Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba is the seicont lairgest ceety o Cuba an caipital ceety o Santiago de Cuba Province in the sooth-eastren aurie o the island, some 540 mile (870 km) sooth-east o the Cuban caipital o Havana. The municipality extends ower 1,023.8 square kilometer (395.3 sq mi), an contains the communities o El Caney, Guilera, Antonio Maceo, Bravo, Castillo Duany, Leyte Vidal an Moncada. Historically Santiago de Cuba haes lang been the seicont maist important ceety on the island efter Havana, an still remains the seicont lairgest. It is on a bay connectit tae the Caribbean Sea an is an important sea port. In 2004 the ceety o Santiago de Cuba haed a population o aboot 494,337 fowk. History Santiago de Cuba wis foondit bi Spaingie conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar on 28 Juin 1514. In 1516 the dounset wis destroyed bi fire, an wis immediately rebuilt. This wis the stairtin pynt o the expeditions led bi Juan de Grijalba an Hernán Cortés tae the coasts o Mexico in 1518, an in 1538 bi Hernando de Soto's expedeetion tae Florida. The first cathedral wis biggit in the ceety in 1528. Frae 1522 till 1589 Santiago wis the caipital o the Spaingie colony o Cuba. The ceety wis plundered bi French forces in 1553, an bi Breetish forces unner Christopher Myngs in 1662. The ceety experiencit an influx o French immigrants in the late 18t an early 19t centuries, mony comin frae Haiti efter the Haitian sclave revolt o 1791. This addit tae the ceety's eclectic cultural mix, awready rich wi Spainyie an African cultur. It wis the location whaur Spaingie truips faced thair main defeat at San Juan Hill on 1 Julie 1898 an aw, durin the Spaingie-American War. Efter capturin the surroondin hills, General William Rufus Shafter laid siege tae the ceety. Spain later surrendered tae the United States efter Admiral William T. Sampson destroyed the Spaingie Atlantic fleet juist ootside Santiago's harbor on Julie 3, 1898. Cuban poet, writer, an naitional hero, José Martí, is buriet in Cementerio Santa Efigenia. Role in the Cuban Revolution Santiago wis the hame o the revolutionar hero, Frank País an aw. On 26 Julie 1953, the Cuban Revolution began wi an ill-prepared airmit attack on the Moncada Barracks bi a sma contingent o rebels led bi Fidel Castro. Shortly efter this disastrous incident, País began talkin wi students an young wirkin fowk informally, drawin aroond him wha became an extremely effective urban revolutionar alliance. This developit intae heichlie organisit cells coordinatin a lairge scale urban resistance that became instrumental in the success o the Cuban Revolution. País' group prepared carefully, accruin wappens, collectin money, collectin medical supplees. Thay published a cheap newsletter that reportit news that criticisit the govrenment, attemptin tae coonter Batista's censorship. In the simmer o 1955, País’ organisation merg wi Castro's 26 Julie Muivement. País became the leader o the new organisation in Oriente province, tho twa years later he wis betrayed tae the polis bi a informant an wis shot efter his captur. On 1 Januar 1959, Castro proclaimit the victory o the Cuban Revolution frae a balcony on Santiago de Cuba's ceety haw. Cultur Santiago de Cuba wis the hametoun o poet José María Heredia. It hooses a museum that displays the extensive airt collection o the Bacardí faimily. Santiago de Cuba is weel kent for its cultural life. Some o Cuba's maist famous muisickers, includin Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer an Eliades Ochoa (aw o whom pairticipatit in the Buena Vista Social Club) an trova composer Ñico Saquito (Benito Antonio Fernández Ortiz) wur born in the ceety or in ane o the veelages surroondin it. Thay hae contributit tae the teepical, kintra-lik muisic o the ceety. Furthermair, Santiago de Cuba is weel kent for its tradeetional dances, maist notably son, frae which salsa haes been derivit, an guaguancó, which is accompaniet bi percussion muisic anerlie. The ceety is weel kent for its Carnival an aw, which is strangely enough celebratit in Julie. Durin Carnival, tradeetional conga muisic is played in the streets on a tradeetional pentatonic trumpet, cried the trompeta china. A relatively heich nummer o residents o the ceety adhere tae Afro-Cuban releegions, maist notably santería. The ceety hosts an important commonty o descendants frae Haitian immigrants frae the 19t century. Some aspects o the releegious "vodún" heritage o the ceety can be tracit back tae this commonty. In the ceety thare are multiple airchitectural styles, frae Baroque tae neoclassical. O special interest are the firthit pairks, the steep streets, colonial biggins wi huge windaes an croudit balconies. Preserved historical treasures include the first hame in the Americas, the first cathedral in Cuba, the first copper mine opened in the Americas an the first Cuban museum. Warld Heritage Steid The local citadel o San Pedro de la Roca is inscribit on the UNESCO Warld Heritage Leet as "the maist complete, best-preservit example o Spaingie-American militar airchitectur, based on Italian an Renaissance design principles" Warld Heritage Biosphere Reserve The Baconao Pairk wis inscribit on the UNESCO Warld Heritage Biosphere Reserve Leet in 1987. Geografie Santiago de Cuba is locatit in the sootheast o the island at coordinates 20 ° 01'17 .42 "N 75 ° 49'45 .75" O, some 540 mile (870 km) o the caipital, Havana. It featurs a bay connectit tae the Caribbean Sea an is a major port. The municipality o Santiago de Cuba, whaur is its caipital ceety, is the maist populatit o Cuba. The ceety haes been growin at the bottom o the bay an is surroondit on laund bi the Sierra Maestra. This determines the het an humid climate o the place, the landscapes featurs rich composition o urban elements, naitural an marine at the same time. It haes an irregular affset, which contributit tae the development o an urban settin whaur the avenues an streets are steep or descend. Climate Demografics In 2004, the municipality o Santiago de Cuba haed a population o 494,337. Wi a tot aurie o 1,024 km2 (395 sq mi), it haes a population densitie o 482.8/km2 (1,250/sq mi). Transportation Santiago is servit bi Antonio Maceo Airport. Cubana de Aviación connects the ceety wi Havana, Montréal, Madrid an Paris-Orly, ither airlines connect the ceety wi the rest o the Caribbean an North Americae. The public transit in the ceety, lik Havana, is carriet oot bi twa diveesions, Omnibus Metropolitanos (OM) an Metrobus. The Metrobus serves the inner-ceety urban aurie, wi a maximum distance o 20 km. Omnibus Metropolitanos (OM) connects the adjacent touns an municipalities in the metropolitan aurie wi the ceety centre, wi a maximum distance o 40 km. Ferrocarriles de Cuba railweys an ASTRO inter-ceety buses connect the ceety wi Havana's Central Railway Station an wi maist ither main ceeties o Cuba. Schuils The main seicontary eddication institution is the University o Santiago de Cuba (Universidad de Oriente - Santiago de Cuba, UO). References Freemit airtins Tourist info an news aboot Santiago de Cuba Hamepage Municipality wabpage (in Spaingie)