A city of south-central Cuba on Cienfuegos Bay, a narrow-necked inlet of the Caribbean Sea. The city is a port and a trade and processing center. Population: 141,000.
Cienfuegos
Dictionary:
Cien·fue·gos (syĕn-fwā'gōs)  |
A city of south-central Cuba on Cienfuegos Bay, a narrow-necked inlet of the Caribbean Sea. The city is a port and a trade and processing center. Population: 141,000.
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| Columbia Encyclopedia: Cienfuegos |
Cienfuegos (syānfwā'gōs), city (1995 est. pop. 125,000), capital of Cienfuegos prov., central Cuba, a port on the Caribbean Sea. It is the marketing and processing center of a region producing sugarcane, tobacco, coffee, and rice; it also has an oil refinery, rum distilleries, fish canneries. The city is Cuba's leading sugar exporting port as well as a major fishing port. Founded in 1819 by French emigrants from Louisiana and named for one of the original founders, Cienfuegos was destroyed by a tropical storm in 1825 and later rebuilt.
| Wikipedia: Cienfuegos |
"Cienfuegos" redirects here. For other uses, see Cienfuegos (disambiguation).
| Cienfuegos | |
|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |
 |
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| Nickname(s): La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South) | |
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| Coordinates: 22°08′44″N 80°26′11″W / 22.14556°N 80.43639°W | |
| Country |  Cuba |
| Province | Cienfuegos |
| Founded | 1819[1] |
| Area [2] | |
| - Total | 333 km2 (128.6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Population (2004)[3] | |
| - Total | 163,824 |
| - Density | 492.0/km2 (1,274.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | +53-432 |
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of the province of Cienfuegos. It is located about 250 km (155 miles) from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed "La Perla del Sur" (Pearl of the South). Cienfuegos literally translates to "Hundred fires".
Contents |
Geography
Near the entrance to Bahia de Cienfuegos (bahia meaning "bay") is Castillo de Jagua (full name Castillo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Jagua), a fortress erected in the 1745 for protection against Caribbean pirates.
Cienfuegos, one of the chief seaports of Cuba, is a center of the sugar trade, as well as coffee and tobacco. While sugarcane is the chief crop, local farmers grow coffee.
The downtown contains 6 buildings from 1819-50, 327 buildings from 1851-1900, and 1188 buildings from the 20th century. There is no other place in the Caribbean which contains such a remarkable cluster of Neoclassical structures.
Demographics
In 2004, the municipality of Cienfuegos had a population of 163,824.[3] With a total area of 333 km2 (128.6 sq mi),[2] it has a population density of 492.0 /km2 (1,274.3/sq mi).
History
The area was called the Cacicazgo de Jagua by the early Spaniards, and was settled by indigenous people.
The city was settled by French immigrants from Bordeaux and Louisiana, led by Don Louis D'Clouet, on April 22 1819.[1] Its original name was Fernardina de Jagua, in honor of Ferdinand VII of Spain. The settlement became a town (Spanish: Villa) in 1829, and a city in 1880. The city was subsequently named Cienfuegos, sharing the name with Cienfuegos, a Captain General in this time, in the island.
Near Cienfuego, was the scene of battle in 1898, between the Spanish defenders and the American marines which landed near the city to cut Spanish communication lines.
During the Cuban Revolution the city saw an uprising against Fulgencio Batista and was bombed, on September 5, 1957.[4]
World Heritage Site
| Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party | Cuba |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv |
| Reference | 1202 |
| Region** | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2005 (29th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos on the World Heritage List, citing Cienfuegos as the best extant example of the 19th-century early Spanish Enlightenment implementation in urban planning.[5]
Hurricane Dennis 2005
In 2005, Hurricane Dennis made its second landfall near Cienfuegos at about 1:00PM AST (17:00 UTC) with winds of 232km/h (144 MPH), and gusts reaching 285 km/h (177 MPH).
Attractions
- Castillo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Jagua - fortress
- Arco de Triunfo - the only Arco de Triunfo in Cuba
- Cathedral de la Purisma Conception - cathedral with stained glass work, built 1833-1869.
- Delfinario - dolphins and sea lions in a saltwater lagoon
- Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos - 97 hectares of botanic garden
- Museo Provincial - furniture and porcelain museum
- Palacio de Valle - built 1913-1917 in neo-gothic style
- Palmira Yorubá Pantheon - museum of religious afro-catholic syncretism
- Parque José Martí - park in Plaza de Armas
- University of Cienfuegos "Carlos Rafael Rodríguez" (UCF) - the province's secondary education institution.
Famous residents
- Benny Moré, Cuban singer.
- Cristóbal Torriente, Cuban born Hall of fame Baseball player.
- Gina Pellón, Cuban painter, lives in exile in Paris.
- Maria Conchita Alonso, Cuban-Venezuelan-American singer was born here.
- Luis Posada Carriles, Cuban anti-Castro activist allegedly responsible for the Cubana Flight 455 bombing, was born here.
- Joe Azcue, MLB player for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Gallery
 Statue of José Martí |
 Cathedral of Cienfuegos |
 Pedestrian Boulevard |
 Prado |
 Palacio de Valle (Valle's Palace) in Punta Gorda |
 Palacio Azul (Blue Palace) |
 Closeup of porthouse |
 The yacht club in Cienfuegos |
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cienfuegos |
References
- ^ a b Guije.com. "Cienfuegos". http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/vcienfuegos/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-07. (Spanish)
- ^ a b Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". http://www.statoids.com/ycu.html. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ a b Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality". http://www.atenas.inf.cu/todo/Estadisticas/TABLA%20No_3balance.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-07. (Spanish)
- ^ Castro speech commemorates Moncada assault
- ^ Cienfuegos at World Heritage List
External links
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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