Havana (Spanish: La Habana, IPA: ) is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city forms one of the 14 Cuban provinces, the province called "Ciudad de La Habana" (City of Havana). With a city population of more than 2.3 million, and a metropolitan area population of over 3 million, Havana is the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region, ninth in Latin America. The City is one of the smallest in terms of area of the Cuban provinces, but the most populated. It is located just over 144 kilometres (90 miles) south-southwest of Key West, Florida, situated on the northwest coast of Cuba, facing the Straits of Florida, and is surrounded by Havana Province to the south, east, and west.
Havana is one of the oldest cities founded by Europeans in the Western Hemisphere. It was first established in 1515, and became the capital of Spanish Cuba in 1552. In the 16th century, the city was attacked and burnt several times by pirates, buccaneers and French corsairs; Jacques de Sores was the first French corsair that attacked the city. Like many colonial cities in coastal areas, the Spanish walled the city to protect it from attacks by pirates and foreign powers. The explosion and sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana's harbor in February 1898 was the immediate cause of the Spanish-American War. Old Havana and its fortifications are protected by UNESCO.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Havana became a flourishing and fashionable city. Wealth and power was concentrated in the city, because of its dual role as Cuba's colonial capital, and as the focus of the Spanish colonial trading system. Havana soon boasted much monumental architecture and prosperity amongst the burgeoning middle-class, and this led to many lavish classical mansions being erected. At the time, Havana's theaters featured the most distinguished actors of the age; during this period, Havana was known as the Paris of the Antilles. Nowadays, the capital is the center of the Cuban government, and various ministries are based in the city, as are the headquarters of businesses located in Vedado, such as Corporación Cimex. Like many capital cities, Havana generates a disproportionate amount of the island's industrial output and holds the lion's share of the island's service economy.
Etymology
(UN/LOCODE:
CU HAV) La Habana, was formerly named and founded as Villa de San Cristóbal de la Habana by Diego Velásquez de Cuellar. Habana may be an ethnic name, or related to Middle Dutch, havene: port. Ciudad de La Habana: City of Havana (considered a province, despite its name). In common usage, La Habana is translated when it refers to the city (Havana in Dutch, English, and Portuguese; La Havane in French; L'Avana in Italian; Havanna in German), but not when it refers to either of the provinces.
History
The founding of Havana
The current Havana area and its natural bay were first visited by Europeans during Sebastián de Ocampo's circumnavigation of the island, in 1509. Shortly thereafter, in 1510, the first Spanish colonists arrived from La Hispaniola and thus the Conquest of Cuba began.
Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founded Havana on August 25, 1515 on the southern coast of the island, near the present town of Surgidero de Batabanó. Between 1514 and 1519, the city had at least two different establishments. All attempts to found a city on Cuba's south coast failed. The city's location was adjacent to a superb harbor at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, and with easy access to the Gulf Stream, the main ocean current that navigators followed when traveling from the Americas to Europe. This location led to Havana’s early development as the principal port of Spain's New World colonies. An early map of Cuba drawn in 1514 places the town at the mouth of the river Onicaxinal, also on the south coast of Cuba. Another establishment was La Chorrera, today in the neighbourhood of Puentes Grandes, next to the Almendares River. The final establishment, commemorated by El Templete, was the sixth town founded by the Spanish on the island, called San Cristobal de la Habana by Pánfilo de Narváez: the name combines San Cristóbal, patron saint of Havana, and Habana, of obscure origin, possibly derived from Habaguanex, an Indian chief who controlled that area, as mentioned by Diego Velasquez in his report to the king of Spain. A legend relates that Habana was the name of Habaguanex's beautiful daughter, but no known historical source corroborates this version.
Havana moved to its current location next to what was then called Puerto de Carenas (literally, "Careening Bay"), in 1519. The quality of this natural bay, which now hosts Havana's harbor, warranted this change of location. Bartolomé de las Casas wrote:
...one of the ships, or both, had the need of careening, which is to renew or mend the parts that travel under the water, and to put tar and wax in them, and entered the port we now call Havana, and there they careened so the port was called de Carenas. This bay is very good and can host many ships, which I visited few years after the Discovery... few are in Spain, or elsewhere in the world, that are their equal... The prosperity of Havana brought continued international attention, and the city was unexpectedly seized by the Royal Navy. The episode began on June 6, 1762, when at dawn, an impressive British fleet, containing more than 50 ships and 14,000 men, sailed into Cuban waters, by August the British had Havana under siege. The city was subsequently governed by Sir George Keppel on behalf of Great Britain. The British seized the city as part of the Seven Years' War, they immediately opened up trade with their North American and Caribbean colonies, causing a rapid transformation of Cuban society. Food, horses and other goods flooded into the city, and thousands of slaves from West Africa were transported to the island to work on the under manned sugar plantations.
As trade between Caribbean and North American states increased in the early 19th century, Havana became a flourishing and fashionable city. Havana's theaters featured the most distinguished actors of the age, and prosperity amongst the burgeoning middle-class led to expensive new classical mansions being erected. During this period Havana became known as the Paris of the Antilles.
The 19th century opened with the arrival in Havana of Alexander von Humboldt, who was impressed by the vitality of the port. In 1837, the first railroad was constructed, a 51 km stretch between Havana and Bejucal, which was used for transporting sugar from the valley of Guines to the harbor. With this, Cuba became the fifth country in the world to have a railroad, and the first Spanish-speaking country. Throughout the century, Havana was enriched by the construction of additional cultural facilities, such as the theater Tacon, one of the most luxurious in the world, the Artistic and Literary Liceo (Lyceum) and the theater Coliseo. In 1863, the city walls were knocked down so that the metropolis could be enlarged. At the end of the century, the well-off classes moved to the quarter of El Vedado. Later, they emigrated towards Miramar, and today, evermore to the west, they have settled in Siboney. At the end of the 19th century, Havana witnessed the final moments of Spanish colonialism in America, which ended definitively when the United States warship Maine was sunk in its port, giving that country the pretext to invade the island. The 20th century began with Havana, and therefore Cuba, under occupation by the USA. In 1906 the Bank of Nova Scotia opened the first branch in Havana. By 1931 it had three branches in Havana.
Republican period and Post-revolution
Under American influence, the city grew and prospered. Numerous luxury hotels, casinos and nightclubs were constructed in the 1930s to serve Havana's burgeoning tourist industry. Santo Trafficante, Jr. took the roulette wheel at the Sans-Souci, Meyer Lansky directed the Riviera, and Lucky Luciano, the National Casino. At that time Havana became an exotic capital of gambling and corruption where gangsters and stars were known to mix socially. A gallery of black and white portraits from the era still adorns the walls of the bar of the National Hotel, including pictures of Frank Sinatra with Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper. In 1958 about 300,000 American tourists visited the city. One of the most well-known to the world was the American author Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), who quoted "in terms of beauty, only Venice and Paris surpassed Havana", Hemingway wrote several of his famous novels there and lived the last 22 years of his life.
After the revolution of 1959 efforts were made to improve social services, public housing and official buildings. Nevertheless, shortages that affected Cuba following Castro's nationalization (without pay to its former owners) of all private property and businesses on the island and along with this declaring private property illegal followed by the U.S. embargo hit Havana especially hard; much of the city is crumbling without sufficient resources to preserve the old buildings from the effects of the tropical climate, government abandonment, and occasional hurricanes. Following a severe economic downturn after the collapse of the Soviet Union and with it the end of the billions of dollars they gave the Cuban government, the government has increasingly turned to tourism for financial support. Most of this new tourism comes from Canada and Europe. A major effort has gone into rebuilding Old Havana for tourist purposes and a number of streets and squares have been rehabilitated.
Geography
The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbours: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés. The sluggish Almendares River traverses the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay. The low hills on which the city lies rise gently from the deep blue waters of the straits. A noteworthy elevation is the 200-foot- (60-metre-) high limestone ridge that slopes up from the east and culminates in the heights of La Cabaña and El Morro, the sites of colonial fortifications overlooking the bay. Another notable rise is the hill to the west that is occupied by the University of Havana and the Prince's Castle.
Climate
Havana, like much of Cuba, enjoys a pleasant year-round climate that is tempered by the island's position in the belt of the trade winds and by the warm offshore currents. Average temperatures range from 72 °F (22 °C) in January and February to 82 °F (28 °C) in August. The temperature seldom drops below 50 °F (10 °C). Rainfall is heaviest in October and lightest from February through April, averaging 46 inches (1,167 millimetres) annually. Hurricanes occasionally strike the island, but they ordinarily hit the south coast, and damage in Havana is normally less than elsewhere in the country.
On the night of July 8-9, 2005, the eastern suburbs of the city took a direct hit from Hurricane Dennis, with 100 mph winds the storm whipped fierce 10-foot waves over Havana's seawall, and its winds tore apart pieces of some of the city's crumbling colonial buildings. Chunks of concrete fell from the city's colonial buildings. At least 5,000 homes were damaged in Havana's surrounding province . Three months later, on October 2005, the coastal regions suffered severe flooding following Hurricane Wilma.
The table below lists temperature averages throughout the year:
Architecture
Neo-classical
Havana is unique due to its unrivalled rhythmic arcades built largely by Spanish immigrants. Many interior patios remain similar to designs in Seville, Cadiz and Granada. Neo-classicism affected all new buildings in Havana and can be seen all over the city. Many urban features were introduced into the city at the time including Gas public lighting in 1848 and the railroad in 1837. In the second half of the 18th century sugar and coffee production increased rapidly becoming essential in the development of Havana's most prominent architectural style. Many wealthy Habaneros took their inspiration from the French; this can be seen within the interiors of upper class houses such as the Aldama Palace built in 1844. This is considered the most important neoclassical residential building in Cuba and typifies the design of many houses of this period with portales of neoclassical columns facing open spaces or courtyards.
In 1925 Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, the head of urban planning in Paris moved to Havana for five years to collaborate with architects and landscape designers. In the master planning of the city his aim was to create a harmonic balance between the classical built form and the tropical landscape. He embraced and connected the city’s road networks while accentuating prominent landmarks. His influence has left a huge mark on Havana although many of his ideas were cut short by the great depression in 1929. During the first decades of the 20th century Havana expanded more rapidly than at any time during its history. Great wealth prompted architectural styles to be influenced from abroad. The peak of Neoclassicism came with the construction of the Vedado district (begun in1859). This whole neighbourhood is littered with set back well-proportioned buildings.
Colonial and Baroque
Great riches were brought from the colonialists into and through Havana as it was a key transhipment point between the new world and old world. As a result Havana was the most heavily fortified city in the Americas. Most examples of early architecture can be seen in military fortifications such as La Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana (1558 - 1577) designed by Juan Antonelli and the Castillo del Morro (1589 - 1630). This sits at the entrance of Havana Bay and provides an insight into the supremacy and wealth at that time. Old Havana was also protected by a defensive wall begun in 1674 but had already overgrown its boundaries when it was completed in 1767, becoming the new neighbourhood of Centro Habana.
The influence from different styles and cultures can be seen in Havana's colonial architecture, with a diverse range of Moorish, Spanish, Italian, Greek and Roman. The Convento de Santa Clara (1638 - 18th century) is a good example of early Spanish influenced architecture. Its great hall looks resembles an inverted ship and shows the skill of early craftsmen.
The Havana cathedral (1748 -1777) dominating the Plaza de la Caterdral (1749) is the best example of Cuban Baroque. Surrounding it are the Condes de Casa-Bayona (1720 -1746) Marqueses de Arcos (1746) and the Marquesas de Aguas Claras (1751 -1775).
Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Eclectic
At the turn of the 20th century along with Buenos Aires, Havana was the grandest and most important Latin American city in terms of architecture. This boom period known as vacas gordas (fat cows) demonstrates huge examples of buildings from the international influences of art nouveau, art deco and eclectic.
Its suburbs developed to what we see today as Miramar, Marianao, Vedado and Playa. The lush and wealthy Miramar was set out on the American street grid pattern and became a home to diplomats and foreigners. The railway terminal (1912) and the University of Havana, (1906 -1940) and the Capitolio (1926 - 1929) are a good example of the art nouveau style. The Capitolio dome was at 62 meters the highest point in the city and an example of the influence and wealth deriving from the USA at the time. The Lopez Serrano building built in 1932 by Ricardo Mira was the first tall building in Cuba and inspired by the Rockefeller Center in New York. Its design influence can be seen in many buildings in Miami and Los Angeles. The Edificio Bacardi (1930) is one of Havana's grandest buildings and it's best example of Art Deco. Located on a small knoll overlooking the entrance to Havana Bay, is the art-deco style Hotel Nacional de Cuba; originally built in 1929-30 through a joint agreement with the Cuban government and U.S.-based bank.
Culture
Havana, by far the leading cultural centre of the island, offers a wide variety of features that range from museums, palaces, public squares, avenues, churches, fortresses (including the largest fortified complex in the Americas dating from the 16th through 18th centuries), ballet and from art and musical festivals to exhibitions of technology. The restoration of Old Havana offered a number of new attractions, including a museum to house relics of the Castro revolution. The government placed special emphasis on cultural activities, many of which are free or involve only a minimal charge.
Old Havana
UNESCO Heritage site Old Havana, (La Habana Vieja in Spanish), contains the core of the original city of Havana, it is the richest colonial set of Latin America. Havana Vieja was founded by the Spanish in 1519 in the natural harbor of the Bay of Havana. It became a stopping point for the treasure laden Spanish Galleons on the crossing between the New World and the Old World. In the 17th century it was one of the main shipbuilding centers. The city was built in baroque and neoclassic style. Many buildings have fallen in ruin during the communist period in the later half of the 20th century, but a number are being restored. The narrow streets of old Havana contain many buildings, accounting for perhaps as many as one-third of the approximately 3,000 buildings found in Old Havana.
Old Havana is the ancient city formed from the port, the official center and the Plaza de Armas. Alejo Carpentier called Old Havana the place "de las columnas" (of the columns). The Cuban government is taking many steps to preserve and to restore Old Havana, through the Office of the city historian, directed by Eusebio Leal. Old Havana and its fortifications were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982.
Chinatown
Havana has an active Chinese community and a number of Chinese restaurants in its Chinatown (Barrio Chino) district located in Centro Habana. The heart of Havana's chinatown is on el Cuchillo de Zanja (or The Zanja Canal). The strip is a pedestrian-only street adorned with many red lanterns, dancing red paper dragons and other Chinese cultural designs, there is a great number of restaurants that serve a full spectrum of Chinese dishes. The Chinatown district has two paifang, a large one located on Calle Dragones, the materials were donated in the late 90s by the People's Republic of China , it has a well defined written welcoming sign in Chinese and Spanish. The smaller arch is located on Zanja strip. Almost a century ago, Havana was home to Latin America's biggest and most vibrant Chinatown, the product of heavy Chinese immigration. Havana's Chinatown incorporated into the city by the early part of the 20th century, the neighborhood was booming with Chinese restaurants, laundries, banks, pharmacies, theaters and several Chinese-language newspapers, the neighborhood comprised of 44 square blocks during its prime.
Only one of what were once four Chinese-language newspapers remains in Havana, Kwong Wah Po, written by Abel Fung, member of the Promotional Group of Chinatown . The newspaper is not subject to state censorship. In addition, Chinatown is the only area granted autonomy from many laws that govern the rest of Cuba. Restaurants, for example, are not state run nor are they subject to the laws of private restaurants in that they are allowed to have more than 12 seats as well as serve seafood.
The Cuban's Chinese boom ended when Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution seized private businesses, sending tens of thousands of business-minded Chinese fleeing, mainly to the United States and their homeland China. Unlike that of Argentina and other Latin American countries, the overseas Chinese population of Cuba was once very large. Age, emigration and intermarriage have taken a toll on Havana's once flourishing Chinese community. While descendants are making efforts to preserve and revive the culture, the island's last pure Chinese are slowly disappearing into Havana's Chinese cemetery, taking with them part of Cuba's history. Chinese immigration to Cuba started in 1847 when Spanish settlers brought in Cantonese contract workers to work in the sugar fields. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers were brought in from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan during the following decades to replace the labor of African slaves. After completing 8-year contracts, the Chinese immigrants generally settled permanently in Havana, where their descendants have since intermarried with local Cubans.
To tie in with the Revolution's economic reliance on tourism, attempts have recently been launched to attract revitalization investment for Chinatown from state-run enterprises of the People's Republic of China and overseas Chinese private investors, particularly Chinese Canadians. The Promotional Group of Havana's Chinatown was created in 1995 by several Chinese-born, descendents and habitants of the neighborhood, its purpose is to promote and execute the cultural rescue actions, strengthening and enrichment of the values, customs, traditions and contributions of the Chinese presence to the Cuban patrimony. The group promotes a vierity of activities such as Chinese-language classes, demonstrations of martial arts, Chinese folk dance, traditional Cantonese teatre and celebrates different festivities throughout the year, such as the Chinese New Year festival, and since 1997 the overseas Chinese festival (the most important festival).
Visual arts
A house located on 17th Street and E, is the very well maintained neo-classical mansion of the Countess of Revilla de Camargo, today it is the Museum of Decorative Arts (Museo de Artes Decorativas), known as the small French Palace of Havana built between 1924 and 1927, it was designed in Paris by architects P. Virad and M. Destuque, inspired in French Renaissance. A lavish display of 18th and 19th century European treasures that recall a time when Havana was known as the Paris of the Antilles, and many luxury goods, including porcelain from Worcester, Meissen and Sevres, were imported . In the French room, a marble bust of Marie Antoinette smiles demurely, her graceful neck intact. There is another room full of Chinese screens, another one featuring English furniture and landspcape painting. For more than 40 decades the museum has been exhibiting more than 33,000 works dating from the reigns of Louis XV, Louis XVI, and Napoleon III; as well as XVI to XX Century Oriental pieces, among many other treasures. The Museum has ten permanent exhibit halls with works that range from the XVI to the XX centuries. Among them are prominent porcelain articles from the factories in Sevres and Chantilly, France; Meissen, Germany; and Wedgwood, England, as well as Chinese from the Kien Lung period and Japanese from the Imari. The furniture comes from Leonard Boudin, Simoneau, Jean Henri Riesener and several others.
The National Museum of Fine Arts is a Fine Arts museum that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generation. There are two impressive buildings, one dedicated to Cuban Art and the Universal Art, in the former Asturian Center, the former Fine Arts Museum built in 1954 is dedicated exclusively to housing Cuba Art collections. Several museums in Old Havana contain furniture, silverware, pottery, glass and other items from the colonial period. A great one of these is the Palace of the General Captains, where Spanish governors once lived. The Casa de Africa presents another aspect of Cuba's history, an impressive collection of Afro-Cuban religious artifacts. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes containing works by Rubens, Goya and Velazquez now is closed for renovations, it is open to public at a temporary location on Calle Trocadero until renovations are complete. Other museums includes Casa de los Árabes and the Casa de Asia with Middle and Far Eastern collections. Many of these small boutiques museums are in elegant old Spanish architecture houses with airy courtyards. The Museo de Finanzas is more than an empty vault where dictator Fulgencio Batista once stashed his loot. A few old bank-notes are displayed on the walls. Havana's Museo del Automobil has an impressive collection of vehicles dating back to a 1905 Cadillac. In the Automobile museum there is also a Rolls Royce which belonged to Batista, near the 1960 Chevrolet that Che Guevara drove.
There is no other museum like the Museum of the Revolution (Museo de la Revolución), designed in Havana by Cuban architect Maruri, and the Belgian Jean Beleu, who came up with an eclectic design, which harmoniously combines Spanish, French and German architectural elements. The museum was the Presidential Palace, today, its displays and documents outline Cuba's history from the beginning of the neo-colonial period. As most museums of Havana are situated in Old Havana few of them could also be found in Vedado. In total, Havana has around 50 museums, including the Museum of Fine Art, the Revolution and Decorative Arts; the National Museum of Music; the Museum of Dance and Rum; the Cigar Museum; the Napoleonic, Colonial and Oricha Museums; the Museum of Antropology; the Ernest Hemingway Museum; the Jose Marti Monument; Museums of Natural Sciences, the City, Archeology Museum, and Gold-and Silverwork. Also the Aircraft, Parfume, Pharmaceutical, Sports, Numismatic and Weapons Museums.
Performing arts
After the sun sets, Havana's performing arts come to life, facing the Central Park is the German faux-baroque Great Theater of Havana, a prominent theatre built in 1837 home of the National Ballet of Cuba and the International Ballet Festival of Havana, one of the oldest in the New World and remarkably was once the most technologically advanced in the world, thanks to the Italian scientist, Antonio Meucci. It is said the experiments of the eccentric inventor who arrived in Havana in 1835 produced electrical lightning effects and an internal telephone system long before Edison or Bell. Meucci's ingenious spirit lives on in the teatre. Located in the Paseo de Prado in a building known as the Palacio del Centro Gallego. The façade of the building is adorned with a stone and marble statue. There are also sculptural pieces by Giuseppe Moretti, representing allegories depicting benevolence, education, music and theatre. The principal theatre is the García Lorca Auditorium, with seats for 1,500 and balconies. Glories of its rich history; the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso sang, the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova danced, and the French Sarah Bernhardt acted.
Another grand theatre is the National Theater of Cuba, housed in a huge modern building, decorated with works by Cuban artists, there are two main theatre stages, the Sala Avellaneda and the Sala Covarrubias, as well as a smaller theatre workshop space on the ninth floor. The Karl Marx Theater is the venue has an enormous auditorium with seating capacity of 5500 people, and is generally used for big shows by stars from Cuba and abroad. The theatre is also a major concert venue for both local and international artists; singer-songwriters such as Carlos Varela, Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés, are just a few of the famous artists who have graced this particular stage. More recently, this was the scene of a concert by British pop group The Manic Street Preachers. Another theater is the Hubert de Blanck Theater, situated in the Vedado district, has a seating capacity for 267 people, and offers regular performances of contemporary and classical plays. There are also occasional presentations of well known foreign productions that have toured to Cuba. The Teatro Amadeo Roldán which is located within a monumental modern building, once home to The Havana Auditorium, the venue now consists of the Amadeo Roldán and García Caturla halls, offering symphonic orchestras, piano recitals, and a mixture of classical and contemporary music. This is also home to the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, and prestigious international events are held here such as the "Encuentro Internacional de Guitarra" (International Guitar Gathering).
Nightlife and music
The Revolution may have curbed the debauched excesses of the famous 50s, but Havana's brand of rum-fuelled hedonism still lures mega stars and tourists to its vibrant clubs and bars. Vedado has the lion's share of clubs and musical venues, from the swanky to the seedy, while Miramar and Playa is the locale for titillating cabaret and raunchy discos. Some of the nightclubs, restaurants and cabarets found in Havana are world renowned, such as the Tropicana cabaret and nightclub, known as Paradise Under the Stars since it opened in 1939, it has become a shrine to tropical sexuality; 200 dancing queens and heavily choreographed routine is performed to tunes that run the gamut of Cuban musical genres. The Parisien it's another world renowned cabaret, with a show that lasts longer than Tropicana and is of an equivalent standard. Salón Rojo, is a Tropicana-style show with a disco opened until 4 AM. The Club Turquino situated on the 25th floor of the Habana Libre Hotel, has as very sleek New York style bar, its roof opens giving amazing views from the 25th floor. Other clubs includes Habana Cafe, Macumba Habana, La Zorra y el Cuervo (the Fox and the Crow, jazz music), El Gato Tuerto (The One-Eyed Cat, for soul music) and Dos Gardenias (Two Gardenias, for Boleros).
Many of the city's most famed restaurants are in Old Havana. The most popular is La Bodeguita del Medio, once a hangout of Ernest Hemingway and known as best making mojitos. La Floridita, also renowned for its Hemingway associations, claims to be the “birthplace of the daiquiri”. Inarguably the most famous restaurant is "La Guardia" in Centro Havana -- located on a darkened street away from tourists attractions, this private restaurants hosts visiting royalty, dignitaries, and movie stars. Don Giovanni, an Italian and Criollo restaurant it's not named for Mozart's Don Giovanni, but for the military engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli, designer of Havana's 16th century fortresses. The Al Medina restaurant is part of an Arabic cultural center with the city's only mosque and an oasis-like courtyard that hosts arts-and-crafts shows and sales. The eclectic menu offers both Moroccan and criollo fare, ranging from couscous and lamb dishes to criollo standards such as roast chicken or pork and black beans with rice. The Café Paris in old Havana is entertained by one of the city's excellent trios at this 24-hour standby. Café Cantante, on the upper edge of Vedado, near the Plaza de la Revolución, this café often has live music and dance or comedy shows. Other well-known restaurant and bars includes El Aljibe, El Patio and La Terraza.
Beaches of Havana
The Playas del Este (Eastern Beaches) are just 20-30 minutes from Havana on the coast road to Varadero. Full of sun worshippers and local flavor, these sands have something of a daytime-disco-by-the-sea atmosphere. The beaches are spread out along the Via Blanca highway east of the city, the first beach is Bacuranao, 18 km (11 mi) east of Havana. Beneath the waters off this small, white-sand cove are coral reefs and an 18th century Spanish galleon, making this a popular scuba diving spot. Two kilometers (1 mile) east of Bacuranao is the Tarará beach, a small stretch of white sand that is home to the 50-berth Marina Tarará/Club Nautico, site of the annual July Old Man and the Sea Fishing Tournament. To the farther east, there is Playa Guanabo, most visited by locals. In the deeper water, turtles, Blue Marlins (Makaira nigrencans), Tuna, and Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) can be seen. In general, the city's long shoreline is good for scuba diving, there are more than 70 diving sites in the area, 62 miles (100 km) long and nearly two miles (3 km) wide, including some sunken ships which have been declared a part of Cuba's historic heritage. Four international scuba diving centers serve the capital.
LandmarksCastillo del Morro, a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay. The construction of the castle Los Tres Reyes del Morro was due to the step along in Havana of the English pirate Sir Francis Drake. La Cabaña a fortress located on the east side of the Havana bay. La Cabaña is the most impressive fortress from colonial times, particularly its walls constructed (at the same time as El Morro) at the end of the 18th century. Castillo San Salvador de la Punta - is a small fortress built in the 16th century, at the western entry point to the Havana harbour, played a crucial role in the defence of Havana during the first centuries of colonisation. The fortress still houses some twenty old guns and other military antiques. Malecón is the avenue that runs along the seawall built along the northern shore of Havana, from Habana Vieja to the Almendares River, forming the southern boundary of Old Havana, Centro Habana and Vedado. National Capitol, Built in 1929 as the Senate and House of Representatives (and said to be a replica of Washington DC's Capitol), this colossal building is recognizable by its dome which dominates the city's skyline. Inside stands the largest indoor bronze statue in the world representing Pallas Athena. Nowadays, the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (the National Museum of Natural History) has its venue within the building and contains the largest natural history collection in the country The Great Theater of Havana is famous particularly for the acclaimed National Ballet of Cuba. It sometimes hosts performances by the National Opera. The theater is also known as concert hall, Garcia Lorca, the biggest in Cuba. The Museum of the Revolution, located in the former Presidential Palace, with the yacht Granma on display behind the museum. Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón - cemetery and open air museum It is one of the most famous cemeteries in Latin America, known for its beauty and magnificence. The cemetery was built in 1876 and has nearly one million tombs. Some of the gravestones are decorated with the works of sculptors of the calibre of Ramos Blancos, among others. Casa de las Américas - is a Cuban institution for Latin American and Caribbean culture. The galleries in the main building house one of the finest collections of Latin American art. There are three separate exhibition spaces and a specialised library. Hotel Nacional de Cuba, or the National Hotel. Botanical Garden - a garden with beautiful scenery hosts Caribbean species, particularly those of Cuba. There is a Japanese Garden, with fountains and waterfalls. National Aquarium - Cuba’s National Aquarium is a unique exhibit, the Island and the Caribbean’s marine flora and fauna are preserved by the work of the staff that has been encouraged with the Colectivo Vanguardia Nacional acknowledgment during five years. Centro Wifredo Lam - This little museum and gallery is dedicated to the memory of Cuba's most treasured modern artist, Wifredo Lam. The museum houses a sizeable collection of Lam's lithographs and acrylic works, as well as works of art and sculpture from the artist's personal collection. Convento de Santa Clara de Asis - One of the oldest and best of the Spanish colonial monasteries on the island, this building is now home to the Centro Nacional de Restauración, Conservación y Museología or CENCREM (National Centre for Restoration, Conservation and Museum Studies). Founded in 1644 it has, despite its peaceful history, given rise to many tales and legends of unrequited love and hidden treasure. No evidence has ever been uncovered to back up these stories. The Christ of Havana - Havana's statue of Christ blesses the city from the other side of the bay, much like the famous Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro. Carved from marble by Jilma Madera, it was erected in 1958 on a platform which makes a good spot from which to watch old Havana and the harbour. José Martí Memorial - is a museum dedicated to the life of this famous revolutionary writer and poet. The museum displays many of José Martí's personal belongings.
Economy
Industry
Havana's economy first developed on the basis of its location, which made it one of the early great trade centres in the New World. Sugar and a flourishing slave trade first brought riches to the city, and later, after independence, it became a renowned resort. Despite efforts by the Castro government to spread Cuba's industrial activity to all parts of the island, Havana remains the centre of much of the nation's industry. The traditional sugar industry, upon which the island's economy has been based for three centuries, is centred elsewhere on the island and controls some three-fourths of the export economy. But light manufacturing facilities, meat-packing plants, and chemical and pharmaceutical operations are concentrated in Havana. Other food-processing industries are also important, along with shipbuilding, vehicle manufacturing, production of alcoholic beverages (particularly rum), textiles, and tobacco products, particularly the world-famous Habanos cigars. Although the harbours of Cienfuegos and Matanzas, in particular, have been developed under the Castro government, Havana remains Cuba's primary port facility; 50% of Cuban imports and exports pass through Havana. The port also supports a considerable fishing industry.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the United States embargo against Cuba, Havana and the rest of Cuba suddenly plunged into its worst economic crisis since the 1959 Revolution, the crisis was known officially as the Special Period in Time of Peace. The effects of the Special Period and consequent food shortages have had greatest repercussions in the city of Havana. With approximately 2.5 million people, Havana has about one fifth of Cuba's total population and is the largest city in the Caribbean. In addition to the decline in food production needed to serve the capital, there is also a shortage of petroleum necessary to transport, refrigerate, and store food available from the rural agricultural sector. Havana has been designated as a priority in the National Food Program; urban gardening has figured critically among the many measures taken to enhance food security. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Castro de-emphasi
