Sancti Spíritus Province

Template:About Template:Short description Template:Infobox settlement Sancti Spíritus (Template:IPA) is one of the provinces of Cuba. Its capital is the identically named Sancti Spíritus. Another major city is Trinidad.

Geography

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

Landscape in province Sancti Spíritus (August 2020)

Tourism is a big earner for the province, with most of the tourism centered on 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,<ref>Jorge Iznaga. FRANCISCO IZNAGA Iznaga Genealogy (IZNAGA - 1420 - Present), Retrieved 5 December 2012.</ref> a Basque landowner in the western portion of Cuba during the first thirty years of the colonization of Cuba, was elected Mayor of Bayamo in 1540. Iznaga was the originator of a powerful lineage which finally settled in Sancti Spíritus and Trinidad, the location of the Torre Iznaga. His descendants fought for the independence of Cuba and for annexation to the U.S., from 1820 to 1900.

In the area, as with most of Cuba, sugar cane 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 are also grown.

Municipalities

Municipality	Population (2022)	Area (km2)	Area (sq mi)	Location	Remarks
Cabaiguán	63,981	Template:Convert	Template:Coord
Fomento	31,131	Template:Convert	Template:Coord
Jatibonico	42,027	Template:Convert	Template:Coord
La Sierpe	16,573	Template:Convert	Template:Coord
Sancti Spíritus	142,618	Template:Convert	Template:Coord	Provincial capital
Taguasco	32,968	Template:Convert	Template:Coord
Trinidad	76,500	Template:Convert	Template:Coord
Yaguajay	53,375	Template:Convert	Template:Coord

Source: Population from 2022 estimates.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.<ref name=statoids>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

In 2004, the province of Sancti Spiritus had a population of 463,009.<ref name="atenas">Template:Cite web</ref> With a total area of Template:Convert,<ref name=census2002>Template:Cite web</ref> the province had a population density of Template:Convert. In 2022 the population was estimated to be 459,173.<ref name=":0" />

External links

• Magon.cu: Sancti Spíritus Province portal Template:Webarchive—Template:In lang

Template:Municipalities in Sancti Spíritus Template:Provinces of Cuba Template:Authority control