Havana

"Habana" and "Havanese" redirect here. For the dog breed, see Havanese dog. For other uses, see Havana (disambiguation) and Habana (disambiguation).
Havana
La Habana
Capital city
From the top to the left: Línea Street; Barrio chino; Malecón; Palacio de la Revolución; and Castillo del Morro
Flag of Havana
Flag
Coat of arms of Havana
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
City of Columns[1]
Havana is located in Cuba
Havana
Havana
Location in Cuba
Havana is located in Caribbean
Havana
Havana
Havana (Caribbean)
Havana is located in Gulf of Mexico
Havana
Havana
Havana (Gulf of Mexico)
Havana is located in North America
Havana
Havana
Havana (North America)
Coordinates: 23°08′12″N 82°21′32″W / 23.13667°N 82.35889°W / 23.13667; -82.35889
Country Cuba
Metro ZoneGreater Havana
Established16 November 1519 (current place)
Municipalities15
Government
 • BodyGobierno Provincial de La Habana
 • GovernorReinaldo García Zapata (PCC)
Area
728.26 km2 (281.18 sq mi)
Elevation
59 m (195 ft)
Population
 (2023)
1,814,207 [2]
 • Rank7th in North America
1st in Cuba
 • Density2,491/km2 (6,450/sq mi)
 • Urban
100 %
DemonymHabaneros-habaneras
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
 • Year2023
 • Total$41.1 billion[3]
 • Per capita$19,100
Time zoneUTC−5 (UTC−05:00)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (UTC−04:00)
Patron saintSan Cristóbal
HDI (2019)0.834[4] – very high
Websitewww.lahabana.gob.cu
Official nameOld Havana and its Fortification System
TypeCultural
Criteriaiv, v
Designated1982 (6th session)
Reference no.204
RegionLatin America and the Caribbean

Havana (/həˈvænə/; Spanish: La Habana [la aˈβana] ⓘ)[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 2012 was 2,154,454 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]

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.[8] Walls and forts were built to protect the city.[9] The city is the seat of the Cuban government and various ministries, and headquarters of businesses and over 100 diplomatic offices.[10] The governor is Reinaldo García Zapata of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).[11][12] In 2009, the city/province had the third-highest income in the country.[13]

Contemporary Havana can essentially be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado and the newer suburban districts.[14] 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.[15]

The city attracts over a million tourists annually;[16] (1,176,627 international tourists in 2010,[16] a 20% increase from 2005). Old Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.[17] The city is also noted for its history, culture, architecture and monuments.[18] As typical of Cuba, Havana experiences a tropical climate.[19]

  1. ^ "How Obama's US-Cuba deal could shape Havana's future". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Demographic Yearbook of Cuba 2021/Anuario Demografico de Cuba 2021 (in Spanish)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  3. ^ "TelluBase—Cuba Fact Sheet" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  4. ^ "Subnational Human Development Index". Global Data Lab. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. ^ Cabrera, Lydia (2019-04-01). Anagó: vocabulario lucumí: El yoruba que se habla en Cuba (in Spanish). Linkgua. ISBN 978-84-9007-834-1.
  6. ^ a b Cuba. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
  7. ^ a b "Población total por color de la piel según provincias y municipios" (PDF). 2012 Official Census. Oficina Nacional de Estadística e Información. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Havana". The Free Dictionary. capital of Spanish Cuba in 1552
  9. ^ "Old Havana". www.galenfrysinger.com.
  10. ^ "Cuba – Embassies and Consulates". Embassypages.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018.
  11. ^ San Miguel, Raúl (18 January 2020). "Electos el Gobernador y Vicegobernadora en La Habana". Tribuna de La Habana (in Spanish).
  12. ^ (in Spanish) [1] Archived 22 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine Preside Esteban Lazo toma de posesión de las autoridades de Gobierno en La Habana
  13. ^ "Workforce and Salary (Section 4.5)" (in Spanish and English). Oficina Nacional de Estadisticas – Republica de Cuba. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Anuario Estadistico de Ciudad de La Habana" (in Spanish). ONE – Oficina Nacional de Estadisticas (National Statistics Office). Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  16. ^ a b "Section 15 (Turismo), article 15.7 (Visitantes por mes)" (in Spanish). ONE- Oficina de Estadisticas de Cuba. Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  17. ^ "Old Havana and its Fortification System". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO.ORG.
  18. ^ Goodsell, James Nelson (11 April 2017). "Havana". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  19. ^ "Havana climate summary". Weatherbase. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.