Provinces of Cuba facts for kids

Cuba is a country divided into smaller areas called provinces. Think of them like states or regions in other countries. Cuba has fourteen provinces and one special area called a municipality. These divisions help manage the country better.

Exploring Cuba's Provinces

Isla
de la
Juventud

Pinar
del Río

La Habana

Ciudad de La
Habana

Matanzas

Cienfuegos

Villa
Clara

Sancti
Spíritus

Ciego de
Ávila

Camagüey

Las
Tunas

Granma

Holguín

Santiago
de Cuba

Guantánamo

Cuba's provinces stretch from west to east across the island. They are:

• Isla de la Juventud
• Pinar del Río
• Artemisa
• City of Havana (Ciudad de La Habana)
• Mayabeque
• Matanzas
• Cienfuegos
• Villa Clara
• Sancti Spíritus
• Ciego de Ávila
• Camagüey
• Las Tunas
• Granma
• Holguín
• Santiago de Cuba
• Guantánamo

Cuba also has a "special municipality" called the Isla de la Juventud. This means it's a special area that isn't part of a province. Its name means "Island of Youth." Before the 1970s, it was known as the Isla de Pinos, or "Isle of Pines." It also had older names like "Evangelista" and "Isle of Parrots."

A Look at Cuba's Past Divisions

Cuban Provinces from 1879 to 1976

Before the year 1976, Cuba was divided into different provinces. These older provinces were arranged from west to east:

• Pinar del Río
• La Habana
• Matanzas
• Las Villas (which was called "Santa Clara" before 1940)
• Camagüey (known as "Puerto Príncipe" before 1899)
• Oriente (called "Santiago de Cuba" before 1905)

These older provinces covered large areas of the map. For example, the old La Habana province included what are now the provinces of Artemisa, Mayabeque, and the City of Havana. The changes in 1976 helped to create smaller, more manageable regions.

Population and Area of Cuba's Provinces

This table shows information about the population and size of each province. Pop. stands for Population. The numbers are from the Cuba census in 2002 and estimates from 2005.

See also

In Spanish: Provincias de Cuba para niños