Everything about Santiago De Cuba totally explained
Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of
Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island nation of
Cuba, some east south-east of the Cuban capital of
Havana.
The municipality extends over, and contains the communities of
El Caney, Guilera, Antonio Maceo, Bravo, Castillo Duany, Leyte Vidal and Moncada.
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.
History
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.
On
June 12,
1766, the city was almost destroyed by an
earthquake.
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
Santiago was also the home of the revolutionary hero,
Frank Pais. 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.
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.
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".
World Heritage Biosphere Reserve
The
Baconao Park was inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve List in 1987.
Demographics
In 2004, the municipality of Santiago de Cuba had a population of 494,337.
[ With a total area of, it has a population density of .
]Personalities
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
Battle of Santiago de Cuba, 1898
List of places in Cuba
Carnaval of Santiago de CubaFurther Information
Get more info on 'Santiago De Cuba'.
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