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Santiago de Cuba

 
Dictionary: Santiago de Cu·ba   (də kyū'bə, dĕ kū'vä) pronunciation
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A city of southeast Cuba on an inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Founded in 1514, it was a haven for buccaneers and smugglers during its early history. Population: 423,000.

 

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Santiago de Cuba
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Seaport city (pop., 1994 est.: 440,000), eastern Cuba. The second largest city in Cuba, it was founded in 1514 and moved to its present site in 1522. It commanded a strategic location on the northern Caribbean Sea in the early colonial period and was the capital of Cuba until 1589. It was a focal point of the Spanish-American War, and in 1898 the entire Spanish fleet was destroyed near its coast. In 1953 it was the scene of Fidel Castro's attack against the Moncada army barracks. It is the centre of an agricultural and mining region and exports copper, iron, manganese, sugar, and fruit.

For more information on Santiago de Cuba, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Santiago de Cuba
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Santiago de Cuba (säntyä'gō THā kū'bä), city (1994 est. pop. 385,800), capital of Santiago de Cuba prov., SE Cuba. Cuba's second largest city, Santiago is situated on a cliff overlooking a bay. Minerals, agricultural produce, and woods are exported. The city is also the terminus of a major highway and railway. Founded in 1514 by Diego de Velázquez and moved to its present site in 1588, Santiago served for some time as Cuba's capital. In its early days, it was captured by French and English buccaneers and was a center of the smuggling trade with the British West Indies. Frenchmen fleeing the slave revolt in Haiti in the early 19th cent. settled in Santiago and heavily influenced the city's development. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, U.S. ships established a blockade in Santiago's harbor; when the Spanish admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete, bottled up in the harbor, made a desperate attempt to escape, his fleet was destroyed. Heavy fighting preceded the city's surrender. Fidel Castro began his revolutionary struggle against Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar by attacking the Moncada army garrison in Santiago on July 26, 1953. The city retains many colonial landmarks, notably its cathedral (the largest in Cuba) and the crumbling forts that stand on high cliffs above the harbor. It also has a university.

WordNet: Santiago de Cuba
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: port city in southeastern Chile; industrial center
  Synonym: Santiago

Meaning #2: a naval battle in the Spanish-American War (1898); the United States fleet bottled up the Spanish ships in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba and destroyed them when they tried to escape
  Synonym: Santiago

Wikipedia: Santiago de Cuba
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Santiago de Cuba
—  Municipality  —
Cathedral in Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is located in Cuba1
Location of Santiago de Cuba in Cuba
Coordinates: 20°01′11.4″N 75°48′50.1″W / 20.019833°N 75.813917°W / 20.019833; -75.813917
Country Cuba
Province Santiago de Cuba
Established 1514
Area
 - Total 1,023.8 km2 (395.3 sq mi)
Elevation 82 m (269 ft)
Population (2004)[1]
 - Total 494,337
 - Density 461.3/km2 (1,194.8/sq mi)
Area code(s) +53-22
Website Santiago.cu

Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island nation of Cuba, some 540 miles (869 km) east south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana.

The municipality extends over 1,023.8 square kilometers (395 sq mi)[2], and contains the communities of El Caney, Guilera, Antonio Maceo, Bravo, Castillo Duany, Leyte Vidal and Moncada.[3]

Historically Santiago de Cuba has long been the second most important city on the island after Havana, and still remains the second largest. It is on a bay connected to the Caribbean Sea and is an important sea port. In 2004 the city of Santiago de Cuba had a population of about 494,337 people[4].

Contents

History

The Castillo del Morro

Santiago de Cuba was founded by Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar on June 28, 1514. In 1516 the settlement was destroyed by fire, and was immediately rebuilt. This was the starting point of the expeditions led by Juan de Grijalba and Hernán Cortés to the coasts of Mexico in 1518, and in 1538 by Hernando de Soto's expedition to Florida. The first cathedral was built in the city in 1528. From 1522 until 1589 Santiago was the capital of the Spanish colony of Cuba.

The city was plundered by French forces in 1553, and by British forces under Christopher Myngs in 1662.

The city experienced an influx of French immigrants in the late 18th century and early 19th century, many coming from Haiti after the Haitian slave revolt of 1791. This added to the city's eclectic cultural mix, already rich with Spanish and African culture.

It was also the location where Spanish troops faced their main defeat at San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War. Spain later surrendered to the United States after the destruction of its Atlantic fleet just outside Santiago's harbor.

Cuban poet, writer, and national hero, José Martí, is buried in Cementerio Santa Efigenia.

Role in the Cuban Revolution

The Antonio Maceo monument

Santiago was also the home of the revolutionary hero, Frank País. On July 26, 1953, the Cuban Revolution began with an ill-prepared armed attack on the Moncada Barracks by small contingent of rebels led by Fidel Castro. Shortly after this disastrous incident, País began talking with students and young working people informally, drawing around him what became an extremely effective urban revolutionary alliance. This developed into highly organized cells coordinating a large scale urban resistance that became instrumental in the success of the Cuban Revolution.[5]

País' group prepared carefully, accruing weapons, collecting money, collecting medical supplies. They published a cheap newsletter that reported news that criticized the government, attempting to counter Batista's censorship.[6]

In the summer of 1955, País’ organization merged with Castro's July 26 Movement. País became the leader of the new organization in Oriente province.

On 1 January 1959, Fidel Castro proclaimed the victory of the Cuban Revolution from a balcony on Santiago de Cuba's city hall.

Change in province boundaries

Until a rearrangement of province boundaries in 1976, Santiago de Cuba was the capital of Cuba's Oriente Province, which included the present day provinces of Holguín, Las Tunas, Guantánamo, Granma and Santiago de Cuba.

World Heritage Site

The local citadel of San Pedro de la Roca is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "the most complete, best-preserved example of Spanish-American military architecture, based on Italian and Renaissance design principles".[7]

World Heritage Biosphere Reserve

The Baconao Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve List in 1987. [8]

Climate

Weather data for Santiago de Cuba
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average high °F (°C) 82
(28)		 82
(28)		 82
(28)		 83
(28)		 84
(29)		 86
(30)		 87
(31)		 87
(31)		 87
(31)		 86
(30)		 86
(30)		 83
(28)
Average low °F (°C) 70
(21)		 70
(21)		 71
(22)		 73
(23)		 74
(23)		 76
(24)		 77
(25)		 77
(25)		 76
(24)		 75
(24)		 73
(23)		 71
(22)
Precipitation inches (mm) 2.90
(73.7)		 1.70
(43.2)		 2.10
(53.3)		 2.30
(58.4)		 5.50
(139.7)		 4.00
(101.6)		 2.70
(68.6)		 3.70
(94)		 4.20
(106.7)		 7.60
(193)		 3.70
(94)		 3.20
(81.3)
Source: weather.com [9] 2008-06-22

Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Santiago de Cuba had a population of 494,337.[1] With a total area of 1,024 km2 (395.4 sq mi), it has a population density of 482.8 /km2 (1,250.4/sq mi).

Personalities

Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba portal

Infrastructure

Santiago is served by Antonio Maceo Airport.

The main secondary education institution is the University of Santiago de Cuba (Universidad de Oriente - Santiago de Cuba, UO).

See also

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Santiago de Cuba

References

  1. ^ a b Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality". http://www.atenas.inf.cu/todo/Estadisticas/TABLA%20No_3balance.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-05.  (Spanish)
  2. ^ Santiago.cu (2006). "Municipalities of Santiago de Cuba". http://www.santiago.cu/nuestrostgo/Municipio/2.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-05.  (Spanish)
  3. ^ Guije.com. "Palma Soriano". http://www.guije.com/pueblo/municipios/opalma/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-05.  (Spanish)
  4. ^ Cuba demographics
  5. ^ Cannon, Terrance (1981). "Frank País and the Underground Movement in the cities". historyofcuba.com. http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/pais.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-21. 
  6. ^ "Who was Frank Pais?". historyofcuba.com. 1981. http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/pais.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-21. 
  7. ^ World Heritage Site
  8. ^ Heritage Biosphere Reserve Site
  9. ^ "Average Weather for Santiago de Cuba, --Temperature and Precipitation" (in English). weather.com. http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/CUXX0010?from=36hr_bottomnav_business. Retrieved 2008-06-22. 

External links

Palma Soriano San Luis Songo-La Maya
El Caney
Guamá North Caimanera
West   Santiago de Cuba    East
South
Puerto de Santiago Puerto Siboney
Caribbean Sea		 Guantánamo Bay
Windward Passage
v • d • e
Cuba Provinces of Cuba
Current
Historical

Santa Clara (Las Villas) · Camagüey (Puerto Principe) · Oriente (Santiago de Cuba)
Provincial capitals
Municipalities of Santiago de Cuba
v • d • e
World Heritage Sites in Cuba

Alejandro de Humboldt National Park · Historic Centre of Camagüey · Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos · Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba · Desembarco del Granma National Park · Old Havana and its Fortifications · San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba · Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios · Viñales Valley

 Cuba

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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
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Santiago de Cuba".  Read more