Holguín is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Havana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the southeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín (the capital), Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa. The province has a population of slightly over one million people. Its territory exceeds 9300 km2, 25 percent of which is covered by forest.

History

Christopher Columbus landed in what is believed to have been today's Holguín province on October 27, 1492. He declared that it was "the most beautiful land human eyes had ever seen". The Holguín province was established in 1978, when it was split from the Oriente region.

Economy

Like much of Cuba, Holguín's economy is based around sugarcane, though other crops such as corn and coffee, as well as mining, are also large earners for the province. A large nickel plus cobalt processing plant with shipping facilities was built in Moa, using foreign investment, much of it from Canada. Chromium, iron and steel plants dot the province as well. Tourism has only recently begun to be developed, offering beach resorts in the outskirts of the region, with a number of hotels around the Guardalavaca area, Playa Esmeralda, Playa Yuraguanal, Playa Blanca, Playa Pesquero, and Cayo Saetia. The Cuchillas del Toa Biosphere Reserve, Sierra Cristal National Park and Alejandro de Humboldt National Park are partly located in the province. Gibara is a little visited historical port located west of the main Guardalavaca resorts. Recently a large number of tourists are reported to have visited the city and its rich culture and beauty. Direct flights to Canada and Europe from Holguin airport limit transfer time to around 1 hour to most resorts on the Costa Holguinera. Canadians and Europeans share the coral beaches with Cubans.

Municipalities

Holguín is divided into 14 municipalities:

Demographics

In 2004, the province of Holguin had a population of 1,029,083. With a total area of 9292.83 km2, the province had a population density of 110.7 /km2. Per the 2012 census, the population was 1,035,072, and a similar population density of 111.38 /km2.

Notable people