yacht rental in miami
Havana (Spanish: 
La Habana (help·info), IPA: , officially Ciudad de La Habana,) is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.4 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.7 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region. The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbours: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés. The sluggish Almendares River traverses the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay. In 1959 the city halted its growth, and since then has suffered a net loss of living units, despite tits population increase.
King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of City in 1592 and a royal decree in 1634 recognized its importance by officially designated as the "Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies". Havana's coat of arms carries this inscription. The Spaniards began building fortifications, and in 1553 they transferred the governor's residence to Havana from Santiago de Cuba on the eastern end of the island, thus making Havana the de facto capital. The importance of harbour fortifications was early recognized as English, French, and Dutch sea marauders attacked the city in the 16th century. The sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana's harbor in 1898 was the immediate cause of the Spanish-American War.
Present day Havana is the center of the Cuban government, and various ministries and headquarters of businesses are based there.
Havana is just 104.91 Miles (168.83 Kilometers) from Key West, Florida.
References
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Notes
- ^ "Largest Cities in the Caribbean". http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Caribbean.htm.
- ^ "Créditos". http://www.cubagob.cu/otras_info/censo/index.htm.
- ^ (Spanish) ""Ciudad (con mayúscula) de La Habana, así se llama la provincia donde se encuentra ubicada la capital de Cuba."". http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2007/02/10/nacional/artic03.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- ^ (English) Latin America Population - Havana city population.
- ^ (English) Capital city - capital of Spanish Cuba in 1552
- ^ (English) Old Havana
- ^ (English) Spanish-American War -Effects of the Press on Spanish-American Relations in 1898
- ^
- ^ a b (Spanish) Historia de la Construcción Naval en Cuba
- ^ (Spanish) Historia de la India Habana
- ^ Thomas, Hugh: Cuba, A pursuit of freedom 2nd Edition p.1
- ^ a b Pocock, Tom: Battle for Empire: The very first world war 1756-63. Chapter Six
- ^ a b c Thomas, Hugh: Cuba: The Pursuit of Freedom 2nd edition. Chapter One
- ^ "Arquitextos - Periódico mensal de textos de arquitetura". http://www.vitruvius.com.br/arquitextos/arq000/esp175e.asp.
- ^ Ernest Hemingway life - Homing To The Stream: Ernest Hemingway in Cuba.
- ^ "The Cuban revolution at 50: Heroic myth and prosaic failure". The Economist. December 30th 2008. http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12851254.
- ^ a b Theodore Dalrymple. "Cuba: A Cemetery of Hopes". http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=35F97388-4384-4DAA-A0EF-D6D398A0A975.
- ^ cuba heritage .org - Cuba Nationalization Laws
- ^ Marjorie Sue Zatz. Producing Legality.
- ^ a b "Parrot diplomacy". The Economist. July 24th 2008. http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11792274.
- ^ Old Havana restoration - Success on the restoration program of Havana
- ^ Havana, Cuba's history with tropical systems
- ^ "Average Weather for Havana, --Temperature and Precipitation". weather.com. http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/CUXX0003?from=36hr_bottomnav_business. Retrieved on 06-22 2008.
- ^ Centro Habana- Centro Habana guia turistica, Cuba
- ^ Centro Habana
- ^ Havana Miramar School
- ^ Havana's magnificent necropolis tells a story of wealth and freedom
- ^ 3,000 buildings found in Old Havana
Latest News
Japan's royal couple tour Ottawa area
Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko toured the Ottawa region Saturday, the first official stop on their visit to Canada.