Cuba () is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in the District of Beja in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,878, in an area of 172.09 km². The current mayor (since 2013) is João Português. The municipal holiday is Monday after Easter.

History

The name "Cuba" is likely of Arabic origin, pertaining to the

qubba A ''qubba'' ( ar, قُبَّة, translit=qubba(t), pl. ''qubāb''), also transliterated as ḳubba, kubbet and koubba, is a cupola or domed structure, typically a tomb or shrine in Islamic architecture. In many regions, such as North Africa, the ...

, that is

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, f ...

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

d tombs of ascetic spiritual leaders. Such toponyms are frequent in Southern Portugal and likely related to the

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

movements that flourished during the period of

Almoravid The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century tha ...

decay, such as the one led by Ibn Qasi. CristovaoColomboCuba

In the 20th century a small number of scholars sought to make Columbus a Portuguese man. One of these attempts had him born in the town of Cuba, after which he would have named the Caribbean island (see possible birthplace of Christopher Columbus). A statue honouring the explorer can be seen in the city centre.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (''

freguesias ''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Port ...

''): * Cuba * Faro do Alentejo * Vila Alva * Vila Ruiva

Notable people

* Diogo Dias Melgás (1638 in Cuba, Alentejo - 1700) a Portuguese composer of late-Renaissance sacred polyphony.

References

External links

Town Hall official website
Towns in Portugal Populated places in Beja District Municipalities of Beja District {{Beja-geo-stub