SANTIAGO DE CUBA

provincia, southern Cuba, bounded on the west by the province of Granma, on the north by Holgun, on the east by Guantnamo, and on the south by the Caribbean Sea. It was part of former Oriente province until 1976. The northern part of the province is generally mountainous except for the east-westtrending Central Valley, which is drained by the Cauto River. The country's highest mountain, Turquino Peak, 6,470 feet (1,972 m) above sea level, is in the Sierra Maestra, which stretches east-west along the southern coast. Pines and Juniper grow on the northern slopes, whereas the southern slopes on the leeward side are semiarid. The Sierra Maestra sheltered Fidel Castro's forces during their campaigns that resulted in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Coffee and cacao are grown in the Sierra Maestra and along the Central Valley. Other products are sugarcane, corn (maize), bananas, timber, citrus fruits, mangoes, poultry, and honey; cattle are raised and dairy products are important. The mountains surrounding Santiago de Cuba (q.v.) city, the provincial capital and one of the nation's major ports, yield iron, manganese, and copper. Industries include coffee roasting, furniture making, distilling, sugar refining, and textile manufacture. Santiago de Cuba city is the southern terminus of the central highway and the major railway. Area 2,382 square miles (6,170 square km). Pop. (1990 est.) 990,621. city, capital of Santiago de Cuba provincia, eastern Cuba. The second largest city in Cuba, it nestles in a valley of the Sierra Maestra that is pierced by a pouch-shaped bay. The bay's entrance, cutting into high bluffs that rise from the sea, is nearly invisible offshore. The chief bluff, about 200 feet (60 m) high, is El Morro, crowned by a colonial fortress, Morro Castle (Castillo del Morro). Santiago de Cuba was founded in 1514 by Diego Velzquez, first governor of Cuba; it was moved a few miles to the present site in 1522. The settlement commanded a strategic location on the northern Caribbean in the early colonial period, and it served as the capital of Cuba until 1589. With the shift of population toward the western end of the island, Santiago de Cuba lost its leading position to Havana. The explorer Hernn Corts was the first mayor of Santiago de Cuba, and it was from there that he set out in 1518 on the expedition that culminated in the conquest of Mexico. Santiago de Cuba was a focal point of the Spanish-American War, and many reminders of that conflict are found in the area. Decisive engagements were fought near the city on the hills of El Viso (in the village of El Caney) and San Juan. The harbour was partially blocked by the scuttled collier Merrimac; and the principal naval action of the war was fought along the coast near the port on July 3, 1898. On July 26, 1953, the revolutionary leader Fidel Castro led an attack against the Moncada Barracks in the city. The attack was repulsed by government troops, but the name the 26th of July Movement became attached to Castro's cause. In 1956, after his release from prison, he led a small group of supporters back into the Sierra Maestra; although they isolated the city from the rest of the island, it remained in government hands until Castro's final victory in 1959. During the next two decades the city experienced a rapid growth of population and services. Santiago de Cuba is the centre of an agricultural and mining region. The city exports copper, iron, manganese, sugar, and fruit, and it is the southern terminus of the central highway and Cuba's major railway. The University of Oriente (founded 1947), a medical school, a sports stadium, a cathedral, and several museums are located in the city, which is a cultural and tourism centre. Pop. (1990 est.) 405,354.