Difference between revisions of "Havana" - New World Encyclopedia

Havana
	Havana
	— City —
	La Habana
	Parque Central
; Flag	; Coat of arms
	Nickname: City of Columns
	Position of Havana in Cuba
Coordinates: 23°08′N 082°23′W
Founded	1515a
City status	1592
Municipalities	15
	Government
- Type	Mayor-council
- Mayor	Marta Hernández (PCC)
	Area
- Total	728.26 km² (281.2 sq mi)
Elevation	59 m (194 ft)
	Population (2009) Official Census
- Total	2,141,993
- Density	2,932.3/km² (7,594.6/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (UTC-4)
Postal code	10xxx–19xxx
Area code(s)	(+53) 7
	a Founded on the present site in 1519.

Latest revision as of 15:02, 25 January 2023

Havana, officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial center of Cuba.

Havana has a long and colorful history dating to earliest human habitation more than 7,000 years ago. In the modern era, Spanish settlement began in 1515, soon after Christopher Columbus and early Spanish explorers, searching for an alternate route to India, discovered Cuba and smaller islands in the Caribbean Sea. Havana's growth as an important seaport, developed in a natural, weather protected harbor and developed as the main Spanish port for the New World. An influx of African slaves came while Cuba was under a period of British rule from 1762, followed by 60 years of United States protection beginning in 1898. During the first half of the twentieth century, Havana was a popular destination for American tourists.

On January 1, 1959 the island nation fell under the control of the revolutionary leader Fidel Castro despite the dictates of the Monroe Doctrine. Following Castro's rise to power, Cuba became well known worldwide due to its pivotal role in world politics in the latter half of the twentieth century. During the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, Cuba was center stage during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. After the missile crisis cooled, Cuba under Castro exported communist revolution to many different countries throughout South America and Africa.

Havana is a city of great architectural character. Old Havana and its fortifications were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. However, the city lost much of its luster due in part to the country’s resources being diverted to the island's rural areas. In addition, Cuba's trade with the Soviet Empire effectively subsidized the Cuban economy. Following the Soviet Union's economic collapse in 1991, Havana’s economy was nearly crippled.

Havana's future economy is tied to the fortunes of the government of Cuba. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the nation attempted to progress from decades under a communist and socialist system. Cuba, after Fidel Castro turned control of the government to his brother Raul Castro, attempted to re-establish relationships with free and economically advanced nations. The economic engine that long existed in Havana has the potential to re-kindle once positive reforms are accomplished.

Geography

The name Habana is probably based upon the name of a local Taíno chief Habaguanex. The city is referred to as Havana in Dutch, English, and Portuguese.

Havana is located on the northeast coast of Cuba, along a deep-sea bay with a sheltered harbor. The city extends mostly west and south from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbors: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés.

The sluggish Almendares River flows north through the city, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay.

The city lies on low hills that rise gently from the deep blue waters of the straits. A 200 foot (60 meter) limestone ridge culminates in the heights of La Cabaña and El Morro, the sites of colonial fortifications overlooking the bay. The University of Havana and the Prince's Castle are located on a hill to the west.

Havana, like much of Cuba, enjoys a pleasant year-round tropical climate tempered by trade winds and by warm offshore currents. Average temperatures range from 72°F (22°C) in January and February to 82°F (28°C) in August, and seldom drop below 50°F (10°C). Rainfall is heaviest in October and lightest from February through April, averaging 46 inches (1167 millimetres) annually. Hurricanes occasionally strike the island, but they ordinarily hit the south coast, and damage in Havana is normally less than elsewhere in the country.

Contemporary Havana can be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado, and the newer suburban districts. Old Havana, with its narrow streets and overhanging balconies, is the traditional center of part of Havana's commerce, industry, and entertainment, as well as being a residential area.

Vedado, a newer section to the north and west, has become the rival of Old Havana for commercial activity and nightlife. Centro Habana, sometimes described as part of Vedado, is mainly a shopping district that lies between Vedado and Old Havana.

The Capitolio Nacional marks the beginning of Centro Habana, a working class neighborhood, with numerous run-down buildings. Chinatown and The Real Fabrica de Tabacos Partagás, one of Cuba's oldest cigar factories, is located in the area.

The more affluent residential and industrial districts spread out to the west. Among these is Marianao, dating from the 1920s. Many suburban homes were nationalized to serve as schools, hospitals, and government offices. Several private country clubs have been converted to public recreational centers.

Miramar, located west of Vedado along the coast, remains Havana's exclusive area, and includes mansions, foreign embassies, diplomatic residences, upscale shops, and facilities for wealthy foreigners. The International School of Havana is located in the Miramar neighborhood.

In the 1980s many parts of Old Havana, including the Plaza de Armas, became part of a 35-year multimillion-dollar restoration project, purported to instill in Cubans an appreciation of their past and to make Havana more attractive to tourists, to increase foreign exchange.

History

El Morro Fortress.

The earliest inhabitants of Cuba were the Guanajatabey people,^[2] who migrated to the island from the forests of the South American mainland as long ago as 5300 B.C.E. Subsequent migrants, the Taíno and Ciboney, who had migrated north along the Caribbean island chain from the Orinoco delta in Venezuela, drove the Guanajatabeyes to the west of the island.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), on his first voyage to the Americas, sighted the eastern point of Cuba on October 28, 1492. The current Havana area and its natural bay were first visited by Europeans during Sebastián de Ocampo's circumnavigation of the island in 1509.^[3] Shortly thereafter, in 1510, the first Spanish colonists arrived from Hispaniola and began the conquest of Cuba.

Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465–1524) founded Havana on August 25, 1515, on the southern coast of the island, near the present town of Surgidero de Batabanó. The climate was poor and the region was swampy, so between 1514 and 1519, the city had at least two different establishments. Havana moved to its current location next to what was then called Puerto de Carenas (literally, "Careening Bay"), a superb harbor at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, in 1519.

Regular attacks by buccaneers, pirates, and French corsairs meant the Spaniards began building fortifications. To counteract pirate attacks on galleon convoys headed for Spain, following a royal decree in 1561 all ships headed for Spain were required to assemble this fleet in the Havana Bay. Ships arrived from May through August, waiting for the best weather conditions, and together, the fleet departed Havana for Spain by September.

This boosted commerce and development of the adjacent city of Havana. Goods traded in Havana included gold, silver, alpaca wool from the Andes, emeralds from Colombia, mahoganies from Cuba and Guatemala, leather from the Guajira, spices, sticks of dye from Campeche, corn, manioc, and cocoa.

The thousands of ships gathered in the city's bay also fueled Havana's agriculture and manufacture, since they had to be supplied with food, water, and other products needed to traverse the ocean. In 1563, the Spanish Governor of the island moved from Santiago de Cuba to Havana, making that city the de facto capital.

On December 20, 1592, King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of city. Later, the city would be officially designated as "Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies" by the Spanish crown. The San Salvador de la Punta castle guarded the west entrance of the bay, while the Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro guarded the eastern entrance. The Castillo de la Real Fuerza defended the city's center, and doubled as the Governor's residence until a more comfortable palace was built. Two other defensive towers, La Chorrera and San Lázaro were also built in this period.

In 1649, an epidemic brought from Cartagena in Colombia, affected one-third of the population of Havana. On November 30, 1665, Queen Mariana of Austria, widow of King Philip IV of Spain, ratified the heraldic shield of Cuba, which took as its symbolic motifs the first three castles of Havana, and displayed a golden key to represent the title "Key to the Gulf." On 1674, construction of the city walls began, to be completed by 1740.

By the middle of the eighteenth century Havana had more than 70,000 inhabitants, and was the third largest city in the Americas, ranking behind Lima and Mexico City but ahead of Boston and New York City.^[4]

Havana’s fortifications withstood attacks until August 1762, when the British under Admiral Sir George Pocock (1706-1792) besieged the city for three-months, and held it as a prize of war for six months until the treaty ending the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) restored Havana to Spain.

While in control, the British immediately opened up trade with their North American and Caribbean colonies, transforming Cuban society. Food, horses and other goods flooded into the city, and thousands of slaves from West Africa were transported to the island to work on the undermanned sugar plantations.

After regaining the city, the Spanish transformed Havana into the most heavily fortified city in the Americas. By the end of the 18th century, Havana attracted French craftsmen, British merchants, German bankers, and others, giving Havana a distinct international and cosmopolitan character. But Cuba remained a Spanish colony while wars of independence raged elsewhere in Spain’s New World empire in the early 1800s.

In 1837, the first railroad was constructed, a 32-mile (51km) stretch between Havana and Bejucal, which was used for transporting sugar to the harbor. Gas public lighting was introduced in 1848. In 1863, the city walls were razed so that the city could be enlarged.

At the end of the nineteenth century, with an independence movement gaining support, Havana witnessed waning Spanish colonialism in America, which ended definitively when the United States' warship Maine was sunk in its port, on February 15, 1898, giving that country the pretext to invade the island.

After the Spanish troops left the island in December 1898, the government of Cuba was handed over to the United States on January 1, 1899. For 60 years, Cuba was a close economic and political ally of the United States. Havana acquired the look of a U.S. city, as more U.S. businesses and tourists moved there. Havana achieved being the Latin American city with the largest middle class per-capita simultaneously accompanied by gambling and corruption where gangsters and celebrities were known to mix socially.

Cuba’s government wavered between a fragile democracy and a dictatorship, with corruption running rampant. There were a number of coup attempts against the government of Fulgencio Batista (1901–1973). Change came when Fidel Castro (b. 1926) took control of Cuba on January 1, 1959.

Castro promised to improve social services, public housing, and official buildings. But shortages soon affected Cuba following Castro's abrupt declaration of a one party communist state. He nationalized all private property and businesses on the island, prompting an embargo by the U.S. that hit Havana especially hard.

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ending the billions of dollars in subsidies to the Cuban government. Many believed the Castro government would soon vanish, as had other Soviet-backed governments in Eastern Europe. However, the communist government turned to tourism for financial support, targeting Canada and western European nations, and bringing in about two billion dollars annually, according to National Geographic.

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, much of Havana was dilapidated and crumbling, with its citizens not having the money or the government authorization to preserve the old buildings.

On the night of July 8-9, 2005, the eastern suburbs of the city took a direct hit from Hurricane Dennis, with 100 mph (160 km/h) winds the storm whipped fierce 10-foot (3.0 m) waves over Havana's seawall, and its winds tore apart pieces of some of the city's crumbling colonial buildings. Chunks of concrete fell from the city's colonial buildings. At least 5000 homes were damaged in Havana's surrounding province.^[5] Three months later, on October 2005, the coastal regions suffered severe flooding following Hurricane Wilma.

Government

Cuba is a communist state. The president is both chief of state and head of government, and proposes members of the cabinet of ministers. The unicameral National Assembly of People's Power comprises 614 members elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms.

The national government is headquartered in Havana and plays an extremely visible role in the city's life. Havana is dependent upon the national government for much of its budgetary and overall political direction.

The all-embracing authority of the Communist Party of Cuba, the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Military of Cuba), the militia, and neighborhood groups called the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs), has led to a declining role for the city government, which, nevertheless, still provides such essential services as garbage collection and fire protection. The CDRs, which exist in virtually every street and apartment block, have two main functions: first, to actually defend the revolution against both external and internal opposition by keeping routine record of every resident's activities and, second, to handle routine tasks in maintaining neighborhoods.

Havana is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. Havana city borders are contiguous with the Habana Province, thus Havana functions as both a city and a province. There are two joint councils upon which city and provincial authorities meet. One embraces municipal and provincial leaders on a national basis, the other, a Havana city and provincial council. A mayor is the chief administrative officer. Havana is divided into 15 constituent municipalities.

Economy

The Cuban Government adheres to socialist principles in which most of the means of production are owned and run by the government and most of the labor force is employed by the state. There was a trend towards more private sector employment in the early twenty-first century. The government has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services.

With an estimated per capita GDP of $11,000 in 2007, the average Cuban's standard of living remained, in 2008, at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies.

The extreme centralized economy has resulted in extreme economic stagnation throughout Havana and countless buildings have become vacant, abandoned, and beyond repair.

The sugar industry, upon which the island's economy has been based for 300 years, is centered elsewhere on the island and controls some three-fourths of the export economy. But light manufacturing facilities, meat-packing plants, and chemical and pharmaceutical operations are concentrated in Havana. Other food-processing industries are also important, along with shipbuilding, vehicle manufacturing, production of alcoholic beverages (particularly rum), textiles, and tobacco products, particularly the world-famous Habanos cigars.^[6]

Havana has a network of suburban, inter-urban and long-distance rail lines, the only one in the Caribbean region. The railways are nationalized and run by the Union for Railways of Cuba.

Havana's Omnibus Metropolitanos has a widely diverse flee of new and old donated bus models. The Metrobus division operates "camellos" (camels), which are trailers transformed into buses, on the busiest routes. The camellos are a Cuban invention following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

José Martí International Airport, located about 11km south of the city center, is Cuba's main international and domestic gateway. Havana remains Cuba’s main port, and most imports and exports pass through there, while it supports a considerable fishing industry.

Demographics and culture

Apartment buildings.

The city/province had 2,400,300 inhabitants in 2006, and the urban area over 3,710,100, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region.^[7]

People classified as white made up 65.1 percent of Cuba's population in 2002, mulatto and mestizo 24.8 percent, and black 10.1 percent. Havana has a significant minority of Chinese, Russians mostly living in Habana del Este who emigrated during the Soviet era, and several thousand North African teen and pre-teen refugees. Spanish is the official language.

Roman Catholics form the largest religious group in Havana. The Jewish community in Havana was reduced after the revolution from once having embraced more than 15,000 Jews, many of whom had fled Nazi persecution and subsequently left Cuba for Miami or returned to Israel after Fidel Castro took to power in 1959. Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Santeria are also represented.

Under the Castro government, educational and employment opportunities were made available to Cubans of all ethnic backgrounds, although top positions and fields of study were usually reserved only to signed communist party members.

Under the Cuban government all citizens are covered by the national health care plan. Administration of the health care system for the nation is centered largely in Havana. Hospitals are run by the national government, and citizens are assigned hospitals and clinics to which they may go for attention. During the 1980s Cuba began to attract worldwide attention for its treatment of heart diseases and eye problems, some of this treatment administered in Havana. There has long been a high standard of health care in the city.

The University of Havana, located in the Vedado section of Havana, was established in 1728. The city's only other university, the respected Catholic University in Marianao, was closed after the revolution. The Polytechnic Institute "Joe Antonio Echeverria" trains most of Cuba's engineers.

The vocational Cuban National Ballet School with 4,350 students is the biggest ballet school in the world and the most prestigious ballet school in Cuba ^[8], directed by Ramona de Sáa.

Havana's two baseball teams in the Cuban National Series are Industriales and Metropolitanos. The city has several large sports stadiums, the largest is the Estadio Latinoamericano. Havana was host to the 11th Pan American Games in 1991 and was host to the 1992 IAAF World Cup in Athletics.

Places of interest

See: Old Havana Havana has a wide variety of museums, palaces, public squares, avenues, churches, and fortresses. The restoration of Old Havana included a museum for relics of the Cuban revolution. The government places special emphasis on cultural activities, many of which are free or involve only a minimal charge. Landmarks include:

National Capitol Building, which was completed in 1929 as the Senate and House of Representatives and is said to be a replica of the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Its dome dominates Havana's skyline. The Cuban Academy of Sciences headquarters and the National Museum of Natural History is located there.
Fortaleza San Carlos de la Cabaña, which is a fortress on the east side of the Havana Bay, constructed at the end of the 18th century.
Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro, which is a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana Bay.
San Salvador de la Punta Fortress, which is a small fortress built in the sixteenth century, at the western entry point to the Havana harbor. It played a crucial role in the defense of Havana during the first centuries of colonization. The fortress still houses some 20 old guns and other military antiques.
Christ of Havana, which is Havana's statue of Jesus much like the famous Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro. Carved from marble by Jilma Madera, it was erected in 1958 on a platform which makes a good spot from which to watch old Havana and the harbor.
Great Theatre of Havana, which is famous particularly for the acclaimed National Ballet of Cuba. It sometimes hosts performances by the National Opera. The theater is also known as concert hall, Garcia Lorca, the biggest in Cuba.
Colon Cemetery, which was built in 1876, has nearly one million tombs.

Looking to the future

Great Theatre of Havana

Havana has a long and colorful history, although much of the city remains a crumbled image of a more glorious past. In 2008, Cuba was slowly recovering from a severe economic downturn in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4-billion to $6-billion annually. This economic shock meant the government turned to tourism for foreign exchange, and has led to refurbishment of Old Havana.

Cubans still want to escape to the United States and a brighter future, using homemade rafts, dilapidated boats, and smugglers. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted 2,864 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in 2006. Havana's prospects are tied to the fortunes of the Government of Cuba. A representative constitutional democracy plus a private-enterprise based economy would go a long way towards unleashing the economic powerhouse that has long existed in Havana.

Notes

↑ 2009 Official Census. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
↑ Richard Gott. 2004. Cuba: A new history. (New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300111142), Chapter 1.
↑ (Spanish) El Instituto Panamericano de Ingeniería Naval. Historia de la Construcción Naval en Cuba Retrieved December 2, 2008.
↑ Hugh Thomas. Cuba, or the Pursuit of Freedom, 2nd Ed. (original 1971) (New York: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN 0306808277), 1
↑ Hurricane City. Havana, Cuba's history with tropical systems Retrieved December 2, 2008.
↑ Geography of World Urbanization. The economy of Havana Retrieved December 2, 2008.
↑ Mongabay. Cities and urban areas in Latin America with population over 100,000 Retrieved December 2, 2008.
↑ (Spanish) Bohemia. April 28, 2006. Por una formación humanista Retrieved December 2, 2008.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Barclay, Juliet, and Martin Charles. 2003. Havana: portrait of a city. London: Cassell Illustrated. ISBN 9781844031276.
Cluster, Dick, and Rafael Hernández. 2006. The history of Havana. (Palgrave essential histories.) New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403971074.
Gott, Richard. 2004. Cuba: A new history. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300111142.
Havana History and Architecture of a Romantic City. 2009. Monacelli Pr. ISBN 9781580932387.
McAuslan, Fiona, and Matthew Norman. 2007. The rough guide to Cuba. New York: Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843538110.
Michener, James A., and John Kings. 1989. Six days in Havana. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292776296.
Thomas, Hugh. Cuba, or the Pursuit of Freedom, 2nd Ed. (original 1971) New York: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN 0306808277.
World Fact Book. 2008. Cuba.

External links

All links retrieved August 4, 2017.

Havana City Map Retrieved November 29, 2008.

Credits

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The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

History of "Havana"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.

[Official_census-1] 2009 Official Census. Retrieved April 20, 2012.

[Gott-2] Richard Gott. 2004. Cuba: A new history. (New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300111142), Chapter 1.

[historia_naval-3] (Spanish) El Instituto Panamericano de Ingeniería Naval. Historia de la Construcción Naval en Cuba Retrieved December 2, 2008.

[4] Hugh Thomas. Cuba, or the Pursuit of Freedom, 2nd Ed. (original 1971) (New York: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN 0306808277), 1

[5] Hurricane City. Havana, Cuba's history with tropical systems Retrieved December 2, 2008.

[6] Geography of World Urbanization. The economy of Havana Retrieved December 2, 2008.

[7] Mongabay. Cities and urban areas in Latin America with population over 100,000 Retrieved December 2, 2008.

[8] (Spanish) Bohemia. April 28, 2006. Por una formación humanista Retrieved December 2, 2008.

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 |utc_offset_DST        = -4
-|latd=23 |latm=8 |lats=0 |latNS=N
+|latd=23 |latm=08 |lats= |latNS=N
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-|postal_code            = 10xxx-19xxx
+|postal_code            = 10xxx–19xxx
 |area_code              = (+53) 7
-|website                =
+|blank_name_sec1 = [[Patron saint|Patron Saint]]s
-|footnotes              =<sup>a</sup> Founded on the present site was founded in '''1519'''.
+|blank_info_sec1 = [[Saint Christopher]]
-}} <!-- Infobox ends —>
+|website                =
+|footnotes              =<sup>a</sup> Founded on the present site in '''1519'''.
+}}
-'''Havana''' ({{Audio-es|'''La Habana'''|HAV.ogg|}}, [[help:IPA|IPA]]: [la aˈβana], officially ''Ciudad de La Habana''<ref>{{sp icon}} {{cite web|url=http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2007/02/10/nacional/artic03.html|  title="Ciudad (con mayúscula) de La Habana, así se llama la provincia donde se encuentra ubicada la capital de Cuba."|first=Article from Granma|accessdate=2007-02-10}}</ref>, is the [[capital city]], major port, and leading commercial centre of [[Cuba]]. The city is one of the 14 [[Provinces of Cuba|Cuban provinces]].  The city/province has 2.1 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.5 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the [[Caribbean|Caribbean region]].<ref>{{en icon}} [http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Latin_America.htm Latin America Population] - Havana city population.</ref> 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.
+'''Havana''', officially ''Ciudad de La Habana,'' is the [[capital city]], major port, and leading commercial center of [[Cuba]].
-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]]".<ref>{{en icon}} [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Havana Capital city] - capital of Spanish Cuba in 1552</ref> 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.<ref>{{en icon}} [http://www.galenfrysinger.com/old_havana.htm Old Havana]</ref> The sinking of the [[USS Maine (ACR-1)|U.S. battleship ''Maine'']] in Havana's harbor in 1898 was the immediate cause of the [[Spanish-American War]]<ref>{{en icon}} [http://www.humboldt.edu/~jcb10/spanwar.shtml#anchor433004/ Spanish-American War] -Effects of the Press on Spanish-American Relations in 1898</ref>.
+Havana has a long and colorful history dating to earliest human habitation more than 7,000 years ago. In the modern era, Spanish settlement began in 1515, soon after [[Christopher Columbus]] and early Spanish explorers, searching for an alternate route to [[India]], discovered [[Cuba]] and smaller islands in the [[Caribbean Sea]]. Havana's growth as an important seaport, developed in a natural, weather protected harbor and developed as the main Spanish port for the New World. An influx of [[Africa]]n slaves came while Cuba was under a period of British rule from 1762, followed by 60 years of [[United States]] protection beginning in 1898. During the first half of the twentieth century, Havana was a popular destination for American tourists.
-Nowadays Havana is the center of the [[Cuban government]], and various ministries and headquarters of businesses are based there.
+On January 1, 1959 the island nation fell under the control of the revolutionary leader [[Fidel Castro]] despite the dictates of the [[Monroe Doctrine]]. Following Castro's rise to power, Cuba became well known worldwide due to its pivotal role in world politics in the latter half of the twentieth century. During the [[Cold War]] between the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[United States]], Cuba was center stage during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] of 1962. After the missile crisis cooled, Cuba under Castro exported communist revolution to many different countries throughout [[South America]] and [[Africa]].
-==Etymology==
+Havana is a city of great [[architecture|architectural]] character. [[Old Havana]] and its fortifications were designated a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1982. However, the city lost much of its luster due in part to the country’s resources being diverted to the island's rural areas. In addition, Cuba's trade with the [[Soviet Empire]] effectively subsidized the Cuban economy. Following the [[Soviet Union]]'s economic collapse in 1991, Havana’s economy was nearly crippled.
-([[UN/LOCODE]]: <code>CU HAV</code>)  La Habana, was founded and formerly named as ''Villa de San Cristóbal de la Habana''  by [[Diego Velásquez de Cuellar]]. The name ''Habana'' is probably based upon the name of a local [[Taíno]] chief [[List of known Taínos#H|Habaguanex]]. An alternate theory is that ''Habana'' is derived from the [[Middle Dutch]] word ''havene'', referring to a [[port]], but as Havana was not originally founded as a port, this origin appears improbable<ref>http://uncpress.unc.edu/chapters/scarpaci_havana.html</ref>.
+{{toc}}
+Havana's future economy is tied to the fortunes of the government of Cuba. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the nation attempted to progress from decades under a [[communism|communist]] and [[socialism|socialist]] system. Cuba, after Fidel Castro turned control of the government to his brother Raul Castro, attempted to re-establish relationships with free and economically advanced nations. The economic engine that long existed in Havana has the potential to re-kindle once positive reforms are accomplished.
-''Ciudad de La Habana'', meaning "City of Havana," is considered a province, despite its name. In common usage, ''La Habana'' is translated when in reference to the city (''Havana'' in Dutch, English, and Portuguese; ''La Havane'' in French; ''L'Avana'' in Italian; ''Havanna'' in German), but not when in reference to either of the provinces.
 ==Geography==
-[[Image:Port of Havana.jpg|thumb|The port of Havana]]
+The name ''Habana'' is probably based upon the name of a local [[Taíno]] chief Habaguanex. The city is referred to as ''Havana'' in [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[English language|English]], and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]].
-Etymology of name – if available.
-Topography:  Physical qualities of a particular place.  Example:  Mexico City
-a.  Mountain flanked basin
-b.  on dry lake bed
-c.  vulnerability to earthquakes
-d.  trapped air pollution (also true in L.A. and Athens)
-Elevation
-Climate (not required unless it makes the city a resort)
-The city (Johannesburg) enjoys a dry, sunny climate, with the exception of occasional late afternoon downpours in the summer months of October to April. [[Temperature]]s are usually fairly mild due to the city's high altitude, with the average maximum daytime temperature in January of 79°F (26°C), dropping to an average maximum of around 61°F (16°C) in June. [[Winter]] is the sunniest time of the year, with cool days and cold nights. The temperature occasionally drops to below freezing at night, causing [[frost]]. [[Snow]] is rare. Mean annual precipitation is 28 inches (716mm).
-Rivers and canals
-Size – land area, size comparison
-Environmental issues
-Districts
-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.  The low hills on which the city lies rise gently from the deep blue waters of the straits. A noteworthy elevation is the 200-foot- (60-metre-) high limestone ridge that slopes up from the east and culminates in the heights of La Cabaña and El Morro, the sites of colonial fortifications overlooking the bay. Another notable rise is the hill to the west that is occupied by the [[University of Havana]] and the Prince's Castle.
-===Climate===
+Havana is located on the northeast coast of [[Cuba]], along a deep-sea bay with a sheltered harbor. The city extends mostly west and south from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbors: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés.
-Havana, like much of Cuba, enjoys a pleasant year-round [[tropical climate]] that is tempered by the island's position in the belt of the trade winds and by the warm offshore currents. Average temperatures range from 72 [[Fahrenheit|°F]] (22 [[Celsius|°C]]) in January and February to 82 °F (28 °C) in August. The temperature seldom drops below 50 °F (10 °C). The lowest temperature was 33 °F (2.0 °C) in Santiago de las Vegas, Boyeros.  The lowest recorded temperatures in Cuba are 32 °F (0.6 °C)in Bainoa, Havana province. Rainfall is heaviest in October and lightest from February through April, averaging 46 inches (1,167 millimetres) annually. Hurricanes occasionally strike the island, but they ordinarily hit the south coast, and damage in Havana is normally less than elsewhere in the country.
-On the night of July 8-9, 2005, the eastern suburbs of the city took a direct hit from [[Hurricane Dennis]], with {{convert|100|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} winds the storm whipped fierce {{convert|10|ft|m|sing=on}} waves over Havana's seawall, and its winds tore apart pieces of some of the city's crumbling colonial buildings.  Chunks of concrete fell from the city's colonial buildings. At least 5,000 homes were damaged in Havana's surrounding province <ref>[http://www.hurricanecity.com/city/havana.htm] Havana, Cuba's history with tropical systems</ref>.  Three months later, on October 2005, the coastal regions suffered severe flooding following [[Hurricane Wilma]].
+The sluggish [[Almendares River]] flows north through the city, entering the [[Straits of Florida]] a few miles west of the bay.
-The table below lists temperature averages throughout the year:
-{{-}}
+The city lies on low hills that rise gently from the deep blue waters of the straits. A 200 foot (60 meter) [[limestone]] ridge culminates in the heights of La Cabaña and El Morro, the sites of colonial fortifications overlooking the bay. The [[University of Havana]] and the Prince's Castle are located on a hill to the west.
-<!--Infobox begins—>{{Infobox Weather <!-- Important: remove all unused fields—>
-|single_line=Yes <!--Entering Yes will display metric and imperial units on same line.—>
-|location=Havana, Cuba
-|Jan_Hi_°F =78
-|Feb_Hi_°F =79
-|Mar_Hi_°F =81
-|Apr_Hi_°F =83
-|May_Hi_°F =85
-|Jun_Hi_°F =86
-|Jul_Hi_°F =88
-|Aug_Hi_°F =88
-|Sep_Hi_°F =87
-|Oct_Hi_°F =84
-|Nov_Hi_°F =81
-|Dec_Hi_°F =79
-|Jan_Lo_°F =65
-|Feb_Lo_°F =65
-|Mar_Lo_°F =67
-|Apr_Lo_°F =69
-|May_Lo_°F =72
-|Jun_Lo_°F =74
-|Jul_Lo_°F =74
-|Aug_Lo_°F =75
-|Sep_Lo_°F =74
-|Oct_Lo_°F =73
-|Nov_Lo_°F =70
-|Dec_Lo_°F =67
-<!-- Optional: This is total Precipitation.  Rain & Snow fields can be used instead if Precip is NOT filled in —>
+Havana, like much of Cuba, enjoys a pleasant year-round [[tropical climate]] tempered by [[trade winds]] and by warm offshore currents. Average [[temperature]]s range from 72°F (22°C) in January and February to 82°F (28°C) in August, and seldom drop below 50°F (10°C). [[Rain]]fall is heaviest in October and lightest from February through April, averaging 46 inches (1167 millimetres) annually. [[Hurricane]]s occasionally strike the island, but they ordinarily hit the south coast, and damage in Havana is normally less than elsewhere in the country.
-|Jan_Precip_inch =2.50
-|Feb_Precip_inch =2.70
-|Mar_Precip_inch =1.80
-|Apr_Precip_inch =2.10
-|May_Precip_inch =3.90
-|Jun_Precip_inch =7.20
-|Jul_Precip_inch =4.20
-|Aug_Precip_inch =3.90
-|Sep_Precip_inch =5.70
-|Oct_Precip_inch =7.10
-|Nov_Precip_inch =3.50
-|Dec_Precip_inch =2.30
-|source =weather.com <ref name=weatherinfo >{{cite web
-|url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/CUXX0003?from=36hr_bottomnav_business |title=Average Weather for Havana, —Temperature and Precipitation | accessmonthday =06-22 |accessyear=2008
-|publisher=weather.com  }}</ref>
-|accessdate=2008-06-22
-}}<!--Infobox ends—>
-===City layout===
+Contemporary Havana can be described as three cities in one: [[Old Havana]], Vedado, and the newer suburban districts. Old Havana, with its narrow streets and overhanging balconies, is the traditional center of part of Havana's commerce, industry, and entertainment, as well as being a residential area.
-[[Image:Vedado, Havana.jpg|thumb|Newer suburban districts]]
-Contemporary Havana can essentially be described as three cities in one: [[Old Havana]], Vedado, and the newer suburban districts. Old Havana, with its narrow streets and overhanging balconies, is the traditional centre of part of Havana's commerce, industry, and entertainment, as well as being a residential area.
+Vedado, a newer section to the north and west, has become the rival of Old Havana for commercial activity and nightlife. [[Centro Habana, Cuba|Centro Habana]], sometimes described as part of Vedado, is mainly a shopping district that lies between Vedado and Old Havana.
-To the north and west a newer section, centred on the uptown area known as Vedado, has become the rival of Old Havana for commercial activity and nightlife. [[Centro Habana, Cuba|Centro Habana]], sometimes described as part of Vedado, is mainly a shopping district that lies between Vedado and Old Havana. The [[National Capitol Building (Havana)|Capitolio Nacional]] marks the beginning of Centro Habana, a working class neighborhood, where a lot of buildings are almost in a total state of collapse <ref>[http://www.paseosporlahabana.com/cats.asp?cID=32 Centro Habana]- Centro Habana guia turistica, Cuba</ref>.  Chinatown and The [[Real Fabrica de Tabacos Partagás]], one of Cuba's oldest cigar factories is located in the area<ref>[http://www.cuba-junky.com/havana/havana-casas-particular-viejaycentro.html Centro Habana]</ref>.
+The [[National Capitol Building (Havana)|Capitolio Nacional]] marks the beginning of Centro Habana, a working class neighborhood, with numerous run-down buildings. Chinatown and The [[Real Fabrica de Tabacos Partagás]], one of Cuba's oldest [[cigar]] factories, is located in the area.
-A third Havana is that of the more affluent residential and industrial districts that spread out mostly to the west. Among these is [[Marianao]], one of the newer parts of the city, dating mainly from the 1920s. Some of the suburban exclusivity was lost after the revolution, many of the suburban homes having been nationalized by the Cuban government to serve as schools, hospitals, and government offices. Several private country clubs were converted to public recreational centres.
+The more affluent residential and industrial districts spread out to the west. Among these is [[Marianao]], dating from the 1920s. Many suburban homes were nationalized to serve as [[school]]s, [[hospital]]s, and government offices. Several private country clubs have been converted to public recreational centers.
-Miramar located west of Vedado along the coast, remains Havana's exclusive area; mansions, foreign embassies, diplomatic residences, upscale shops, and facilities for wealthy foreigners are common in the area<ref>[http://www.cactuslanguage.com/en/book/course.php?course_id=1045 Havana Miramar School]</ref>. The [[International School of Havana]] is located in the Miramar neighborhood.
-In the 1980s many parts of Old Havana, including the Plaza de Armas, became part of a projected 35-year multimillion-dollar restoration project. The government sought to instill in Cubans an appreciation of their past and also to make Havana more enticing to tourists in accordance with the government's effort to boost tourism and thus increase foreign exchange.
+Miramar, located west of Vedado along the coast, remains Havana's exclusive area, and includes mansions, foreign embassies, diplomatic residences, upscale shops, and facilities for wealthy foreigners. The [[International School of Havana]] is located in the Miramar neighborhood.
+In the 1980s many parts of Old Havana, including the Plaza de Armas, became part of a 35-year multimillion-dollar restoration project, purported to instill in Cubans an appreciation of their past and to make Havana more attractive to tourists, to increase foreign exchange.
 ==History==
-===The founding of Havana===
+[[File:FaroCastillodelMoro-Cuba-ene2017.jpg|thumb|right|250px|El Morro Fortress.]]
-[[Image:Havanna hafen.jpg|thumb|250px|The Marimelena harbour view from [[Casablanca, Cuba|Casablanca]]]]
+The earliest inhabitants of Cuba were the [[Guanajatabey]] people,<ref name="Gott">Richard Gott. 2004. ''Cuba: A new history.'' (New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300111142), Chapter 1.</ref> who migrated to the [[island]] from the [[forest]]s of the [[South American]] mainland as long ago as 5300 B.C.E. Subsequent migrants, the [[Taíno]] and [[Ciboney]], who had migrated north along the [[Caribbean]] island chain from the [[Orinoco River|Orinoco]] delta in [[Venezuela]], drove the Guanajatabeyes to the west of the island.
-The current Havana area and its natural bay were first visited by Europeans during [[Sebastián de Ocampo]]'s circumnavigation of the island in 1509.<ref name="historia_naval">{{sp icon}} [http://www.ipen.org.br/webpages/noticiasS.htm Historia de la Construcción Naval en Cuba]</ref> Shortly thereafter, in 1510, the first Spanish [[colonist]]s arrived from [[Hispaniola]] and began the conquest of Cuba.
-[[Conquistador]] [[Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar]] founded Havana on [[August 25]], [[1515]] on the southern coast of the island, near the present town of [[Batabanó, Cuba|Surgidero de Batabanó]]. Between 1514 and 1519, the city had at least two different establishments.  All attempts to found a city on Cuba's south coast failed. The city's location was adjacent to a superb harbor at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, and with easy access to the Gulf Stream, the main ocean current that navigators followed when traveling from the [[Americas]] to Europe. This location led to Havana’s early development as the principal port of Spain's New World colonies. An early map of Cuba drawn in 1514 places the town at the mouth of the river Onicaxinal, also on the south coast of Cuba. Another establishment was ''La Chorrera'', today in the neighbourhood of [[Puentes Grandes]], next to the Almendares River.
+[[Christopher Columbus]] (1451-1506), on his first voyage to the Americas, sighted the eastern point of Cuba on October 28, 1492. The current Havana area and its natural bay were first visited by [[Europe]]ans during [[Sebastián de Ocampo]]'s circumnavigation of the island in 1509.<ref name="historia_naval">{{sp icon}} ''El Instituto Panamericano de Ingeniería Naval''. [http://www.ipen.org.br/webpages/noticiasS.htm Historia de la Construcción Naval en Cuba] Retrieved December 2, 2008.</ref> Shortly thereafter, in 1510, the first Spanish [[colonist]]s arrived from [[Hispaniola]] and began the conquest of Cuba.
-[[Image:Paseo de Prado, Havana.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Paseo del Prado]]
-The final establishment, commemorated by [[El Templete]], was the sixth town founded by the Spanish on the island, called ''San Cristobal de la Habana'' by [[Pánfilo de Narváez]]: the name combines ''San Cristóbal'', [[patron saint]] of Havana, and ''Habana'', of obscure origin, possibly derived from ''Habaguanex'', an Indian chief who controlled that area, as mentioned by Diego Velasquez in his report to the king of Spain. A legend relates that ''Habana'' was the name of Habaguanex's beautiful daughter,<ref>{{sp icon}} [http://leyendascubanas.wordpress.com/2006/07/10/historia-de-la-india-habana/ Historia de la India Habana]</ref> but no known historical source corroborates this version.
-Havana moved to its current location next to what was then called ''Puerto de Carenas'' (literally, "[[Careening]] Bay"), in 1519. The quality of this natural bay, which now hosts Havana's harbor, warranted this change of location. [[Bartolomé de las Casas]] wrote:
+[[Conquistador]] [[Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar]] (1465–1524) founded Havana on August 25, 1515, on the southern coast of the island, near the present town of [[Batabanó, Cuba|Surgidero de Batabanó]]. The climate was poor and the region was swampy, so between 1514 and 1519, the city had at least two different establishments. Havana moved to its current location next to what was then called ''Puerto de Carenas'' (literally, "Careening Bay"), a superb harbor at the entrance to the [[Gulf of Mexico]], in 1519.
-<blockquote>
+Regular attacks by [[buccaneer]]s, [[piracy|pirates]], and French [[corsair]]s meant the Spaniards began building fortifications. To counteract pirate attacks on [[galleon]] convoys headed for [[Spain]], following a royal decree in 1561 all ships headed for Spain were required to assemble this fleet in the Havana Bay. Ships arrived from May through August, waiting for the best weather conditions, and together, the fleet departed Havana for Spain by September.
-...one of the ships, or both, had the need of careening, which is to renew or mend the parts that travel under the water, and to put tar and wax in them, and entered the port we now call Havana, and there they careened so the port was called ''de Carenas''. This bay is very good and can host many ships, which I visited few years after the Discovery... few are in Spain, or elsewhere in the world, that are their equal...<ref name="historia_naval" />
-</blockquote>
-Shortly after the founding of Cuba's first cities, the island served as little more than a base for the ''Conquista'' of other lands. [[Hernán Cortés]] organized his expedition to [[Mexico]] from the island. Cuba, during the first years of the Discovery, provided no immediate wealth to the [[conquistadores]], as it was poor in [[gold]], [[silver]] and [[precious stones]], and many of its settlers moved to the more promising lands of Mexico and South America that were being discovered and colonized at the time. The legends of [[Eldorado]] and the [[Quivira and Cíbola|Seven Cities of Gold]] attracted many adventurers from Spain, and also from the adjacent colonies, leaving Havana and the rest of Cuba largely unpopulated.
+This boosted commerce and development of the adjacent city of Havana. Goods traded in Havana included [[gold]], [[silver]], [[alpaca]] [[wool]] from the [[Andes]], [[emerald]]s from [[Colombia]], [[mahogany|mahoganies]] from Cuba and [[Guatemala]], [[leather]] from the [[Guajira]], [[spice]]s, sticks of [[dye]] from [[Campeche]], [[maize|corn]], [[manioc]], and [[cocoa]].
-===Pirates and ''La Flota''===
+The thousands of ships gathered in the city's bay also fueled Havana's [[agriculture]] and manufacture, since they had to be supplied with [[food]], [[water]], and other products needed to traverse the [[ocean]]. In 1563, the Spanish Governor of the island moved from Santiago de Cuba to Havana, making that city the de facto capital.
-[[Image:Castillo de la Real Fuerza, Havana.jpg‎|thumb|[[Castillo de la Real Fuerza|Real Fuerza Fortress]]]]
-[[Image:Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, Havana.jpg‎|thumb|[[La Cabaña|San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress]]]]
-[[Image:Castillo del morro.jpg|thumb|[[Morro Castle (fortress)|El Morro Fortress]]]]
-Havana was originally a trading port, and suffered regular attacks by [[buccaneers]], [[piracy|pirates]], and French [[corsairs]]. The first attack and resultant burning of the city was by the French corsair [[Jacques de Sores]] in 1555. The pirate took Havana easily, plundering the city and burning much of it to the ground. De Sores left without obtaining the enormous wealth he was hoping to find in Havana.  Such attacks convinced the Spanish Crown to fund the construction of the first fortresses in the main cities &mdash; not only to counteract the pirates and corsairs, but also to exert more control over commerce with the West Indies, and to limit the extensive ''contrabando'' ([[black market]]) that had arisen due to the trade restrictions imposed by the ''[[Casa de Contratación]]'' of [[Seville]] (the crown-controlled trading house that held a [[monopoly]] on New World trade).
+On December 20, 1592, [[King Philip II]] of Spain granted Havana the title of city. Later, the city would be officially designated as "Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies" by the Spanish crown. The [[San Salvador de la Punta Fortress|San Salvador de la Punta]] castle guarded the west entrance of the bay, while the [[Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro]] guarded the eastern entrance. The [[Castillo de la Real Fuerza]] defended the city's center, and doubled as the Governor's residence until a more comfortable palace was built. Two other defensive towers, La Chorrera and [[Lazarus|San Lázaro]] were also built in this period.
-To counteract pirate attacks on [[galleon]] convoys headed for Spain while loaded with New World treasures, the Spanish crown decided to protect its ships by concentrating them in one large fleet, which would traverse the Atlantic Ocean as a group. A single merchant fleet could more easily be protected by the Spanish [[Armada]]. Following a royal decree in 1561, all ships headed for Spain were required to assemble this fleet in the Havana Bay. Ships arrived from May through August, waiting for the best weather conditions, and together, the fleet departed Havana for Spain by September.
+In 1649, an [[epidemic]] brought from [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] in [[Colombia]], affected one-third of the population of Havana. On November 30, 1665, Queen [[Mariana of Austria]], widow of King [[Philip IV of Spain]], ratified the heraldic shield of Cuba, which took as its symbolic motifs the first three castles of Havana, and displayed a golden key to represent the title "Key to the Gulf." On 1674, construction of the city walls began, to be completed by 1740.
-This naturally boosted commerce and development of the adjacent city of Havana (a humble ''villa'' at the time). Goods traded in Havana included gold, silver, [[alpaca]] [[wool]] from the [[Andes]], [[emerald]]s from [[Colombia]], [[mahogany|mahoganies]] from Cuba and [[Guatemala]], leather from the [[Guajira]], [[spices]], sticks of [[dye]] from [[Campeche]], [[maize|corn]], [[manioc]], and [[cocoa]]. Ships from all over the New World carried products first to Havana, in order to be taken by the fleet to Spain. The thousands of ships gathered in the city's bay also fueled Havana's agriculture and manufacture, since they had to be supplied with food, water, and other products needed to traverse the ocean.  In 1563, the ''Capitán General'' (the Spanish Governor of the island) moved his residence from Santiago de Cuba to Havana, by reason of that city's newly gained wealth and importance, thus unofficially sanctioning its status as capital of the island.
+By the middle of the eighteenth century Havana had more than 70,000 inhabitants, and was the third largest city in [[the Americas]], ranking behind [[Lima]] and [[Mexico City]] but ahead of [[Boston]] and [[New York City]].<ref>Hugh Thomas. ''Cuba, or the Pursuit of Freedom,'' 2nd Ed. (original 1971) (New York: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN 0306808277), 1</ref>
-On [[December 20]], [[1592]], King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of City. Later on, the city would be officially designated as "Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies" by the Spanish crown.  In the meantime, efforts to build or improve the defensive infrastructures of the city continued. The [[San Salvador de la Punta Fortress|San Salvador de la Punta]] castle guarded the west entrance of the bay, while the [[Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro]] guarded the eastern entrance. The [[Castillo de la Real Fuerza]] defended the city's centre, and doubled as the Governor's residence until a more comfortable palace was built. Two other defensive towers, La Chorrera and [[Lazarus|San Lázaro]] were also built in this period.
+Havana’s fortifications withstood attacks until August 1762, when the British under [[Admiral Sir George Pocock]] (1706-1792) besieged the city for three-months, and held it as a prize of [[war]] for six months until the treaty ending the [[Seven Years’ War]] (1756-1763) restored Havana to [[Spain]].
-===17th-19th centuries===
+While in control, the British immediately opened up trade with their [[North America]]n and [[Caribbean]] colonies, transforming Cuban society. [[Food]], [[horse]]s and other goods flooded into the city, and thousands of [[slavery|slaves]] from [[West Africa]] were transported to the island to work on the undermanned [[sugar]] plantations.
-Havana expanded greatly in the 17th century. New buildings were constructed from the most abundant materials of the island, mainly [[wood]], combining various [[Iberian]] architectural styles, as well as borrowing profusely from [[Canary islands|Canarian]] characteristics. During this period the city also built civic monuments and religious constructions. The convent of St Augustin, El Morro Castle, the chapel of the Humilladero, the fountain of Dorotea de la Luna in La Chorrera, the church of the Holy Angel, the hospital of San Lazaro, the monastery of Santa Teresa and the convent of San Felipe Neri were all completed in this era.
-In 1649 a fatal epidemic brought from [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] in Colombia, affected a third of the population of Havana. On [[November 30]], [[1665]], Queen [[Mariana of Austria]], widow of King [[Philip IV of Spain]], ratified the heraldic shield of Cuba, which took as its symbolic motifs the first three castles of Havana: the Real Fuerza, the [[Morro Castle (fortress)|Tres Santos Reyes Magos del Morro]] and San Salvador de la Punta. The shield also displayed a symbolic golden key to represent the title "Key to the Gulf". On 1674, the works for the City Walls were started, as part of the fortification efforts. They would be completed by 1740.
+After regaining the city, the Spanish transformed Havana into the most heavily fortified city in the Americas. By the end of the 18th century, Havana attracted [[France|French]] craftsmen, [[Great Britain|British]] merchants, [[Germany|German]] bankers, and others, giving Havana a distinct international and cosmopolitan character. But Cuba remained a Spanish colony while wars of independence raged elsewhere in Spain’s New World empire in the early 1800s.
-By the middle of the 18th century Havana had more than seventy thousand inhabitants, and was the third largest city in the Americas, ranking behind [[Lima]] and [[Mexico City]] but ahead of [[Boston]] and [[New York city|New York]].<ref> Thomas, Hugh : ''Cuba, A pursuit of freedom'' 2nd Edition p.1</ref>
+In 1837, the first [[railroad]] was constructed, a 32-mile (51km) stretch between Havana and [[Bejucal]], which was used for transporting [[sugar]] to the [[harbor]]. [[Gas]] public [[lighting]] was introduced in 1848. In 1863, the city walls were razed so that the city could be enlarged.
-The city was captured by the [[Great Britain|British]] during the [[Seven Years' War]]. The episode began on [[June 6]], [[1762]], when at dawn, a British fleet, comprising more than 50 ships and a combined force of over 11,000 men of the [[Royal Navy]] and Army, sailed into Cuban waters and made an amphibious landing east of Havana.<ref name="Seven Years War">Pocock, Tom : Battle for Empire : The very first world war 1756-63. Chapter Six</ref> The invaders seized the heights known as La Cabaña on the east side of the harbor and commenced a bombardment of nearby El Morro Castle, as well as the city itself. After a two month [[siege]]<ref name="Siege">Thomas, Hugh : Cuba : The Pursuit of Freedom 2nd edition. Chapter One</ref>, El Morro was [[British expedition against Cuba|attacked and taken]] on 30 July 1762. The city formally surrendered on 13 August.<ref name="Seven Years War" /> It was subsequently governed by Sir [[George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle|George Keppel]] on behalf of Great Britain. Although the British only lost 560 men to combat injuries during the siege, more than half their forces ultimately died due to illness, [[yellow fever]] in particular.
+At the end of the nineteenth century, with an independence movement gaining support, Havana witnessed waning Spanish [[colonialism]] in America, which ended definitively when the [[United States]]' warship ''Maine'' was sunk in its port, on February 15, 1898, giving that country the pretext to invade the island.
-The British immediately opened up trade with their [[North American]] and Caribbean colonies, causing a rapid transformation of Cuban society. Food, horses and other goods flooded into the city, and thousands of slaves from [[West Africa]] were transported to the island to work on the undermanned sugar plantations.<ref name="Siege" /> Though Havana, which had become the third largest city in the new world, was to enter an era of sustained development and strengthening ties with North America, the British occupation was not to last. Pressure from [[London]] by sugar merchants fearing a decline in sugar prices forced a series of negotiations with the Spanish over colonial territories. Less than a year after Havana was seized, the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Peace of Paris]] was signed by the three warring powers thus ending the Seven Years' War. The treaty gave Britain [[Florida]] in exchange for Cuba on the recommendation of the French, who advised that declining the offer could result in Spain losing Mexico and much of the [[South America]]n mainland to the British.<ref name="Siege" />
+After the Spanish troops left the island in December 1898, the government of [[Cuba]] was handed over to the United States on January 1, 1899. For 60 years, Cuba was a close economic and [[politics|political]] ally of the [[United States]]. Havana acquired the look of a U.S. city, as more U.S. businesses and tourists moved there. Havana achieved being the [[Latin America]]n city with the largest middle class per-capita simultaneously accompanied by [[gambling]] and [[corruption]] where gangsters and celebrities were known to mix socially.
-[[Image:Parque Central on Paseo de Prado, Havana.jpg|thumb|190px|Paseo del Prado leading to Parque Central]]
-[[Image:Le parc central de La Havane.jpg|thumb|190px|[[Centro Habana, Cuba|Centro Habana]] district]]
-[[Image:Museo de la Revolución, Havana-Cuba.jpg|thumb|[[Museo de la Revolución]]]]
-After regaining the city, the Spanish transformed Havana into the most heavily fortified city in the Americas. Construction began on what was to become the Fortress of [[La Cabaña|San Carlos de la Cabaña]], the biggest Spanish fortification in the New World. The work extended for eleven years and was enormously costly, but on completion the fort was considered an unassailable bastion and essential to Havana's defence. It was provided with a large number of cannons forged in [[Barcelona]]. Other fortifications were constructed, as well: the castle of ''Atarés'' defended the [[Shipyard]] in the inner bay, while the castle of ''El Príncipe'' guarded the city from the west. Several cannon batteries located along the bay's [[canal]] (among them the ''San Nazario'' and ''Doce Apóstoles'' batteries) ensured that no place in the harbor remained undefended.
+Cuba’s government wavered between a fragile [[democracy]] and a dictatorship, with corruption running rampant. There were a number of coup attempts against the government of [[Fulgencio Batista]] (1901–1973). Change came when [[Fidel Castro]] (b. 1926) took control of Cuba on January 1, 1959.
-The [[Havana cathedral]] was constructed in 1748 as a [[Jesuit]] church, and converted in 1777 into the ''Parroquial Mayor'' church, after the [[Suppression of the Jesuits]] in Spanish territory in 1767. In 1788, it formally became a Cathedral. Between 1789 and 1790 Cuba was apportioned into an individual [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Cristobal de la Habana|diocese]] by the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. On [[January 15]], [[1796]], the remains of [[Christopher Columbus]] were transported to the island from [[Santo Domingo]]. They rested here until 1898, when they were transferred to [[Seville Cathedral|Seville's Cathedral]], after Spain's loss of Cuba.
+Castro promised to improve [[social services]], public housing, and official buildings. But shortages soon affected Cuba following Castro's abrupt declaration of a one party [[communism|communist]] state. He nationalized all private property and businesses on the island, prompting an embargo by the [[United States|U.S.]] that hit Havana especially hard.
-<span id="El_Arsenal"></span>Havana's shipyard (named ''El Arsenal'') was extremely active, thanks to the lumber resources available in the vicinity of the city. The ''[[Spanish ship Santísima Trinidad|Santísima Trinidad]]'' was the largest warship of her time.  Launched in 1769, she was about 62 meters long, had three decks and 120 cannons. She was later upgraded to as many as 144 cannons and four decks. She sank following the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] in 1805. This ship cost 40.000 ''pesos fuertes'' of the time, which gives an idea of the importance of the Arsenal, by comparing its cost to the 26 million ''pesos fuertes'' and 109 ships produced during the Arsenal's existence.<ref>[http://www.vitruvius.com.br/arquitextos/arq000/esp175e.asp Arquitextos - Periódico mensal de textos de arquitetura<!--Bot-generated title—>]</ref>
+The [[Soviet Union]] collapsed in 1991, ending the billions of dollars in subsidies to the Cuban government. Many believed the Castro government would soon vanish, as had other Soviet-backed governments in [[Eastern Europe]]. However, the communist government turned to [[tourism]] for financial support, targeting [[Canada]] and [[western Europe]]an nations, and bringing in about two billion dollars annually, according to [[National Geographic]].
-As trade between Caribbean and North American states increased in the early 19th century, Havana became a flourishing and fashionable city. Havana's theaters featured the most distinguished actors of the age, and prosperity amongst the burgeoning middle-class led to expensive new classical mansions being erected. During this period Havana became known as the [[Paris]] of the [[Antilles]].
+By the beginning of the twenty-first century, much of Havana was dilapidated and crumbling, with its citizens not having the money or the government authorization to preserve the old buildings.
-The 19th century opened with the arrival in Havana of [[Alexander von Humboldt]], who was impressed by the vitality of the port. In 1837, the first railroad was constructed, a 51 km stretch between Havana and [[Bejucal]], which was used for transporting [[sugar]] from the valley of Guinness to the harbor. With this, Cuba became the fifth country in the world to have a railroad, and the first [[Spanish Language|Spanish]]-speaking country. Throughout the century, Havana was enriched by the construction of additional cultural facilities, such as the [[Great Theatre of Havana|Tacon Teatre]], one of the most luxurious in the world, the Artistic and Literary Liceo (Lyceum) and the theater Coliseo.
+On the night of July 8-9, 2005, the eastern suburbs of the city took a direct hit from [[Hurricane Dennis]], with {{convert|100|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} winds the storm whipped fierce {{convert|10|ft|m|sing=on}} waves over Havana's seawall, and its winds tore apart pieces of some of the city's crumbling colonial buildings. Chunks of [[concrete]] fell from the city's colonial buildings. At least 5000 homes were damaged in Havana's surrounding province.<ref>''Hurricane City''. [http://www.hurricanecity.com/city/havana.htm Havana, Cuba's history with tropical systems] Retrieved December 2, 2008.</ref> Three months later, on October 2005, the coastal regions suffered severe [[flooding]] following [[Hurricane Wilma]].
-In 1863, the city walls were knocked down so that the [[metropolis]] could be enlarged. At the end of the century, the well-off classes moved to the quarter of [[Vedado]]. Later, they emigrated towards [[Miramar, Havana|Miramar]], and today, evermore to the west, they have settled in [[Siboney, Cuba|Siboney]]. At the end of the 19th century, Havana witnessed the final moments of Spanish colonialism in America, which ended definitively when the United States warship ''Maine'' was sunk in its port, giving that country the pretext to invade the island. The 20th century began with Havana, and therefore Cuba, under occupation by the [[USA]]. In 1906 the [[Bank of Nova Scotia]] opened the first branch in Havana.  By 1931 it had three branches in Havana.
+==Government==
+[[Cuba]] is a [[communism|communist]] state. The president is both chief of state and head of government, and proposes members of the cabinet of ministers. The unicameral National Assembly of People's Power comprises 614 members elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms.
-===Republican period and Post-revolution===
+The national government is headquartered in Havana and plays an extremely visible role in the city's life. Havana is dependent upon the national government for much of its budgetary and overall political direction.
-Under American influence, the city grew and prospered. Numerous residencies, luxury hotels, casinos and nightclubs were constructed since the 1930s to serve Havana's burgeoning tourist industry. [[Santo Trafficante, Jr.]] took the roulette wheel at the Sans-Souci, [[Meyer Lansky]] directed the Riviera, [[Lucky Luciano]], the National Casino, and the Havana Hilton was Latin America's tallest, largest hotel. At the time Havana became an exotic capital of appeal and numerous activities ranging from marinas, grand prix car racing, musical shows, parks, etc.
-Havana achieved being the [[Latin America]]n city with the biggest middle class per-capita simultaneously accompanied by gambling and corruption where gangsters and stars were known to mix socially. During this era Havana was usually producing more revenue than [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. A gallery of black and white portraits from the era still adorns the walls of the bar of the National Hotel, including pictures of [[Frank Sinatra]] with [[Ava Gardner]], [[Marlene Dietrich]] and [[Gary Cooper]].  In 1958 about 300,000 American tourists visited the city. One of the most well-known to the world was the American author [[Ernest Hemingway]] (1899-1961), who quoted "''in terms of beauty, only [[Venice]] and Paris surpassed Havana''", Hemingway wrote several of his famous novels in Cuba and lived there the last 22 years of his life.<ref>[http://www.ernest.hemingway.com/cuba.htm Ernest Hemingway life] - Homing To The Stream:  Ernest Hemingway in Cuba.</ref>
+The all-embracing authority of the [[Communist Party of Cuba]], the Revolutionary Armed Forces ([[Military of Cuba]]), the militia, and neighborhood groups called the [[Committees for the Defense of the Revolution]] (CDRs), has led to a declining role for the city government, which, nevertheless, still provides such essential services as garbage collection and fire protection. The CDRs, which exist in virtually every street and apartment block, have two main functions: first, to actually defend the revolution against both external and internal opposition by keeping routine record of every resident's activities and, second, to handle routine tasks in maintaining neighborhoods.
-After the revolution of 1959 promises were made to improve social services, public housing, and official buildings; nevertheless, shortages that affected Cuba following [[Fidel Castro]]'s abrupt declaration of Cuba as a one party communist state and with it the nationalization of all private property and businesses on the island (foreign and national), followed by the [[United States|U.S.]] [[United States embargo against Cuba|embargo]], hit Havana especially hard. By 1966-68, the Cuban government had [[nationalized]] all privately owned business entities in Cuba, down to "certain kinds of small retail forms of commerce" (law No. 1076 [http://www.cubaheritage.org/articles.asp?lID=1&artID=236]). Today much of the city is in a vast dilapidated state and crumbling, with its citizens not having the monetary ability nor the government authorization to preserve the old buildings from the effects of the tropical climate and occasional [[hurricanes]].
+Havana is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. Havana city borders are contiguous with the Habana Province, thus Havana functions as both a city and a [[province]]. There are two joint councils upon which city and provincial authorities meet. One embraces municipal and provincial leaders on a national basis, the other, a Havana city and provincial council. A mayor is the chief administrative officer. Havana is divided into 15 constituent municipalities.
-Following a severe economic downturn after the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] in 1991 and with it the end of the billions of dollars in subsidies the Soviet Union gave the Cuban government, many believed Havana's Soviet maintained government would soon vanish, as it happened in [[Eastern Europe]]. However, the socialist government increasingly turned to tourism for financial support. Most of this new tourism comes from Canada and western European nations, amounting to approximately 2 billion dollars annually according to [[National Geographic]]. An effort has gone into rebuilding Old Havana for tourist purposes and a number of streets and squares have been rehabilitated.<ref>[http://www.granma.cu/ESPANOL/2006/diciembre/juev7/elogian-e.html Old Havana restoration] - Success on the restoration program of Havana</ref>
-===Government===
-[[Image:Ciudad de La Habana municipalities.gif|220px|left|thumb|The 15 administrative divisions of Havana]]
-[[Image:Cuban Ministry of Interior.jpg||thumb|Ministry of Interior building in [[Plaza de la Revolucion|Plaza de la Revolucion]]]]
-[[Image:Revolution square.jpg|thumb|[[José Martí Memorial]], Plaza de la Revolución]]
-Havana is administered by a city council, with a mayor as chief administrative officer. The city is dependent upon the national government, however, for much of its budgetary and overall political direction. The national government is headquartered in Havana and plays an extremely visible role in the city's life. Moreover, the all-embracing authority of many national institutions, including the [[Communist Party of Cuba]] ''(Partido Comunista de Cuba; PCC)'', the Revolutionary Armed Forces ([[Military of Cuba]]), the militia, and neighbourhood groups called the [[Committees for the Defense of the Revolution]] (CDRs), has led to a declining role for the city government, which, nevertheless, still provides such essential services as garbage collection and fire protection. The CDRs, which exist in virtually every street and apartment block, have two main functions: first, to actually defend the revolution against both external and internal opposition by keeping routine record of every resident's activities and, second, to handle routine tasks in maintaining neighborhoods.
-Havana city borders are contiguous with the Habana Province. Thus Havana functions as both a city and a [[province]]. There are two joint councils upon which city and provincial authorities meet—one embraces municipal and provincial leaders on a national basis, the other, a Havana city and provincial council. Havana is divided into 15 constituent municipalities. Until 1976 there were six subdivisions, but in that year the city's borders were expanded to include the entire metropolitan area.
-===Municipios===
-The city is divided into 15 ''municipios'' - municipalities or boroughs. (Numbers refer to map above).
-{|class="wikitable sortable"
-|-
-![[Municipalities of Cuba|Municipality]]!!Population<br>(2004)!!Area<br>(km²)!!Location!!Remarks
-|-
-|[[Arroyo Naranjo, Cuba|Arroyo Naranjo]]||{{commas|210053}}||{{commas|83}}||<small>{{Coord|23|00|52|N|82|18|11|W|format=dec|name=Arroyo Naranjo}}</small>|| (10)
-|-
-|[[Boyeros]]||{{commas|188593}}||{{commas|134}}||<small>{{Coord|22|58|41|N|82|23|23|W|format=dec|name=Boyeros}}</small>|| (1)
-|-
-|[[Centro Habana, Cuba|Centro Habana]]||{{commas|158151}}||{{commas|4}}||<small>{{Coord|23|08|9|N|82|22|56|W|format=dec|name=Centro Habana}}</small>|| (6)
-|-
-|[[Cerro, Cuba|Cerro]]||{{commas|132351}}||{{commas|10}}||<small>{{Coord|23|06|49|N|82|21|48|W|format=dec|name=Cerro}}</small>|| (8)
-|-
-|[[Cotorro, Cuba|Cotorro]]||{{commas|74650}}||{{commas|66}}||<small>{{Coord|23|00|17|N|82|12|49|W|format=dec|name=Cotorro}}</small>|| (12)
-|-
-|[[Diez de Octubre, Cuba|Diez de Octubre]]||{{commas|227293}}||{{commas|12}}||<small>{{Coord|23|05|49|N|82|20|24|W|format=dec|name=Diez de Octubre}}</small>|| (9)
-|-
-|[[Guanabacoa]]||{{commas|112964}}||{{commas|127}}||<small>{{Coord|23|05|55|N|82|14|59|W|format=dec|name=Guanabacoa}}</small>|| (13)
-|-
-|[[Habana del Este|La Habana del Este]]||{{commas|178041}}||{{commas|145}}||<small>{{Coord|23|09|44|N|82|14|58|W|format=dec|name=La Habana del Este}}</small>|| (15)
-|-
-|[[Old Havana|La Habana Vieja]]||{{commas|95383}}||{{commas|5}}||<small>{{Coord|23|08|14|N|82|21|57|W|format=dec|name=La Habana Vieja}}</small>|| (7)
-|-
-|[[La Lisa, Cuba|La Lisa]]||{{commas|131148}}||{{commas|38}}||<small>{{Coord|23|01|57|N|82|28|42|W|format=dec|name=La Lisa}}</small>|| (2)
-|-
-|[[Marianao]]||{{commas|135551}}||{{commas|21}}||<small>{{Coord|23|04|45|N|82|24|0|W|format=dec|name=Marianao}}</small>|| (4)
-|-
-|[[Playa, Havana|Playa]]||{{commas|186959}}||{{commas|36}}||<small>{{Coord|23|05|39|N|82|26|56|W|format=dec|name=Playa}}</small>|| (3)
-|-
-|[[Plaza de la Revolución]]||{{commas|161631}}||{{commas|12}}||<small>{{Coord|23|08|0|N|82|23|15|W|format=dec|name=Plaza de la Revolución}}</small>|| (5)
-|-
-|[[Regla, Cuba|Regla]]||{{commas|44431}}||{{commas|9}}||<small>{{Coord|23|08|11|N|82|18|5|W|format=dec|name=Regla}}</small>|| (14)
-|-
-|[[San Miguel del Padrón]]||{{commas|159273}}||{{commas|26}}||<small>{{Coord|23|03|19|N|82|16|55|W|format=dec|name=San Miguel del Padrón}}</small>|| (11)
-|}{{kml}}
-:''Source: Population from 2004 Census.''<ref name=atenas>{{cite web|url=http://www.atenas.inf.cu/todo/Estadisticas/TABLA%20No_3balance.htm|title=2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality|author=Atenas.cu|year=2004|accessdate=2007-10-06}} {{Es icon}}</ref> ''Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.''<ref name=statoids>{{cite web|url=http://www.statoids.com/ycu.html|title=Municipios of Cuba|author=Statoids|year=2003|month=July|accessdate=2007-10-06}} </ref>
 ==Economy==
-===Industry===
+The Cuban Government adheres to [[socialism|socialist]] principles in which most of the means of production are owned and run by the government and most of the labor force is employed by the state. There was a trend towards more private sector employment in the early twenty-first century. The government has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services.
-[[Image:Vedado skyline at night, Havana.jpg|thumb|[[Vedado]], the city's financial center]]
-[[Image:Havana harbour entrance.jpg‎|thumb|[[People's Republic of China|Chinese]] cargo ship leaving the harbour]]
-Havana's economy first developed on the basis of its location, which made it one of the early great trade centres in the New World. Sugar and a flourishing [[slave]] trade first brought riches to the city, and later, after independence, it became a renowned resort.  Despite efforts by Fidel Castro's government to spread Cuba's industrial activity to all parts of the island, Havana remains the centre of much of the nation's industry. The traditional sugar industry, upon which the island's economy has been based for three centuries, is centred elsewhere on the island and controls some three-fourths of the export economy. But light manufacturing facilities, meat-packing plants, and chemical and pharmaceutical operations are concentrated in Havana. Other food-processing industries are also important, along with shipbuilding, vehicle manufacturing, production of alcoholic beverages (particularly rum), textiles, and tobacco products, particularly the world-famous [[Habanos]] cigars.<ref>[http://www.macalester.edu/courses/geog61/jtahtinen/economy.html The economy of Havana]</ref> Although the [[harbour]]s of [[Cienfuegos]] and [[Matanzas]], in particular, have been developed under the revolutionary government, Havana remains Cuba's primary port facility; 50% of Cuban imports and exports pass through Havana. The port also supports a considerable fishing industry.
-Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the [[United States embargo against Cuba]], Havana and the rest of Cuba suddenly plunged into its worst economic crisis since the [[Cuban Revolution|1959 Revolution]], the crisis was known officially as the [[Special Period|Special Period in Time of Peace]].  The effects of the Special Period and consequent food shortages have had greatest repercussions in the city of Havana. With approximately 2.5 million people, Havana has about one fifth of Cuba's total population and is the largest city in the Caribbean. In addition to the decline in food production needed to serve the capital, there is also a shortage of petroleum necessary to transport, refrigerate, and store food available from the rural agricultural sector. Havana has been designated as a priority in the National Food Program; urban gardening has figured critically among the many measures taken to enhance food security. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba re-emphasized tourism as a major industry, which today is Havana and Cuba's primary economic source <ref>[http://www.uiowa.edu/ifdebook/conferences/cuba/TLCP/Volume%201/Facio.pdf Tourism in Cuba during the Special Period]</ref>.
-===Tourism===
-Before the [[Cuban_Revolution|triumph of the revolution in 1959]] – and particularly from 1915 to 1930 -  [[tourism]] was one of [[Cuba]]’s major sources of hard currency (behind only the sugar and [[tobacco]] industries).  Havana, where a kind of laisser-faire attitude in all things leisurely was the norm, was the Caribbean’s most popular destination, particularly with US citizens, who sought to skirt the restrictions of prohibition America.
-Following a severe drop in the influx of tourists to the island (resulting, primarily, from the Great Depression, the end of prohibition in the United States and the outbreak of [[World_War_II|World War II]]), Havana began to welcome visitors in significant numbers again in the 1950s, when US organized crime secured control of much of the leisure and tourism industries in the country. This was a time when Cuba’s foreign minister boasted that Havana spent as much on parties as any major capital in the world, when the island was the mob’s most secure link in the drug-trafficking chain which culminated in the United States and when the country’s justified reputation for sensuality and dolce vita pursuits earned it the appellation of “the Latin Las Vegas”. [[Meyer_Lansky|Meyer Lansky]] built the [http://www.hotelhavanariviera.com Hotel Riviera], [[Santo_Trafficante|Santo Trafficante]] came to own shares in the Sevilla and a casino was opened at the [http://www.hotelplazacuba.com Hotel Plaza] during this time.
-It was tourism’s association to the world of gambling and prostitution which made the revolutionary government established in 1959 approach the entire sector as a social evil to be eradicated. Many bars and gambling venues were closed down following the revolution and a government body, the National Institute of the Tourism Industry, took over many facilities (traditionally available to wealthy) to make them accessible to the general public.
-With the deterioration of Cuba – US relations and the imposition of a trade embargo on the island in 1961, tourism dropped drastically and did not return to anything close to its pre-revolution levels until 1989. The revolutionary government in general, and Fidel Castro in particular, initially opposed any considerable development of the tourism industry, linking the sphere to the debauchery and criminal activities of times past. In the late 1970s, however, Castro changed his stance and, in 1982, the Cuban government passed a foreign investment code which opened a number of sectors, tourism included, to foreign capital.
-Through the creation of firms open to such foreign investment (such as [http://www.cubanacan.cu Cubanacan], established in 1987), Cuba began to attract capital for hotel development, managing to increase the number of tourists from 130,000 (in 1980) to 326,000 (by the end of that decade).
-As a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies in 1989 and early 90s, Cuba was plunged into a severe economic crisis and saw itself in desperate need of foreign currency. The answer, again, was found in tourism, and the Cuban government spent considerable sums in the industry to attract visitors. Following heavy investment, by 1995, the industry had become Cuba’s main source of income.
-===Commerce and finance===
-Under the government of Fidel Castro, Cuba's traditional free-enterprise system was replaced by a heavily socialized economic system. The majority of business in Cuba is in the hands of the state. In Havana Cuban-owned businesses and U.S.-owned businesses were nationalized and today most businesses operate solely under state control. In Old Havana and throughout Vedado there are a several small private businesses, such as shoe-repair shops or dressmaking facilities, but their number is steadily declining.  In general, as a result of this extreme centralized economy by the communist regime there is an extreme economic stagnation seen throughout the city and countless buildings have become vacant, abandoned, and beyond repair. Banking as well is totally under state control, and the [[National Bank of Cuba]], headquartered in Havana, is the control center of the Cuban economy. Its branches in some cases occupy buildings that were in pre-revolutionary times the offices of Cuban or foreign banks.
-Vedado is today Havana's financial district, the main banks, airline companies offices, shops, most businesses headquarters, numerous high-rise apartments and hotels,  are located in the area<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-624418/Vedado Vedado (district, Havana, Cuba)] - This part of the city, built largely in the 20th century, contains attractive homes, tall apartments, and offices along wide, tree-lined boulevards and avenues.</ref>.  In the late 1990s Vedado, located along the Caribbean waterfront,  started to represent the principal commercial area. It was developed extensively between 1930 and 1960, when Havana developed as a major destination for U.S. tourists; high-rise hotels, [[casino]]s, restaurants, and upscale commercial establishments, many reflecting the art deco style<ref>[http://www.paseosporlahabana.com/cats.asp?cID=83 Vedado]- De una casa colonial a una mansión del Vedado</ref>.  The University of Havana is located in Vedado.
-==Transportation==
-====Transport====
-{{see|Transportation in Cuba}}
-[[Image:Havana Airport terminal 3.jpg|thumb|200px|José Martí International Airport]]
-[[Image:Metrobus de La Habana.jpg|thumb|200px|MetroBus [[articulated buses]]]]
-Nationally, public transport in Cuba is directed by the Ministerio del Transporte (MITRANS).  In the Province of the City of Havana, Provincial Transport Authority functions are carried out by 11 divisions.
-Public transport must be self-financing. Until 1994, general government funds from MITRANS (of around $US4 million per annum) were used to fund the Provincial Transport Directorate in the City of Havana budget. Public transport in Havana has always been able to cover operating expenses that are paid in [[Cuban Peso]]s through the fares. But there has been a constant problem with financing fuel, new vehicles and spare parts and other supplies which require hard currency like US dollars – which led to a reduction in service provision. To address this, enterprises that generate hard currency (like the tourist taxis, tourist rental cars, and tourist cocotaxi elements of Panatrans and the Transmetro services that hire out buses and trucks to dollar-owning companies) cross subsidise the other services, in particular OM and MetroBus.
-In addition, a service planning team from the [[RATP|Regional Transit Authority of Paris]] (RATP) has been working to redefine the public transport network in the capital. The main aim of this project has been to rationalise the number of existing routes to match the actual passenger demand. The first of these new principal routes has already been put into place.
-;Air
-Havana is served by [[José Martí International Airport]]. It lies about 11 km south of the city center, and is the main hub of [[Cubana de Aviación]]. José Martí International Airport is Cuba's main international and domestic getaway, it is also hub of [[Aerogaviota]] and [[Aero Caribbean]]. The airport serves several million passengers each year, 80% of Cuba's international passengers along with Varadero's Airport, it handles flights from over 25 international airlines serving more than 60 worldwide destinations, mainly in Europe, North, Central and South America and over 3 national airlines serving 16 domestic destinations.  Havana is also served by [[Playa Baracoa Airport]] which is small airport to the west of city used for some domestic flights, primarily Aerogaviota.
-;Rail
-Havana has a network of suburban, interurban and long-distance rail lines, the only one in the Caribbean region.  The railways are nationalised and run by the UFC (Union de [[Ferrocarriles de Cuba]] – Union for Railways of Cuba).  Rail service connects Havana from the ''Central Rail Station'', ''La Coubre''' and ''Casablanca stations''  to various [[provinces of Cuba|Cuban provinces]].  Currently annual passenger volume is some 12 million, but demand is estimated at two-and-a-half to three times this value, with the busiest route being between Havana and Santiago de Cuba, some 836 km apart by rail. In 2000 the Union de Ferrocarriles de Cuba bought French first class airconditioned coaches.
-[[Image:Havana Metrobus route map.JPG|250px|thumb|left||Metrobus route map]]
-Fast trains line 1 and 2 between Havana (Central Station) and Santiago de Cuba use comfortable stainless-steel air-conditioned coaches bought from French Railways and now known as "el tren francés" (the French train).  It runs daily at peak periods of the year (Summer season, Christmas & Easter), and on every second day at other times of the year. These coaches were originally used on the premier [[Trans Europ Express]] service between Paris, [[Brussels]] and [[Amsterdam]] before being replaced with high speed [[Thalys]] trains.  They were shipped to the Cuban Railways System in 2001.  It offers two classes of seating, basic leatherette "especial" and quite luxurious "primera especial".
-;Bus
-The  Havana public buses are carried out by two divisions, Omnibus Metropolitanos (OM) and MetroBus.  The Omnibus Metropolitanos division has one of the most used and largest [[Public transport|urban bus]] fleets in the country, its fleet is widely diverse in new and old donated bus models, primerally well used [[Busscar|Busscar Urbanuss]] manufactured by [[Mercedes-Benz buses|Mercedes-Benz]]  with an additional new 255 purchased in 2004.<ref>[http://www.granma.cu/INGLES/2004/septiembre/juev30/40fit-i.html "International transportation fair in Havana Business in excess of $100 million, Granma national newspaper note] </ref> The Cuban government will invest $2,000 million dollars for the acquisition of 1,500 new [[Yutong]] urban buses and another 1,000 interprovincial buses in a 5 years period.  There are several inter-province bus services such as ''Astro'', the regular National public transportation, Astro connects the capital city with all over the island, in 2005 Astro completely replaced its fleet with brand new [[Zhengzhou Yutong Bus|Yutong buses]].
-The Metrobus division are known as "camellos" (camels).  The camellos operate the busiest routes and are trailers transformed into buses known as camels, so called for their two humps. It's a Cuban invention after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the Special Period began.  The Metrobus division purchased seven [[articulated buses]] which are currently serving the '''M-5''' camello line, covering a route from San Agustín in [[La Lisa, Cuba|La Lisa]] municipality to Vedado. All camello trailers will be replaced by new articulated buses.
-Public transportation MetroBus (former camello) routes:
-* '''M-1''' ''Alamar'' - ''[[Vedado]]'' via Fraternidad
-* '''M-2''' ''Fraternidad'' - ''Santiago de las Vegas''
-* '''M-3''' ''Alamar'' - ''Ciudad Deportiva''
-* '''M-4''' ''Fraternidad'' - ''San Agustin'' via [[Marianao]]
-* '''M-5''' ''Vedado'' - ''San Agustin''
-* '''M-6''' ''Calvario'' - ''Vedado''
-* '''M-7''' ''Parque de la Fraternidad'' - ''Alberro'' via [[Cotorro, Cuba|Cotorro]]
-==Of interest==
-===Architecture===
-;Neo-classical
-Havana is unique due to its unrivalled rhythmic arcades built largely by Spanish immigrants. Many interior patios remain similar to designs in Seville, [[Cadiz]] and [[Granada]].  [[Neoclassical architecture|Neo-classicism]] affected all new buildings in Havana and can be seen all over the city. Many urban features were introduced into the city at the time including Gas public lighting in 1848 and the railroad in 1837. In the second half of the 18th century, sugar and coffee production increased rapidly, which became essential in the development of Havana's most prominent architectural style. Many wealthy ''Habaneros'' took their inspiration from the [[France|French]]; this can be seen within the interiors of upper class houses such as the ''Aldama Palace'' built in 1844. This is considered the most important neoclassical residential building in Cuba and typifies the design of many houses of this period with portales of neoclassical columns facing open spaces or courtyards.
-[[Image:Square in Old Havana.jpg|thumb|200px|Square in [[La Habana Vieja]]]]
-In 1925 [[Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier]], the head of urban planning in Paris moved to Havana for five years to collaborate with architects and landscape designers. In the master planning of the city his aim was to create a harmonic balance between the classical built form and the tropical landscape. He embraced and connected the city’s road networks while accentuating prominent landmarks. His influence has left a huge mark on Havana although many of his ideas were cut short by the great depression in 1929.  During the first decades of the 20th century Havana expanded more rapidly than at any time during its history. Great wealth prompted architectural styles to be influenced from abroad.  The peak of Neoclassicism came with the construction of the Vedado district (begun in1859). This whole neighbourhood is littered with set back well-proportioned buildings.
-[[Image:TeatroGarciaLorca.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Great Theatre of Havana]]]]
-[[Image:Lonja del Comercio, La Havane.jpg|200px|thumb|Lonja del Comercio]]
-[[Image:CapitolioNacionalHavana.jpg|thumb|200px|[[El Capitolio]]]]
-;Colonial and Baroque
+With an estimated per capita GDP of $11,000 in 2007, the average Cuban's standard of living remained, in 2008, at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] aid and domestic inefficiencies.
-Great riches were brought from the colonialists into and through Havana as it was a key [[transshipment]] point between the [[new world]] and [[old world]]. As a result Havana was the most heavily fortified city in the Americas.  Most examples of early architecture can be seen in military fortifications such as La Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana (1558 - 1577) designed by ''Juan Antonelli'' and the Castillo del Morro (1589 - 1630). This sits at the entrance of Havana Bay and provides an insight into the supremacy and wealth at that time. Old Havana was also protected by a defensive wall begun in 1674 but had already overgrown its boundaries when it was completed in 1767, becoming the new neighbourhood of Centro Habana.
-The influence from different styles and cultures can be seen in Havana's colonial architecture, with a diverse range of [[Moorish]], Spanish, [[Italy|Italian]], [[Greece|Greek]] and [[Roman architecture|Roman]]. The Convento de Santa Clara (1638 - 18th century) is a good example of early Spanish influenced architecture. Its great hall looks resembles an inverted ship and shows the skill of early craftsmen.  The Havana cathedral (1748 -1777) dominating the Plaza de la Caterdral (1749) is the best example of Cuban Baroque. Surrounding it are the Condes de Casa-Bayona (1720 -1746) Marqueses de Arcos (1746) and the Marqueses de Aguas Claras (1751 -1775).
+The extreme [[centralized economy]] has resulted in extreme economic stagnation throughout Havana and countless buildings have become vacant, abandoned, and beyond repair.
-;Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Eclectic
+The [[sugar]] industry, upon which the island's economy has been based for 300 years, is centered elsewhere on the island and controls some three-fourths of the export economy. But light manufacturing facilities, [[meat]]-packing plants, and [[chemical]] and [[pharmaceutical]] operations are concentrated in Havana. Other [[food]]-processing industries are also important, along with shipbuilding, vehicle manufacturing, production of [[alcoholic beverage]]s (particularly [[rum]]), [[textile]]s, and [[tobacco]] products, particularly the world-famous [[Habanos]] [[cigar]]s.<ref>''Geography of World Urbanization''. [http://www.macalester.edu/courses/geog61/jtahtinen/economy.html The economy of Havana] Retrieved December 2, 2008.</ref>
-At the turn of the 20th century Havana, along with [[Buenos Aires]], was the grandest and most important [[Latin American]] city in terms of architecture. This boom period known as ''vacas gordas'' (fat cows) demonstrates huge examples of buildings from the international influences of [[art nouveau]], [[art deco]] and [[Eclecticism|eclectic]].  Its suburbs developed to what we see today as Miramar, Marianao, Vedado and [[Playa, Havana|Playa]]. The lush and wealthy Miramar was set out on the American street grid pattern and became a home to diplomats and foreigners. The railway terminal (1912) and the University of Havana, (1906 -1940) and the [[El Capitolio|Capitolio]] (1926 - 1929) are a good example of the art nouveau style. The Capitolio dome was at 62 meters the highest point in the city and an example of the influence and wealth deriving from the USA at the time. The Lopez Serrano building built in 1932 by Ricardo Mira was the first tall building in Cuba and inspired by the [[Rockefeller Center]] in [[New York]]. Its design influence can be seen in many buildings in [[Miami]] and [[Los Angeles]]. The Edificio Bacardi (1930) is one of Havana's grandest buildings and it's best example of [[Art Deco]]. Located on a small knoll overlooking the entrance to Havana Bay, is the art-deco style [[Hotel Nacional de Cuba]]; originally built in 1929-30 through a joint agreement with the Cuban government and U.S.-based bank.
-;Modernism
+Havana has a network of suburban, inter-urban and long-distance rail lines, the only one in the [[Caribbean]] region. The railways are nationalized and run by the Union for Railways of Cuba.
-Havana, like [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]] in the 40s and 50s developed from marketing itself as a destination for gambling and holidays in the sun. It became a haven for criminals, and gangsters. Many high-rise office buildings, and apartment complexes, along with some hotels approved by [[Fulgencio Batista]] government helped dramatically alter the skyline. Modernism, therefore, transformed much of the city and should be noted for its individual buildings of high quality rather than its larger key buildings. Examples of the latter are [[Habana Libre]] (1958), which before the revolution was the Havana [[Hilton Hotel]] and La Rampa movie theater (1955). Famous architects such as [[Walter Gropius]], [[Richard Neutra]] and [[Oscar Niemeyer]] all passed through the city while strong influences can be seen in Havana at this time from [[Le Corbusier]] and [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]].
-The Edificio Focsa (1956) represents Havana's booming economy and foreign influence at the time. This 35-story complex was conceived and based on Corbusian ideas of a self-contained city within a city. It contained 400 apartments, garages, a school, a supermarket, and restaurant on the top floor. This was the tallest concrete structure in the world at the time (using no steel frame) and the ultimate symbol of luxury. The Havana Riviera Hotel (1957) designed by Irving Feldman, a twenty-one-story, 440-room edifice, towering above the Malecon in Havana was another angular and futuristic building build on the Vedado area impressive for its era. When it opened, the Riviera would be the largest purpose-built casino-hotel in Cuba or anywhere in the world, outside Las Vegas (the [[Havana Hilton]] (1958) surpassed its size a year later). It was build by [[Meyer Lansky]] to equal the comfort and contemporary luxury of any Las Vegas hotel of the era. [[Jose Luis Sert]] had also designed an artificial island off the Malecón whose construction was planned to take place in the 1960s. It was to incorporate huge modern towers, hotels, casinos, and shopping centers which would cater for the city's growing tourism. This like many other post-1959 projects never materialized and western Havana never fully achieved its intended direction. High-rise buildings were to replace some Colonial blocks and buildings mainly around this previously loosely developed western part of the city, mainly the [[Vedado]] and [[Playa, Havana|Playa]] area. It would have drastically altered Havana's profile, marking a new era of significant contemporary growth for the city. It would have created a new more diverse Havana of modernistic appeal on the west accompanying its past glory of abundant colonial and eclectic architecture in [[Old Havana]] and [[Centro Habana]] on the east.
+Havana's Omnibus Metropolitanos has a widely diverse flee of new and old donated bus models. The Metrobus division operates "camellos" (camels), which are trailers transformed into buses, on the busiest routes. The camellos are a Cuban invention following the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] in 1991.
-===Landmarks===
+[[José Martí International Airport]], located about 11km south of the city center, is Cuba's main international and domestic gateway. Havana remains Cuba’s main port, and most imports and exports pass through there, while it supports a considerable [[fishing]] industry.
-[[Image:Capitolio de la Habana interior.jpg|thumb|''Statue of the Republic'', inside the Capitol]]
-* '''[[La Cabaña|Fortaleza San Carlos de la Cabaña]]''' a fortress located on the east side of the Havana bay.  La Cabaña is the most impressive fortress from colonial times, particularly its walls constructed (at the same time as El Morro) at the end of the 18th century.
+==Demographics and culture==
-* '''[[National Capitol Building (Havana)|El Capitolio Nacional]]'''  , it was built in 1929 as the Senate and House of Representatives (and said to be a replica of Washington DC's Capitol), this colossal building is recognizable by its dome which dominates the city's skyline. Inside stands the largest indoor bronze statue in the world representing Pallas Athena. Nowadays, the [[Cuban Academy of Sciences]] headquarters and the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (the National Museum of Natural History) has its venue within the building and contains the largest natural history collection in the country.
+[[Image:Zerfallendes_Havanna_mit_Capitolio.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Apartment buildings.]]
-* '''[[Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro]]''' is a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay.  The construction of the castle Los Tres Reyes del Morro was due to the step along in Havana of the English pirate Sir Francis Drake.
+The city/province had 2,400,300 inhabitants in 2006, and the urban area over 3,710,100, making Havana the largest [[city]] in both [[Cuba]] and the [[Caribbean|Caribbean region]].<ref>''Mongabay''. [http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Latin_America.htm Cities and urban areas in Latin America with population over 100,000] Retrieved December 2, 2008.</ref>
-* '''[[San Salvador de la Punta Fortress|Castillo San Salvador de la Punta]]''' is a small fortress built in the 16th century, at the western entry point to the Havana harbour, played a crucial role in the defence of Havana during the first centuries of colonisation. The fortress still houses some twenty old guns and other military antiques.
-* '''[[Christ of Havana|El Cristo de La Habana]]''' - Havana's statue of Christ blesses the city from the other side of the bay, much like the famous [[Christ the Redeemer (statue)|Cristo Redentor]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]]. Carved from marble by [[Jilma Madera]], it was erected in 1958 on a platform which makes a good spot from which to watch old Havana and the harbour.
-* '''[[Great Theatre of Havana|The Great Theatre of Havana]]''' is famous particularly for the acclaimed [[National Ballet of Cuba]]. It sometimes hosts performances by the National Opera. The theater is also known as concert hall, [[Garcia Lorca]], the biggest in Cuba.
-* '''[[Hotel Nacional de Cuba]]''', Art Deco National Hotel.
-* '''[[Malecón, Havana|El Malecón Habanero]]''' is the avenue that runs along the seawall built along the northern shore of Havana, from Habana Vieja to the Almendares River, forming the southern boundary of Old Havana, Centro Habana and Vedado.
-* '''[[Museum of the Revolution|Museo de la Revolución]]''', located in the former [[Presidential Palace]], with the yacht [[Granma (yacht)|Granma]] on display behind the museum.
-* '''[[Colon Cemetery, Havana|Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón]]''' - cemetery and open air museum<ref>[http://www.carilat.de/stories/cubas_necropolis.htm Havana's magnificent necropolis tells a story of wealth and freedom]</ref> It is one of the most famous cemeteries in Latin America, known for its beauty and magnificence. The cemetery was built in 1876 and has nearly one million tombs. Some of the gravestones are decorated with the works of sculptors of the calibre of Ramos Blancos, among others.
-==Culture==
+People classified as [[white]] made up 65.1 percent of Cuba's population in 2002, [[mulatto]] and [[mestizo]] 24.8 percent, and [[black]] 10.1 percent. Havana has a significant minority of [[Chinese people|Chinese]], [[Russia]]ns mostly living in [[Habana del Este]] who emigrated during the [[Soviet]] era, and several thousand [[North Africa]]n teen and pre-teen refugees. [[Spanish language|Spanish]] is the official [[language]].
-Havana, by far the leading cultural centre of the island, offers a wide variety of features that range from museums, palaces, public squares, avenues, churches, fortresses (including the largest fortified complex in the Americas dating from the 16th through 18th centuries), ballet and from art and musical festivals to exhibitions of technology. The restoration of Old Havana offered a number of new attractions, including a museum to house relics of the Cuban revolution. The government placed special emphasis on cultural activities, many of which are free or involve only a minimal charge.
-[[Image:Parque_Central_mit_Capitolio.jpg|thumb|320px|Parque Central]]
-[[Image:Zerfallendes_Havanna_mit_Capitolio.jpg|thumb|320px|Apartment buildings]]
-;Old Havana
+[[Roman Catholic]]s form the largest [[religion|religious]] group in Havana. The [[Jewish]] community in Havana was reduced after the revolution from once having embraced more than 15,000 Jews, many of whom had fled [[Nazism|Nazi]] persecution and subsequently left Cuba for [[Miami]] or returned to [[Israel]] after [[Fidel Castro]] took to power in 1959. [[Protestant Church|Protestant]]s, [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and [[Santeria]] are also represented.
-{{Main|Old Havana}}
-Old Havana, (''La Habana Vieja'' in Spanish), contains the core of the original city of Havana, it is the richest colonial set of Latin America.  Havana Vieja was founded by the Spanish in 1519 in the natural harbor of the Bay of Havana. It became a stopping point for the treasure laden Spanish [[Galleons]] on the crossing between the New World and the [[Old World]]. In the 17th century it was one of the main shipbuilding centers. The city was built in [[baroque]] and [[neoclassic style]].  Many buildings have fallen in ruin during the communist period in the later half of the 20th century, but a number are being restored. The narrow streets of old Havana contain many buildings, accounting for perhaps as many as one-third of the approximately 3,000 buildings found in Old Havana.<ref>[http://www.galenfrysinger.com/old_havana.htm]3,000 buildings found in Old Havana</ref>
+Under the Castro government, [[education]]al and employment opportunities were made available to Cubans of all ethnic backgrounds, although top positions and fields of study were usually reserved only to signed communist party members.
-Old Havana is the ancient city formed from the port, the official center and the Plaza de Armas. [[Alejo Carpentier]] called Old Havana the place "de las columnas" (of the columns).  The Cuban government is taking many steps to preserve and to restore Old Havana, through the Office of the city historian, directed by [[Eusebio Leal]].<ref>[http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43b/196.html]Cuban Restoration Project Pins New Hopes on Old Havana</ref>  Old Havana and its fortifications were added to the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site|World Heritage List]] in 1982.<ref>[http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=204 Habana Vieja] - UNESCO World Heritage List</ref>
+Under the Cuban government all citizens are covered by the national health care plan. Administration of the health care system for the nation is centered largely in Havana. Hospitals are run by the national government, and citizens are assigned hospitals and clinics to which they may go for attention. During the 1980s Cuba began to attract worldwide attention for its treatment of [[heart disease]]s and [[eye]] problems, some of this treatment administered in Havana. There has long been a high standard of health care in the city.
-<br clear=left>
-;Chinatown
+The University of Havana, located in the Vedado section of Havana, was established in 1728. The city's only other university, the respected Catholic University in Marianao, was closed after the revolution. The Polytechnic Institute "Joe Antonio Echeverria" trains most of Cuba's engineers.
-{{see|Chinese Cuban}}
-[[Image:Havanna Chinatown.jpg|thumb|left|Barrio Chino in the Centro Habana district]]
-[[Image:Barrio Chino de La Habana.jpg|thumb|Havana's Chinatown district. The [[paifang]] (arch) is located on Dragones street.]]
-[[Image:Museo de la Revolución, La Habana.jpg|thumb|[[Museum of the Revolution]] ballroom]]
-[[Image:Museo de Bellas Artes, La Havane.jpg|thumb|[[Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana|Museum of Fine Arts]] on Montserrate y Trocadero]]
-[[Image:Ballet Nacional de Cuba performing.jpg|thumb|[[Ballet Nacional de Cuba]] during a permormance in the Great Theatre of Havana]]
-Havana's Chinatown (Barrio Chino), once Latin America's largest and most vibrant Chinatown incorporated into the city by the early part of the 20th century when hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers were brought in by Spanish settlers from [[Hong Kong]], [[Macau]], and [[Taiwan]] during the following decades to replace and / or work alongside [[African]] slaves. After completing 8-year contracts or otherwise obtaining their freedom, many Chinese immigrants settled permanently in Havana. The Chinatown neighborhood was booming with Chinese restaurants, laundries, banks, pharmacies, theaters and several Chinese-language newspapers, the neighborhood comprised 44 square blocks during its prime<ref>[http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y01/apr01/27e5.htm Havana's Chinatown] - The once largest Chinatown in Latin America</ref>.  The heart of Havana's chinatown is on ''el Cuchillo de Zanja'' (or The Zanja Canal). The strip is a pedestrian-only street adorned with many red lanterns, dancing red paper dragons and other Chinese cultural designs, there is a great number of restaurants that serve a full spectrum of Chinese dishes.
+The vocational [[Cuban National Ballet School]] with 4,350 students is the biggest [[ballet]] school in the world and the most prestigious ballet school in Cuba <ref>{{sp icon}} ''Bohemia''. April 28, 2006. [http://www.bohemia.cubasi.cu/2006/04/28/cultura/ballet-formacion-humanista.html Por una formación humanista] Retrieved December 2, 2008.</ref>, directed by ''Ramona de Sáa.''
-The Chinatown district has two [[paifang]], a large one located on ''Calle Dragones'', the materials were donated in the late 90s by the [[People's Republic of China]] <ref>[http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/turismo/especiales/barriochino.htm El Barrio Chino de la Habana] - Havana's Chinatown (Spanish)</ref>, it has a well defined written welcoming sign in [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and Spanish.  The smaller arch is located on Zanja strip. The Cuban's Chinese boom ended when Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution seized private businesses, sending tens of thousands of business-minded Chinese fleeing, mainly to the United States and abroad. Age, emigration and intermarriage have taken a toll on Havana's once flourishing Chinese community. While descendants are making efforts to preserve and revive the culture, the island's last pure Chinese are slowly disappearing into Havana's Chinese cemetery, taking with them part of Cuba's history.
+Havana's two [[baseball]] teams in the [[Cuban National Series]] are [[Industriales]] and [[Metropolitanos]]. The city has several large sports stadiums, the largest is the [[Estadio Latinoamericano]]. Havana was host to the [[11th Pan American Games in 1991]] and was host to the 1992 [[IAAF World Cup]] in Athletics.
-Only one of what were once four Chinese-language newspapers remains in Havana, ''Kwong Wah Po'', written by Abel Fung, member of the Promotional Group of Chinatown <ref>[http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y01/apr01/27e5.htm Chinatown is fading with age in Cuba] - Kwong Wah Po, only remaining Chinese newspaper in Cuba</ref>.  The newspaper is not subject to state censorship.  To tie in with the Revolution's economic reliance on tourism, attempts have recently been launched to attract revitalization investment for Chinatown from state-run enterprises of the People's Republic of China and [[overseas Chinese]] private investors, particularly [[Chinese Canadians]].  In addition, Chinatown is today the only area granted autonomy from many laws that govern the rest of Cuba.  Restaurants, for example, are not state run nor are they subject to the laws of private restaurants in that they are allowed to have more than 12 seats as well as serve seafood.
+==Places of interest==
+See: [[Old Havana]]
+Havana has a wide variety of [[museum]]s, [[palace]]s, public squares, avenues, [[church]]es, and fortresses. The restoration of [[Old Havana]] included a museum for relics of the [[Cuban revolution]]. The government places special emphasis on cultural activities, many of which are free or involve only a minimal charge. Landmarks include:
-;Visual arts
+* National Capitol Building, which was completed in 1929 as the Senate and House of Representatives and is said to be a replica of the [[U.S. Capitol|United States Capitol Building]] in [[Washington D.C.]] Its dome dominates Havana's skyline. The [[Cuban Academy of Sciences]] headquarters and the National Museum of Natural History is located there.
-[[Image:Carmen Bacallao de Malpica, 1883.JPG|thumb|left|''Carmen Bacallao de Marpica, 1883''. Museo de las Bellas Artes]]
+* Fortaleza San Carlos de la Cabaña, which is a fortress on the east side of the Havana Bay, constructed at the end of the 18th century.
+* Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro, which is a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana Bay.
+* San Salvador de la Punta Fortress, which is a small fortress built in the sixteenth century, at the western entry point to the Havana harbor. It played a crucial role in the defense of Havana during the first centuries of colonization. The fortress still houses some 20 old guns and other military antiques.
+* Christ of Havana, which is Havana's [[statue]] of [[Jesus]] much like the famous [[Christ the Redeemer (statue)|Cristo Redentor]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]]. Carved from [[marble]] by [[Jilma Madera]], it was erected in 1958 on a platform which makes a good spot from which to watch old Havana and the harbor.
+* Great Theatre of Havana, which is famous particularly for the acclaimed [[National Ballet of Cuba]]. It sometimes hosts performances by the National Opera. The theater is also known as concert hall, [[Garcia Lorca]], the biggest in Cuba.
+* Colon [[Cemetery]], which was built in 1876, has nearly one million tombs.
-A small palace located on 17th Street and E, is the very well maintained neo-classical mansion of the ''Countess of Revilla de Camargo'', today it is the [[Havana Museum of Decorative Arts|Museum of Decorative Arts]] ''(Museo de Artes Decorativas)'', known as the ''small French Palace of Havana'' built between 1924 and 1927, it was designed in Paris by architects P. Virad and M. Destuque, inspired in [[French Renaissance]]<ref>[http://www.mytravel.com/AniteNextPage.asp?p=SPECIFICGUIDE_42938/ Museo de Artes Decorativos]- José Gómez Mena, one of Cuba's wealthiest aristocrats, built this house in 1927 to hold his staggering collection of antique furniture, rugs, paintings and vases.</ref>. A lavish display of 18th and 19th century European treasures that recall a time when Havana was known as ''the Paris of the Antilles'', and many luxury goods, including [[porcelain]] from [[Worcester]], [[Meissen]] and [[Sevres]], were imported <ref>{{sp icon}} [http://www.trabajadores.cubaweb.cu/proposiciones/cuba%20por%20dentro/jrb-artes.htm Trabajadores Newspaper article]- Las artes decorativas también tienen su Museo en La Habana.</ref>
+==Looking to the future==
+[[File:Grand Theater of Havana 01.jpg|thumb|right|225px|[[Great Theatre of Havana]]]]
+Havana has a long and colorful history, although much of the city remains a crumbled image of a more glorious past. In 2008, Cuba was slowly recovering from a severe economic downturn in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4-billion to $6-billion annually. This economic shock meant the government turned to [[tourism]] for foreign exchange, and has led to refurbishment of [[Old Havana]].
-In the French room, a marble bust of [[Marie Antoinette]] smiles demurely, her graceful neck intact.  There is another room full of Chinese screens, another one featuring [[England|English]] furniture and landspcape painting.  For more than 40 decades the museum has been exhibiting more than 33,000 works dating from the reigns of [[Louis XV]], [[Louis XVI]], and [[Napoleon III]]; as well as [[16th century|XVI]] to [[XX Century]] [[Oriental]] pieces, among many other treasures<ref>{{sp icon}} [http://www.paseosporlahabana.com/articles.asp?cID=51&sID=380&aID=1281 Paseos por La Habana]-El museo guarda en su interior mobiliario antiguo, porcelana y ceramica, cristalerias, espejos, bronces y objetos ornamentales.  </ref>.  The Museum has ten permanent exhibit halls with works that range from the XVI to the XX centuries. Among them are prominent porcelain articles from the factories in Sèvres and [[Chantilly, Oise|Chantilly]], France; Meissen, [[Germany]]; and [[Wedgwood]], England, as well as Chinese from the ''Kien Lung'' period and [[Japan]]ese from the [[Imari]].  The furniture comes from [[Leonard Boudin]], [[Simoneau]], [[Jean Henri Riesener]] and several others.
+Cubans still want to escape to the [[United States]] and a brighter future, using homemade rafts, dilapidated boats, and smugglers. The [[U.S. Coast Guard]] intercepted 2,864 individuals attempting to cross the [[Straits of Florida]] in 2006. Havana's prospects are tied to the fortunes of the Government of Cuba. A representative constitutional democracy plus a private-enterprise based economy would go a long way towards unleashing the economic powerhouse that has long existed in Havana.
-The [[National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana|National Museum of Fine Arts]] is a [[Fine Arts]] museum that exhibits Cuban art collections from the [[Colonialism|colonial]] times up to contemporary generation. There are two impressive buildings, one dedicated to [[Cuban Art]] and the Universal Art, in the former ''[[Asturian]] Center''<ref>{{sp icon}} [http://www.museonacional.cult.cu/asturiano/historia.php?&id=2 Centro Asturiano de La Habana]- Museo de Arte Universal. Centro Asturiano de La Habana (1927)</ref>, the former Fine Arts Museum built in 1954 is dedicated exclusively to housing Cuba Art collections. Several museums in Old Havana contain furniture, [[silverware]], [[pottery]], glass and other items from the colonial period. A great one of these is the Palace of the General Captains, where Spanish governors once lived.  The Casa de Africa presents another aspect of Cuba's history, an impressive collection of [[Afro-Cuban]] religious artifacts.
+==Notes==
+<references/>
-The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes containing works by ''Rubens'', ''Goya'' and ''Velazquez'' is now closed for renovations; it is open to public at a temporary location on Calle Trocadero until renovations are complete.  Other museums includes Casa de los Árabes and the Casa de Asia with [[Middle East|Middle]] and [[Far Eastern]] collections.  Many of these small [[boutiques]] museums are in elegant old Spanish architecture houses with airy courtyards.  The Museo de Finanzas is more than an empty vault where dictator Fulgencio Batista once stashed his loot.  A few old bank-notes are displayed on the walls.  Havana's ''Museo del Automobil'' has an impressive collection of vehicles dating back to a 1905 [[Cadillac]].  In the Automobile museum there is also a [[Rolls-Royce (car)|Rolls Royce]] which belonged to Batista, near the 1960 [[Chevrolet]] that [[Che Guevara]] drove.
-There [[Museum of the Revolution]] ''(Museo de la Revolución)'', designed in Havana by Cuban architect Maruri, and the [[Belgium|Belgian]] Jean Beleu, who came up with an [[Eclecticism in art|eclectic]] design, which harmoniously combines Spanish, French and German architectural elements.  The museum was the [[Presidential Palace]], today, its displays and documents outline Cuba's history from the beginning of the ''neo-colonial period''.  As most museums of Havana are situated in Old Havana few of them could also be found in Vedado.  In total, Havana has around 50 museums, including the Museum of Fine Art, the Revolution and Decorative Arts; the National Museum of Music; the Museum of Dance and Rum; the Cigar Museum; the Napoleonic, Colonial and Oricha Museums; the Museum of Antropology; the Ernest Hemingway Museum; the Jose Marti Monument; Museums of Natural Sciences, the City, Archeology Museum, and Gold-and Silverwork.  Also the Aircraft, Parfume, Pharmaceutical, Sports, Numismatic and Weapons Museums.
-;Performing arts
-After the sun sets, Havana's performing arts come to life, facing the Central Park is the [[Baroque architecture|faux-baroque]]  Great Theatre of Havana, a prominent theatre built in 1837 home of the [[National Ballet of Cuba]] and the [[International Ballet Festival of Havana]], one of the oldest in the New World and remarkably was once the most technologically advanced in the world, thanks to the Italian scientist, [[Antonio Meucci]].<ref>[http://www.italianhistorical.org/MeucciStory.htm Antonio Meucci]-  In Havana he constructed a system for waters depuration and reprojected the Gran Teatro, which had been almost entirely destroyed by a hurricane.</ref>
-It is said the experiments of the eccentric inventor who arrived in Havana in 1835 produced electrical lightning effects and an internal telephone system long before Edison or Bell.  Meucci's ingenious spirit lives on in the theatre.  Located  in the ''Paseo de Prado'' in a building known as the ''Palacio del Centro Gallego''. The [[façade]] of the building is adorned with a stone and marble statue. There are also sculptural pieces by [[Giuseppe Moretti]],<ref> {{sp icon}} [http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/turismo/kaleidoscopio/granteatro1.htm Radio Havana-Cuba]- Existen también piezas escultóricas en las cuatro cúpulas del techo realizadas por Giuseppe Moretti.</ref> representing allegories depicting benevolence, education, music and theatre. The principal theatre is the [[García Lorca]] Auditorium, with seats for 1,500 and balconies. Glories of its rich history; the Italian [[tenor]] [[Enrico Caruso]] sang, the [[Russia]]n ballerina [[Anna Pavlova (dancer)|Anna Pavlova]] danced, and the French [[Sarah Bernhardt]] acted.
-Another grand theatre is the [[National Theater of Cuba]], housed in a huge modern building, decorated with works by Cuban artists. There are two main theatre stages, the Avellaneda hall and the Covarrubias hall, as well as a smaller theatre workshop space on the ninth floor.  The [[Karl Marx Theater]] is the venue has an enormous auditorium with seating capacity of 5500 people, and is generally used for big shows by stars from Cuba and abroad. The theatre is also a major concert venue for both local and international artists; singer-songwriters such as [[Carlos Varela]], [[Silvio Rodríguez]] and [[Pablo Milanés]], are just a few of the famous artists who have graced this particular stage. More recently, this was the scene of a concert by [[United Kingdom|British]] pop group [[The Manic Street Preachers]].
-==Demographics==
-Havana's rich cultural milieu included not only [[Spaniard]]s from diverse regions of the [[Iberian Peninsula]] but other [[European peoples]] as well. In the era before Fidel Castro came to power, the city was economically and ethnically divided. On the one hand, there was the minority of the wealthy, educated [[elite]], together with a strong middle class, and on the other was the working-class majority. This division was largely based on ethnic background: whites tended to be more well-to-do, while blacks and mulattoes generally were poor. The economic structure did not provide much opportunity for blacks and mulattoes except in the more menial occupations. There was also little opportunity for them to obtain an education.  Under the Castro government that came to power in 1959, this system changed. Educational and employment opportunities were made available to Cubans of all ethnic backgrounds; however, top positions and fields of study were usually reserved only to signed communist party members and record showed supporters, though this has lost some strictness in recent years. In housing, the government follows an official policy of no discrimination based on ethnic background, and independent observers tend to believe this policy has been more or less faithfully carried out.
-[[Image:Beth Shalom Synagogue, Havana.jpg|thumb||''Beth Shalom Synagogue'', largest of Havana's three [[synagogue]]s]]
-During the 18th, 19th and early part of the 20th century, large waves of Canarian, Catalan, and Galicians emigrated from the [[Iberian Peninsula]] to Havana.
-* {{flagicon|Galicia}} [[Galician people]]
-* {{flagicon|Canary Islands}} [[Canarian people]]
-* {{flagicon|Catalonia}} [[Catalan people]]
-The Cuban government controls the movement of people into Havana on the grounds that the Havana metropolitan area (home to nearly 20% of the country's population) is overstretched in terms of land use, water, electricity, transportation, and other elements of the urban infrastructure. There is a population of internal migrants to Havana nicknamed "Palestinos" (Palestinians); these mostly hail from the eastern region of [[Oriente]].<ref>[http://www.isreview.org/issues/36/farber_ext.shtml Castro’s Cuba in Perspective]</ref> Havana has a significant minority of [[Chinese people|Chinese]], before the revolution the Chinese population counted to over 200,000<ref>[http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y01/apr01/27e5.htm Havana's Chinatown] - Cuba's Chinese population before the Revolution</ref>, today Chinese born or ancestors could count up to 100,000<ref> CIA World Factbook. Cuba. 2006. [[September 6]], [[2006]].<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html>.</ref>. Havana also shelters a non-Cuban population of an unknown size, including [[Russians]] majorly living in [[Habana del Este]] that constantly emigrated during the [[Soviet]] era. There is a population of several thousand North African teen and pre-teen refugees.<ref>{{cite web
-|year=2006
-|month=March 31
-|url=http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=13816
-|title=Sahrawi children inhumanely treated in Cuba, former Cuban official
-|publisher=MoroccoTimes.com
-|accessdate=2006-07-09
-}}</ref>
-[[Roman Catholic]]s form the largest religious group in Havana. The [[Jewish]] community in Havana has reduced after the Revolution from once having embraced more than 15,000 Jews<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Cuba.htm Present-Day Jewish Life in Cuba]</ref>, many of whom had fled [[Nazi]] persecution and subsequently left Cuba to Miami or returned to [[Israel]] after Castro took to power in 1959. The city once had five [[synagogue]]s, but only three remain (one [[Orthodox]], one [[Conservative]] and one [[Sephardic]]). In February 2007 the [[New York Times]] estimated that there were about 1,500 known Jews living in Havana.<ref>[http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/travel/04journeys.html?em&ex=1170824400&en=254a263b2686376e&ei=5087%0A 1,500 Jews who live in Cuba; 1,100 reside in Havana, and the remaining 400 are spread among the provinces.]In Cuba, Finding a Tiny Corner of Jewish Life.</ref>
-==Infrastructure==
-[[Image:Université de La Havane.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Havana]]]]
-[[Image:Edificio Felipe Poey, Universidad de La Habana.jpg|thumb|[[Felipe Poey]] Department of Zoology, University of Havana]]
-===Education===
-{{see|Education in Cuba}}
-The national government assumes all responsibility for education, and there are adequate primary, secondary, and vocational training schools throughout Havana. The vocational [[Cuban National Ballet School]] with 4,350 students is the biggest ballet school in the world and the most prestigious [[ballet]] school in Cuba <ref>{{sp icon}} [http://www.bohemia.cubasi.cu/2006/04/28/cultura/ballet-formacion-humanista.html La Escuela Nacional de Ballet] - La Escuela desarrolla una experiencia única en el mundo, enmarcada en la Batalla de Ideas.</ref>, directed by ''Ramona de Sáa''.  In 2002 with the expansion of the school, out of 52,000 students interested to join the school, 4,050 were selected <ref>{{sp icon}} [http://www.bohemia.cubasi.cu/2006/04/28/cultura/ballet-formacion-humanista.html Escuela Nacional de Ballet] -  entre 52 mil alumnos interesados, los cuatro mil 50 que integrarían los talleres.</ref>.  The government claims that all children receive an education, and the claim appears to be valid. The schools are of varying quality and education is free and compulsory at all levels except higher learning, which is free nonetheless. The University of Havana, located in the Vedado section of Havana, was established in 1728 and was once regarded as a leading institution of higher learning in the Western Hemisphere. Soon after Castro came to power in 1959, the university lost its traditional autonomy and was placed under the control of the government. The city's only other university, the respected Catholic University in Marianao, was closed after the revolution.  Since then several other universities have opened, like the Polytechnic Institute "Joe Antonio Echeverria" where the vast majority of today's Cuban engineers are formed.
-===Health===
-{{see|Healthcare in Cuba}}
-Under the Cuban government all citizens are covered by the national health care plan. Administration of the health care system for the nation is centred largely in Havana. Hospitals in Havana are run by the national government, and citizens are assigned hospitals and clinics to which they may go for attention. During the 1980s Cuba began to attract worldwide attention for its treatment of heart diseases and eye problems, some of this treatment administered in Havana. There has long been a high standard of health care in the city.
-===Services===
-Utility services are under the control of several nationalized state enterprises that have developed since the Castro [[Cuban revolution]]. Water, electricity, and sewage service are administered in this fashion. Electricity is supplied by generators that are fueled with oil. Much of the original power plant installation, which operated before the Castro government assumed control, has become somewhat outdated. Electrical blackouts occurred, prompting the national government in 1986 to allocate the equivalent of $25,000,000 to modernize the electrical system. It is said that any part of Havana is within five minutes of a fire-fighting unit; the equipment is largely new.
-==Sports==
-Many Cubans are avid sports fans who particularly favour baseball. Havana's  two baseball teams in the [[Cuban National Series]] are [[Industriales]] and [[Metropolitanos]]. The city has several large sports stadiums, the largest one is the [[Estadio Latinoamericano]]. Admission to sporting events is generally free, and impromptu games are played in neighborhoods throughout the city. Social clubs at the beaches provide facilities for water sports and include restaurants and dance halls.
-* Havana was host to the [[1991 Pan American Games|11th Pan American Games in 1991]]. Stadiums and facilities for this were built in the relatively unpopulated eastern suburbs.
-* Havana was host to the 1992 [[IAAF World Cup]] in Athletics.
-* Havana was a candidate to host the [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Summer Olympic Games]], but was not shortlisted.
-==Notable people born in Havana==
-''See also [[:Category:People from Havana]] (category)
-*[[Felipe Poey]], zoologist (1799–1891)
-*[[José Martí]], poet, writer, nationalist leader (1853–1895)
-*[[Ernesto Lecuona]], composer, performer (1895–1963)
-*[[Dulce María Loynaz]], author (1902–1997)
-*[[Orestes López]], musician (1908-1991)
-*[[Cundo Bermúdez]], painter (1914-)
-*[[Alicia Alonso]], Prima Ballerina Assoluta (1920–)
-*[[María Antonieta Pons]], actress, Rumba dancer (1922–2004)
-*[[Celia Cruz]], singer (1925-2003)
-*[[Elena Burke]], singer (1928–2002)
-*[[Alberto Korda]], photographer, famous for his photo "Guerrillero Heróico" of Che Guevara (1928-2001)
-*[[Camilo Cienfuegos]], revolutionary along with Fidel Castro and Che Guevara (1932–1959)
-*[[Ricardo Alarcón]], politician, president of the National Assembly of Cuba (1937–)
-*[[Cristina Saralegui]], journalist, talk show host (1948–)
-*[[Oswaldo Payá]],  political activist (1952–)
-*[[Alina Fernández]], daughter and a critic of Fidel Castro (1956–)
-*[[Andy García]], actor (1956–)
-*[[Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg]],  grand ducal consort of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (1956–)
-*[[Gloria Estefan]], singer (1957–)  (emigrated to the U.S. as a child)
-*[[Carlos del Junco]], musician (1958–)
-*[[César Évora]], actor (1959–)
-*[[Alfredo Alonso]], broadcasting executive (1960-)
-*[[Juan Contino Aslán]], politician, city mayor of Havana (1960-)
-*[[Dave Lombardo]], heavy metal drummer (1965–)
-*[[Felipe Pérez Roque]], politician, foreign minister of Cuba (1965-)
-*[[Humberto Padrón]], film director (1967–)
-*[[Pedro Álvarez Castelló]], painter, (1967-2004)
-*[[Rey Ruiz]], musician (1970–)
-*[[Amarilis Savón]],  judoka (1974–)
-*[[Vyacheslav Kernozenko]], Ukrainian football goalkeeper (1976–)
-*[[William Levy (actor)|William Levy]], actor (1979–)
-*[[Mario Cimarro]], actor (1971-)
-*[[Yotuel|Yotuel Romero]], musician (1976–)
-*[[Al Jourgensen]], musician (1958-)
-<gallery perrow="4">
-Image:Felipe Poey.jpg|[[Felipe Poey]]<br /> zoologist <br />(1799–1891)
-Image:Jose Marti.jpg|[[José Martí]]<br /> leader of the Cuban independence from Spain<br />(1853–1895)
-Image:Henri and Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.jpg|[[Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg]]<br />grand ducal consort of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg<br /> (1956–)
-Image:Andy Garcia by David Shankbone.jpg|[[Andy García]]<br /> actor<br /> (1956–)
-</gallery>
-==Sister cities==
-Havana has twinning agreements with the following [[Sister city|sister cities]]:
-{{col-start}}
-{{col-2}}
-* {{flagicon|Spain}} '''[[Barcelona]]''', [[Spain]] <ref>[http://w3.bcn.es/XMLServeis/XMLHomeLinkPl/0,4022,229724149_257215678_1,00.html Barcelona sister cities]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|China}} '''[[Beijing]]''', [[PRC|China]] <ref>[http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/ying/t693501.htm Beijing-International Sister Cities]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Serbia}} '''[[Belgrade]]''', [[Serbia]] <ref> [http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Engleski/b290507_e.html#N10 Invitation for fraternization of Havana and Belgrade]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Colombia}} '''[[Bogotá]]''', [[Colombia]]
-* {{flagicon|Venezuela}} '''[[Caracas]]''', [[Venezuela]]
-* {{flagicon|Colombia}} '''[[Cartagena]]''', [[Colombia]]
-* {{flagicon|Romania}} '''[[Constanţa]]''', [[Romania]]
-* {{flagicon|Peru}} '''[[Cuzco]]''', [[Peru]] <ref>[http://www.municusco.gob.pe/ver.php?id=6 Cusco Sister Cities]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Iran}} [[Esfahān]], [[Iran]] <ref>[http://www.isfahan.ir/VisitorPages/show.aspx?ItemID=1320 City of Esfahan official website - Sister Cities]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|UK}} '''[[Glasgow]]''', [[Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]]<ref>[http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/AboutGlasgow/Twincities/ Glasgow City Council - Twin cities of Glasgow]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Turkey}} '''[[Istanbul]]''', [[Turkey]] <ref> {{cite news|url=http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=94185|publisher=Radikal|language=Turkish|date=[[2003-11-03]]|quote=49 sister cities in 2003|title=İstanbul'a 49 kardeş|last=Erdem|first=Selim Efe}}</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Spain}} '''[[Madrid]]''', [[Spain]] <ref name="Madrid Twinning Agreements">{{cite news
-|url=http://www.munimadrid.es/portal/site/munimadrid/menuitem.5fbdbaf471a1b0aa7d245f019fc08a0c/?vgnextoid=c94731dd4d24b010VgnVCM100000d90ca8c0RCRD&vgnextchannel=4e98823d3a37a010VgnVCM100000d90ca8c0RCRD
-|publisher=www.munimadrid.es
-|title=Hermanamientos y Acuerdos
-|month=February | year=2008
-}}</ref>
-* {{flagicon|USA}} '''[[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]]''', [[United States]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/Caribbean/Cuba |title=Cuba Directory |author=Sister Cities International |year=2007|accessdate=2007-05-07}}</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Russia}} '''[[Moscow]]''', [[Russia]]
-* {{flagicon|Mexico}} '''[[Oaxaca]]''', [[Mexico]] <ref>[http://www.oaxacainfo.gob.mx/index.php?mod=topic&topic=ciudades Oaxaca Sister Cities] - Relación de la ciudades hermanadas con la ciudad de Oaxaca</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Netherlands}} '''[[Rotterdam]]''', [[The Netherlands]] <ref> [http://www.granma.cu/espanol/2008/marzo/mar11/rotterdam.html Granma - En La Habana vicealcalde de la ciudad de Rotterdam] -La delegación visitante hará la entrega oficial de una donación de implementos deportivos, en momentos en que se celebra el aniversario 25 de las relaciones entre ambas urbes</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Russia}} '''[[Saint Petersburg]]''', [[Russia]] <ref> [http://eng.gov.spb.ru/figures/ities Saint Petersburg in figures - International and Interregional Ties]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Dominican Republic}} '''[[Santo Domingo]]''', [[Dominican Republic]] <ref> [http://www.adn.gov.do/documents/memoria_adn_2002-2003.pdf Memoria Anual, Agosto 2002-Agosto 2003]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Brazil}} '''[[São Paulo]]''', [[Brazil]] <ref>[http://portal.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/secretarias/relacoes_internacionais/ingles/descentralized_cooperation/sister_cities/0001 São Paulo's 40 Sister Cities]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Iran}} '''[[Tehran]]''', [[Iran]] <ref>[http://www.payvand.com/news/01/mar/1053.html Tehran, Havana named sister cities]</ref>
-* {{flagicon|Mexico}} '''[[Tijuana]]''', [[Mexico]] <ref>[http://www.tijuana.gob.mx/Apps/AppsPublico/Comunicados/VerComunicado.asp?ID=1026 New Monument to Tijuana's sister cities] - Inaugura el alcalde Kurt Honold monumento dedicado a ciudades hermanas de Tijuana</ref>
-{{col-end}}
 ==References==
-{{sisterlinks|Havana}}
+* Barclay, Juliet, and Martin Charles. 2003. ''Havana: portrait of a city.'' London: Cassell Illustrated. ISBN 9781844031276.
+* Cluster, Dick, and Rafael Hernández. 2006. ''The history of Havana.'' (Palgrave essential histories.) New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403971074.
+* Gott, Richard. 2004. ''Cuba: A new history.'' New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300111142.
+* ''Havana History and Architecture of a Romantic City.'' 2009. Monacelli Pr. ISBN 9781580932387.
+* McAuslan, Fiona, and Matthew Norman. 2007. ''The rough guide to Cuba.'' New York: Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843538110.
+* Michener, James A., and John Kings. 1989. ''Six days in Havana.'' Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292776296.
+* Thomas, Hugh. ''Cuba, or the Pursuit of Freedom,'' 2nd Ed. (original 1971) New York: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN 0306808277.
+* ''World Fact Book''. 2008. Cuba.
-===Notes===
+==External links==
-<div style="height: 220px; overflow: auto; padding: 3px; border:1px solid silver;" >
+All links retrieved August 4, 2017.
-{{Reflist|2}}
+* [http://www.contactcuba.com/mappics/ZHAV001-havana-city-map-mapa.jpg Havana City Map] Retrieved November 29, 2008.
-</div>
-===Sources===
-<div class="references-small">
-* ''Havana: History and Architecture of a Romantic City''. Alicia García Santana.  Monacelli, October 2000. ISBN 1-58093-052-2.
-* ''The Rough Guide to Cuba'' (3rd ed.). Rough Guides, May 2005. ISBN 1-84353-409-6.
-* Barclay, Juliet (1993). ''Havana: Portrait of a City''. London: Cassell. ISBN 1-84403-127-6 (2003 paperback edition). &mdash; A comprehensive account of the history of Havana from the early 16th century to the end of the 19th century.
-* Carpentier, Alejo. ''La ciudad de las columnas'' (The city of columns). &mdash; A historical review of the city from one of the major authors in the iberoamerican literature, a native of this city.
-* Cluster, Dick, & Rafael Hernández, ''History of Havana.'' New York: Palgrave-MacMillan, 2006. ISBN 1-4039-7107-2. A social history of the city from 1519 to the present, co-authored by a Cuban writer and editor resident in Havana and an American novelist and writer of popular history.
-* Eguren, Gustavo. ''La fidelísima Habana'' (The very faithful Havana). &mdash; A fundamental illustrated book for those who wants to know the history of La Habana, includes chronicles, articles from natives and non natives, archives documents, and more.
-* United Railways of Havana. Cuba: A Winter Paradise. 1908-1909, 1912-1913, 1914-1915 and 1915–1916 editions. New York, 1908, 1912, 1914 and 1915. Maps, photos and descriptions of suburban and interurban electric lines.
-* ''Electric Traction in Cuba''. Tramway & Railway World (London), [[1 April]] [[1909]], pp. 243-244. Map, photos and description of Havana Central Railroad.
-* ''The Havana Central Railroad.'' Electrical World (New York), [[15 April]] [[1909]], pp. 911-912. Text, 4 photos.
-* ''Three-Car Storage Battery Train.'' Electric Railway Journal (New York), [[28 September]] [[1912]], p. 501. Photo and description of Cuban battery cars.
-* Berta Alfonso Gallol. Los Transportes Habaneros. Estudios Históricos. La Habana, 1991. The definitive survey (but no pictures or maps).
-* ''Six Days in Havana'' by James A. Michener and John Kings. University of Texas Press; 1ST edition (1989). ISBN 978-0292776296. Interviews with close to 200 Cubans of widely assorted backgrounds and positions, and concerns how the country has progressed after 90 years of independence from Spain and under the 30-year leadership of Castro.
-* One more interesting note about that edition of the New York Times: On page 5, there is a short blurb mentioning, "The plan for holding a Pan-American exhibition at Buffalo has been shelved for the present owing to the unsettled condition of the public mind consequent upon the Spanish-Cuban complications." President McKinley was assassinated at the Pan-American Exhibition when it was finally held in 1901.
-</div>
-==External links==
-{{portalpar|Cuba|Flag of Cuba.svg}}
-* [http://www.contactcuba.com/mappics/ZHAV001-havana-city-map-mapa.jpg Havana City Map]
-* {{wikitravel}}
-* [http://online.caup.washington.edu/courses/udpsp00/udp508b/havanamap.html  Map of Havana. To zoom in, click on an area of the map. These are very large High resolution JPEG images (~1 Megabyte)]
 [[Category:Geography]]
 [[Category:Cities]]
+[[Category:The Americas]]
-{{credit|Havana|254181703|}}
+{{credit|Havana|254181703|Cuba|254538776|History_of_Cuba|254035038|}}