Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos
—  Municipality  —
Marti Park and City Hall
Nickname(s): La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South)
Cienfuegos is located in Cuba
Location of Cienfuegos in Cuba
Coordinates: 22°08′44″N 80°26′11″W / 22.14556°N 80.43639°W / 22.14556; -80.43639Coordinates: 22°08′44″N 80°26′11″W / 22.14556°N 80.43639°W / 22.14556; -80.43639
Country  Cuba
Province Cienfuegos
Founded 1819[1]
Area[2]
 - Total 333 km2 (128.6 sq mi)
Elevation 25 m (82 ft)
Population (2004)[3]
 - Total 163,824
 - Density 492.0/km2 (1,274.3/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Area code(s) +53-43

Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of the province of Cienfuegos. It is located about 250 km (160 mi) from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed "La Perla del Sur" (Pearl of the South). Cienfuegos literally translates to "Hundred fires".

Contents

Geography

Near the entrance to Bahia de Cienfuegos (bahia meaning "bay") is Castillo de Jagua (full name Castillo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Jagua), a fortress erected in 1745 for protection against Caribbean pirates.

Cienfuegos, one of the chief seaports of Cuba, is a center of the sugar trade, as well as coffee and tobacco. While sugarcane is the chief crop, local farmers grow coffee.

The downtown contains 6 buildings from 1819–50, 327 buildings from 1851–1900, and 1188 buildings from the 20th century. There is no other place in the Caribbean which contains such a remarkable cluster of Neoclassical structures.

Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Cienfuegos had a population of 163,824.[3] With a total area of 333 km2 (129 sq mi),[2] it has a population density of 492.0 /km2 (1,274 /sq mi).

History

The area was called the Cacicazgo de Jagua by the early Spaniards, and was settled by indigenous people.

The city was settled by French immigrants from Bordeaux and Louisiana, led by Don Louis de Clouet, on April 22, 1819.[1] Its original name was Fernardina de Jagua, in honor of Ferdinand VII of Spain[citation needed]. The settlement became a town (Spanish: Villa) in 1829, and a city in 1880. The city was subsequently named Cienfuegos, sharing the name with Cienfuegos, a Captain General in this time, in the island.

Near Cienfuegos was the scene of a battle on May 11, 1898, between American marines who attempted to sever underwater Spanish communication lines and the Spanish defenders.

During the Cuban Revolution the city saw an uprising against Fulgencio Batista and was bombed, on September 5, 1957.[4]

World Heritage Site

Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The central Parque José Marti
Country Cuba
Type Cultural
Criteria ii, v
Reference 1202
Region ** Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription 2005 (29th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List
** Region as classified by UNESCO

In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos on the World Heritage List, citing Cienfuegos as the best extant example of the 19th-century early Spanish Enlightenment implementation in urban planning.[5]

Hurricane Dennis 2005

In 2005, Hurricane Dennis made its second landfall near Cienfuegos at about 1:00PM AST (17:00 UTC) with winds of 232km/h (144 MPH), and gusts reaching 285 km/h (177 MPH).

Attractions

One of the turrets on the moonlit roof of Palacio de Valle
  • Castillo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Jagua - fortress
  • Arco de Triunfo - the only Arco de Triunfo in Cuba
  • Cathedral de la Purisma Concepcion - cathedral with stained glass work, built 1833-1869.
  • Delfinario - dolphins and sea lions in a saltwater lagoon
  • Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos - 97 hectares of botanic garden
  • Museo Provincial - furniture and porcelain museum
  • Palacio de Valle - built 1913-1917 in neo-gothic style
  • Palmira Yorubá Pantheon - museum of religious afro-catholic syncretism
  • Parque José Martí - park in Plaza de Armas
  • University of Cienfuegos "Carlos Rafael Rodríguez" (UCF) - the province's secondary education institution.

Famous residents

Gallery

See also

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cienfuegos — • The Diocese of Cienfuegos (Centumfocensis), includes all the Province of Santa Clara in the central part of Cuba Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Cienfuegos     Cienfuegos    …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Cienfuegos — ist der Name der Nordspanischen Stadt Cienfuegos (Quirós) der kubanischen Stadt Cienfuegos (Stadt) der kubanischen Cienfuegos (Provinz) des kubanischen Revolutionärs Camilo Cienfuegos einer Zeitschrift, siehe Cienfuegos press …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cienfuegos — (Ibarlucea,Аргентина) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: Moreno 501, 2142 Ibarluc …   Каталог отелей

  • Cienfuegos — es una ciudad de la costa sur de Cuba y capital de la provincia del mismo nombre. Debe su origen al interés de las autoridades coloniales españolas por desarrollar nuevas ciudades en la isla. Fue fundada el 22 de abril de 1819 por colonos… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cienfuēgos — (spr. Sienfuegos), 1) Alvaro, geb. 1657, Jesuit, wurde Professor der Theologie u. Rhetorik in Salamanca, ging mit Graf Melgar, dessen Beichtvater er war, nach Madrid u. leitete denselben zur Unterstützung der Ansprüche Österreichs auf den… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Cienfuegos [1] — Cienfuegos (spr. siënsuē ), Hafenstadt an der Südküste von Cuba (Provinz Santa Clara), an der weiten und tiefen Bahia de Jagua, ist Sitz eines deutschen Vizekonsuls, hat starke Ausfuhr von Zucker, Sirup, Rum, Tabak und Häuten, einen… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cienfuegos [2] — Cienfuegos (spr. siĕnsuē ), Nicasio Alvarez de, span. Dichter, geb. 14. Dez. 1764 in Madrid, gest. im Juli 1809, studierte in Salamanca und schloß sich hier der durch Cadalso und Melendez gegründeten neuern Dichterschule an. Wegen Teilnahme am… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Ciënfuegos — Ciënfuēgos, Hafenstadt auf der Südküste von Kuba, an der Bahia de Jagua, (1902) 59.128 E …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cienfuegos — [syen fwā′gōs] seaport on the S coast of Cuba: pop. 124,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Cienfuegos — Para otros usos de este término, véase Cienfuegos (desambiguación). Cienfuegos Escudo de la ciudad de Cienfuegos …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”