Guantánamo (, , ) is a municipality and city in southeast

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

and capital of Guantánamo Province. Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

near the site of a U.S. naval base. The area produces

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

and

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

wool. These are traditional parts of the economy.

History

The city was founded in 1797 in the area of a farm named ''Santa Catalina''. The toponym "Guantánamo" means, in

Taíno language Taíno is an extinct Arawakan language that was spoken by the Taíno people of the Caribbean. At the time of Spanish contact, it was the most common language throughout the Caribbean. Classic Taíno (Taíno proper) was the native language of th ...

, "land between the rivers".Guantánamo
on EcuRed

Geography

The municipality is mountainous in the north, at

Alejandro de Humboldt National Park Alejandro de Humboldt National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt) is a national park in the Cuban provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo. It is named after the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt who visited the island in 1800 ...

, where it overlays the Sierra Maestra (mountains), and borders the Windward Passage of the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexic ...

in the south. It is crossed by the Bano, Guantánamo, Yateras, Guaso, San Andrés, and Sabanalamar rivers. The city is spread with a square plan and is crossed in the middle by the Carretera Central highway.

Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay ( es, Bahía de Guantánamo) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut o ...

is a natural harbour south of it. The municipality borders with

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...

Niceto Pérez Niceto Pérez () is a municipality and town in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba. It is located west of the provincial capital, Guantánamo. Demographics In 2004, the municipality of Niceto Pérez had a population of 17,783. With a total area o ...

, Caimanera,

Yateras Yateras is a municipality in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba. The municipal seat is located in the town of Palenque, in the northern part of the province. Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is partly located in t ...

Manuel Tames Manuel Tames is a municipality and town in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba. Its administrative seat is located in the town of Jamaica. Geography The town is located east of the provincial capital, Guantánamo. Demographics In 2004, the municip ...

, and Sagua de Tánamo; this one in Holguín Province. It includes the villages of Argeo Martínez, Arroyo Hondo, Glorieta, Las Lajas, and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...

. Prior to 1976 it was divided into the

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish word that means " quarter" or " neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), social, a ...

s and villages Arroyo Hondo, Baitiquirí, Bano, Bayate, Caimanera, Camarones, Caridad, Corralillo, Cuatro Caminos, Filipinas, Glorieta, Gobierno, Guaso, Hospital, Indios, Isleta, Jaibo Abajo, Las Lajas, Macurijes, Mercado, Ocujal, Parroquia, Palma de San Juan, Rastro, Tiguabos, and Vínculo. After 1976 reform part of municipal territory was split in the municipalities of El Salvador, Niceto Pérez, Caimanera, and

San Antonio del Sur San Antonio del Sur is a municipality and town in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba. It is located on the southern coast of Cuba, bordering the Windward Passage to the south. Demographics In 2004, the municipality of San Antonio del Sur had a po ...

United States Naval Base

About 15 km away from the city lies the

, a superior natural harbor which has been utilized by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

since 1898, when it was captured from Spain in the

Battle of Guantánamo Bay A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. Cuba leased it to the U.S. in 1903 in fulfillment of a commitment made in the 1903 Cuban–American Treaty of Relations, and remains the site of a US Navy base, as well as the

Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( es, Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and Gitmo (), on the coast of Gua ...

Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Guantánamo had a population of 244,603. With a total area of , it has a population density of .

Notable Guantanameros

Notable natives of Guantánamo include athletes

Joel Casamayor Joel Casamayor Johnson (born July 12, 1971) is a Cuban American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2011. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBA super featherweight title from 2000 to 2002; and the ...

, Erislandy Lara, Yuriorkis Gamboa,

Yumileidi Cumbá Yumileidi Cumbá Jay (, also ''Yumisleidis'', born February 11, 1975, in Guantánamo) is a Cuban shot putter. Career Her greatest season was 2004, when she won an Olympic gold medal and achieved a new personal best throw. Her current personal ...

, Jaime Jefferson,

Yargelis Savigne Yargelis Savigne Herrera (born 13 November 1984 in Niceto Pérez, Guantanamo) is a Cuban athlete competing in the triple jump and long jump. Her international breakthrough came in 2005, when she, competing in both the triple and long jump ev ...

Dayron Robles Dayron Robles (born 19 November 1986) is a Cuban track and field athlete who specialises in the 110 metre hurdles. He won his first major medal (a silver) in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. He finished the 2006 seas ...

, Luis Delís, gymnast Annia Hatch, Broadway and movie actress Olga Merediz, musician Diamela del Pozo, cosmonaut

Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez (born January 29, 1942) is a Cuban military officer, legislator, and former cosmonaut and the first person of African heritage in space. In 1980, as a member of the crew of Soyuz 38, he became the first Cuban citizen, th ...

, journalist

Iliana Hernández Iliana Hernández Cardosa (born 1973) is a Cuban activist and journalist. Cardosa has worked as a reporter and correspondent for CiberCuba in Havana. As a result of her work, she has been threatened and arrested several times. Biography Cardosa ...

and Major League Baseball player

Luis Robert Luis Robert Moirán (born August 3, 1997) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. Cuban career Robert was named to the all-tournament team in the 2015 ...

of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

Transport

Car

The city is served by the Carretera Central highway, and is the eastern terminus of the

A1 motorway A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Education * A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages * Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects * A1, a ...

, that is mainly under construction and will link Guantánamo with

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Railway

In July 2019, Cuba received its first new train cars in over four decades from China for the route between

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

and Guantanamo. The journey takes 15 hours. A round trip ticket from Havana to Guantanamo trip starts at 200 Cuban pesos ($8, €7).

Airport

Guantanamo's commercial airport, the Mariana Grajales Airport, is served by one airline, Cubana. It is located near the villages of Las Lajas and Paraguay.

The song "Guantanamera"

Guantanamera "Guantanamera" (; Spanish: (the woman) from Guantánamo) is perhaps the best-known Cuban song and that country's most-noted patriotic song, especially when using a poem by the Cuban poet José Martí for the lyrics. The official writing credi ...

" (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: "from Guantánamo eminine, thus "woman from Guantánamo") is perhaps the best known

n song and that country's most noted patriotic song. In 1966, a version by American vocal group

The Sandpipers The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of " Guantanamer ...

, based on an

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orche ...

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...

, became an international hit. The song was later also one of Cuban superstar singer Celia Cruz's biggest hits.

Gallery

File:Guantanamo City.jpg, Hotel Washington (1974) File:Cathedral, Guantanamo.JPG, The Cathedral File:Guantanamo, Plaza de la Revolucion.jpg, Plaza de la Revolución File:Zoológico de Piedra-2.jpg, A sculpture of an ox in the "Zoológico de Piedra" (i.e.: "Stone Zoo")

References

External links

Complete guide to Guantánamo CityDetailed information about Zoologico de Piedra (Stone Zoo)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guantanamo Cities in Cuba Populated places in Guantánamo Province Port cities in Cuba Populated places established in 1797 1790s establishments in Cuba 1797 establishments in the Spanish West Indies