Baracoa | |
|---|---|
 A view of Baracoa across the bay | |
 Coat of arms | |
.png) Baracoa municipality (red) within Guantánamo Province (yellow) and Cuba | |
| Coordinates: 20°20′55″N 74°30′38″W / 20.34861°N 74.51056°W | |
| Country | Cuba |
| Province | Guantánamo |
| Established | 1511 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 977 km2 (377 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
| • Total | 78,056 |
| • Density | 80/km2 (210/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| Area code | +53-21 |
| Website | Official website |
Baracoa, whose full original name is: Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa ("Our Lady of the Assumption of Baracoa"), is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba. It was visited by Admiral Christopher Columbus on November 27, 1492, and then founded by the first governor of Cuba, the Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar on August 15, 1511. It is the oldest Spanish settlement in Cuba and was its first capital (the basis for its nickname Ciudad Primada, "First City").