Sancti Spíritus

Sancti Spíritus is one of the provinces of Cuba. Its capital is the identically named Sancti Spíritus. Another major city is Trinidad.

The southern coast of the province is flat, but the western portion of Sancti Spíritus province is mountainous. The southeast has numerous mangroves and swamps. The northern coast contains significant wetlands and protected areas such as the Bay of Buena Vista and the Caguanes National Park.

The largest man made reservoir in Cuba, the Embalse Zaza, is in Sancti Spíritus province.

History

During the 17th century, both Dutch and British pirates attempted to take control of what is today Sancti Spíritus province, but with little success, as the Spanish garrison held them off. From 1660 to 1680, Trinidad was plagued by pirates from Jamaica and Tortuga, and on two occasions, pirates razed the city.

The provinces of Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, and Villa Clara were once all part of the now defunct province of Las Villas.

Economy

Tourism is a big earner for the province, with most of the tourism centred around the old city of Trinidad, a World Heritage listed city which has dozens of colonial buildings (and almost no 20th century architecture) dating back to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

Francisco Iznaga, a rich Basque landowner in the western portion of Cuba during the first 30 years of the colonization of Cuba, was elected Mayor of Bayamo in 1540. Iznaga was the originator of a powerful lineage that finally settled in Sancti Spiritus and Trinidad, the location of the Torre Iznaga. His descendants fought for the Independence of Cuba and the Annexation to the US from 1820 to 1900.

In the area, as with most of Cuba, sugarcane and cattle are important commodities. Large surfaces are irrigated in the farmland between Zaza Reservoir, Zaza River and Jatibonico River in La Sierpe region. Some tobacco and rice is also grown.

Municipalities

(km²) Location Remarks

Cabaiguán 67,224 597 22.08389°N 79.49528°W

Fomento 33,528 471 22.10528°N 79.72°W

Jatibonico 42,708 765 21.94639°N 79.1675°W

La Sierpe 16,937 1,035 21.76083°N 79.24333°W

Sancti Spíritus 133,843 1,151 21.93417°N 79.44361°W Provincial capital

Taguasco 36,365 518 22.00528°N 79.265°W

Trinidad 73,466 1,155 21.80444°N 79.98278°W

Yaguajay 58,938 1,032 22.33056°N 79.23694°W

[show]Map of all coordinates from Google

Map of all coordinates from Bing

Source: Population from 2004 Census. Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.

Demographics

In 2004, the province of Sancti Spiritus had a population of 463,009. With a total area of 6,736.51 km2 (2,600.98 sq mi), the province had a population density of 68.7 /km2 (178 /sq mi).