Cienfuegos

For other uses, see Cienfuegos (disambiguation).
Cienfuegos
Municipality
Typical old street in Cienfuegos
Typical old street in Cienfuegos
Flag of Cienfuegos
Flag
Coat of arms of Cienfuegos
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South)
Cienfuegos municipality (red) within Cienfuegos Province (yellow) and Cuba
Cienfuegos municipality (red) within
Cienfuegos Province (yellow) and Cuba
Coordinates: 22°08′44″N 80°26′11″W / 22.14556°N 80.43639°W / 22.14556; -80.43639
CountryCuba
ProvinceCienfuegos
Founded1819[1]
Government
 • PresidentSantiago González Acosta
Area
[2]
 • Total333 km2 (129 sq mi)
Elevation
25 m (82 ft)
Population
 (2022)[3]
 • Total178,368
 • Density540/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
DemonymCienfuegueros
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
Postal code
55100–55500
Area code+53 43
Vehicle registrationCF
Websitecienfueguero.gob.cu
Official nameUrban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos
TypeCultural
Criteriaii, v
Designated2005 (29th session)[4]
Reference no.1202
RegionLatin America and the Caribbean

Cienfuegos (Latin American Spanish: [sjeɱˈfweɣos]), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba.[5] It is located about 250 km (160 mi) from Havana and has a population of 178,368 in 2022.[3] Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especially in the energy and sugar sectors.[6] The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South). Despite being known as an industrial city of factories and various nuclear/electrical plants, and the name Cienfuegos literally translating to "one hundred fires" (cien, "one hundred"; fuegos, "fires"), the city actually takes its name from the surname of Asturian-born José Cienfuegos Jovellanos, Captain General of Cuba (1816–19).

Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the city was settled by many Spaniards, mainly Catalans and Asturians who amassed fortunes as businessmen in different branches, other few of them obtained in the sugar industry, they became rich during their stay in Cuba, and they commissioned many of the most emblematic buildings of Cienfuegos[7] that remain today (See also: Indiano). Other well known residents were the Irish-born John O’Bourke, he had ten children on the island, three of whom were Cuban independence fighters from the Spanish crown, the mestizos Juan O'Bourke y Palacio, Rafael O’Bourke y Borroto, and Don Miguel O’Bourke y Ramos.[7] There were also artistic personalities born in Cuba who have contributed in the cultural history of the city.

In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos on the World Heritage List, citing Cienfuegos as the best extant example of early 19th century Spanish Enlightenment implementation in urban planning.[8] The downtown area contains six buildings from 1819–50, 327 buildings from 1851 to 1900, and 1188 buildings from the 20th century.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference guije was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference statoids was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Cienfuegos (Municipality, Cuba) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  4. ^ "Decision: 29 COM 8B.53". Decisions of the 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee (PDF). Durban: UNESCO. 2005. p. 143.
  5. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cienfuegos" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 364.
  6. ^ Cederlöf, Gustav (2020). "The Revolutionary City: Socialist Urbanisation and Nuclear Modernity in Cienfuegos, Cuba" (PDF). Journal of Latin American Studies. 52: 53–76. doi:10.1017/S0022216X19000920.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference su historia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 7 April 2018.