Santiago de Cuba, in the mountainous southern province known with the same
name, is one of three major harbours on Cuba’s south coast and the nation’s
second largest city. The United States have leased nearby Guantanamo Bay for
use as a naval base since 1903, although the Castro government contests this
lease. Inland and westwards from Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba, the coastal
basins become a large central valley of rich limestone soils, and almost two
thirds of the island is covered with sugarcane, tobacco, rice, and coffee crops.
The second most populated province on the island, Santiago de Cuba Province
has about 1.2 million inhabitants, and the province’s largest city, Santiago
de Cuba, is its administrative centre. Rich in iron and nickel, the province’s
economy is mainly based on agriculture, although tourism and other industries
are growing rapidly around the capital.
The province’s mountains have seen many battles since colonisation, especially
during the war for independence and the 1959 Cuban Revolution, when Castro and
his army used them for cover during guerilla battles.
The city of Santiago de Cuba may be described as the nation’s most ‘Caribbean’
city, with colonial buildings, museums, and revolutionary monuments to the visitor.
As well as the mix of mulatto (mixed white and black), European, African, and
Chinese population common to the whole island, Santiago de Cuba is home to the
nation’s largest Jamaican group.
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