display behind the museum.

Museo de la Revolución

: a cemetery and open-air museum,[161] it is one of the most famous cemeteries in Latin America, known for its beauty and magnificence. The cemetery was built in 1876 and has nearly 1 million tombs. Some gravestones are decorated with sculpture by Ramos Blancos, among others.

Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón

Havana was host to the .[238] Stadiums and facilities for this were built in the relatively unpopulated eastern suburbs.

11th Pan American Games in 1991

Havana was host to the 1992 in Athletics.[239]

IAAF World Cup

Havana was an applicant to host the and 2012 Summer Olympics,[240] but was not shortlisted.

2008 Summer Olympics

Havana hosted the on three occasions, namely in 1969, 1989 and 1999.

Centrobasket

Many Cubans are avid sports fans who particularly favor baseball. Havana's team in the Cuban National Series is Industriales, one of the most successful teams in the tournament. In the past, it has also been represented by Habana (in the pre-revolutionary Cuban League) as well as Metropolitanos and La Habana in the National Series.


The city has several large sports stadiums, the largest one being the Estadio Latinoamericano, where Industriales play. Admission to sporting events is generally free, and impromptu games are played in neighborhoods throughout the city. Social clubs at the beaches provide facilities for water sports and include restaurants and dance halls.

List of buildings in Havana

History of Havana

Old Havana

Giuseppe Gaggini

List of cities in the Caribbean

Havana Plan Piloto

Watson and the Shark

on YouTube

Alameda de Paula, old havana, the first promenade that had the capital of Cuba

Martín Domínguez Esteban

La sombra del arquitecto Martín Domínguez Esteban

Exploring Havana: The tallest building in Cuba, El Focsa.

Archived December 12, 2021, at the Wayback Machine

FOCSA

Concise Encyclopædia Britannica; accessed May 5, 2014.

Alicia Alonso entry

ABT Original Carmen premiere, abt.org; accessed May 5, 2014.

Profile

abt.org; accessed May 5, 2014.

ABT Original Theme and Variations

Video: , Alonso and Erik Bruhn performing "Pas de Deux" from Giselle, Act II (1955) at Jacob's Pillow

Archive footage

Video: , interview broadcast on October 28, 2015, from BBC World Service

Witness: The First Lady of Cuban Ballet