Matanzas Province

Matanzas (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈtansas]) is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns in the province include Cárdenas, Colón, Jovellanos and the capital of the same name, Matanzas. The resort town of Varadero is also located in this province.

Matanzas Province
Province of Cuba
Coat of arms
Country	Cuba
Capital	Matanzas
Area [1]
• Total	11,798.02 km^2 (4,555.24 sq mi)
Population  (2010-12-31)[1]
• Total	690,113
• Density	58/km^2 (150/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
Area code(s)	+53-52
Website	Provincial portal

Among Cuban provinces, Matanzas is one of the most industrialised, with petroleum wells, refineries, supertanker facilities, and 21 sugar mills to process the harvests of the fields of sugarcane in the province.

Geography

The second largest in Cuba, Matanzas province is largely flat, with its highest point (Pan de Matanzas) at only 380m above sea level.

The north-western coast is largely rocky, with a few beaches, while the north-eastern coast has numerous small cays of its coast (part of Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago), and scrubland and mangroves near the shoreline. Cuba's northernmost point is located in on Hicacos Peninsula.

The southern coast has one of Cuba's most distinctive features: an enormous marsh, Ciénaga de Zapata that covers both the southern part of the province and the Zapata Peninsula. East of the peninsula lies the Bay of Pigs, the site of the failed US backed invasion.

Municipalities

From 1976 to 2010 Matanzas was sub-divided into 14 municipalities.[2] Starting from 2011, the municipality of Varadero was abolished and merged to Cárdenas. Thus Matanzas now has 13 municipalities.

Municipality	Population (2004)	Area (km²)	Location	Remarks
Calimete	29,736	958	22.53389°N 80.90972°W / 22.53389; -80.90972 (Calimete)
Cárdenas	103,087	566	23.04278°N 81.20361°W / 23.04278; -81.20361 (Cárdenas)
Cienaga de Zapata	8,750	4,320	22.28806°N 81.19750°W / 22.28806; -81.19750 (Playa Larga)	Playa Larga
Colón	71,579	597	22.72250°N 80.90639°W / 22.72250; -80.90639 (Colón)
Jagüey Grande	57,771	882	22.52944°N 81.13250°W / 22.52944; -81.13250 (Jagüey Grande)
Jovellanos	58,685	505	22.81056°N 81.19778°W / 22.81056; -81.19778 (Jovellanos)
Limonar	25,421	449	22.95611°N 81.40861°W / 22.95611; -81.40861 (Limonar)
Los Arabos	25,702	762	22.74000°N 80.71583°W / 22.74000; -80.71583 (Los Arabos)
Martí	23,475	1,070	22.95250°N 80.91667°W / 22.95250; -80.91667 (Martí)
Matanzas	143,706	317	23.05139°N 81.57500°W / 23.05139; -81.57500 (Matanzas)	Province capital
Pedro Betancourt	32,218	388	22.73056°N 81.29083°W / 22.73056; -81.29083 (Pedro Betancourt)
Perico	31,147	278	22.77528°N 81.01500°W / 22.77528; -81.01500 (Perico)
Unión de Reyes	40,022	856	22.80056°N 81.53694°W / 22.80056; -81.53694 (Unión de Reyes)
Varadero	24,681	32	23.13972°N 81.28611°W / 23.13972; -81.28611 (Varadero)	Abolished in 2010

Source: Population from 2004 Census.[3] Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.[4]

Demographics

In 2004, the province of Matanzas had a population of 675,980.[3] With a total area of 11,802.72 km² (4,557.06 sq mi),[5] the province had a population density of 57.3/km² (148/sq mi).

References

1. "Lugar que ocupa el territorio según la superficie y la población" (PDF). Una MIRADA a Cuba (in Spanish). Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas. Cuba. 2010.
2. Atenas.cu. "Municipalities of Matanzas". Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
3. Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
4. Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
5. Government of Cuba (2002). "Population by Province" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-10-02.

Further reading

• New York Public Library (1912). "Cuba: History and Description: Special Places: Matanzas (Province)". List of Works Relating to the West Indies.

External links

Media related to Matanzas Province at Wikimedia Commons

• Provincial portal