Las Tunas (city)

Las Tunas[2][4][5] is a city and municipality in central-eastern Cuba. It is the capital of the Las Tunas Province and was named Victoria de Las Tunas from 1869 to 1976.

Las Tunas
(Victoria de Las Tunas)
Municipality
Las Tunas
Las Tunas
Coat of arms of Las Tunas
Coat of arms
Las Tunas municipality (red) within Las Tunas Province (yellow) and Cuba
Las Tunas municipality (red) within
Las Tunas Province (yellow) and Cuba
Coordinates: 20°57′35″N 76°57′16″W
CountryCuba
ProvinceLas Tunas
Established1759[1]
Government
 • PresidentJuana Yamilka Viñals Suárez
Area
[2]
 • Total891 km2 (344 sq mi)
Elevation
92 m (302 ft)
Population
 (2004)[3]
 • Total171,957
 • Density190/km2 (500/sq mi)
DemonymTunero/a
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
Postal code
75100-75500
Area code+53 31

Geography

The city of Las Tunas is located in along the Carretera Central (highway), between the cities of Camagüey, Holguín and Bayamo.

In 1943 the municipality was divided into the barrios of Primero, Segundo, Antonio Machado, Arenas, Caisimú, Cauto del Paso, Cuaba, Curana, Dumañuecos, Ojo de Agua, Oriente, Palmarito, Playuelas and San José de la Plata.[1] The city is currently divided into the repartos (division under barrios) of Primero (city centre), Segundo, La Victoria, Aguilera, Santo Domingo, Pena, La Loma, Aurora, Velázquez, Sosa, Casa Piedra, Israel Santos, Buena Vista, Alturas de Buena Vista, Propulsión, Aeropuerto and Reparto Militar.

History

The city was founded in 1796 around the Parish of San Jerónimo. In 1853, after a Royal Decree, it received the title of "city". In 1976, following the suppression of the Oriente Province and its split up, Las Tunas became the capital of the new and eponymous province.

Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Las Tunas had a population of 187,438.[3] With a total area of 891 km2 (344 sq mi),[2] it has a population density of 210.4/km2 (545/sq mi).

Climate

Las Tunas has a tropical savannah climate (Aw) with hot daytime temperatures and mild to warm night time temperatures year round.

Climate data for Victoria de las Tunas, Cuba
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 28
(82)		 29
(84)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 33
(91)		 33
(91)		 32
(90)		 31
(88)		 29
(84)		 28
(82)		 31
(87)
Average low °C (°F) 19
(66)		 19
(66)		 20
(68)		 21
(70)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 24
(75)		 24
(75)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 21
(70)		 20
(68)		 22
(71)

Transport
A coach of the Tren Francés in Las Tunas station depot

Las Tunas counts a railway station on the principal Havana–Santiago de Cuba line and on a secondary line to Manatí. A planned extension of the A1 motorway, that will span the entire island, will interest the City. The local airport is the Hermanos Ameijeiras, located in the northern suburb.

Tourism

Known in Cuba as the "City of Sculpture" (due to the several artistic installations scattered throughout the city centre) Las Tunas is in the least visited province in Cuba. In spite of this, the city has two international hotels (Hotel Las Tunas and Hotel Cadillac) and 219 B&Bs [6]

However, the local and the central government are both working in order to increase tourism in the province. In July 2015, within the framework of the Foreign Investment Law,[7] the government is trying to attract foreign partners to build large hotel complexes in the still unspoilt Covarrubia beach.

Sport

The local baseball club is Las Tunas, nicknamed Leñadores (meaning “Lumberjacks”) and its home ground is the Julio Antonio Mella Stadium. The association football club is the FC Las Tunas, and its home ground is the Ovidio Torres Stadium.

Notable residents

Twin towns

See also

References
  1. Guije.com. "Victoria de Las Tunas" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  2. Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  3. Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  4. (in Spanish) Historical site of the city of Las Tunas Archived 2012-11-16 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Source: Mapa de Carreteras de Cuba (Road map of Cuba). Ediciones GEO, Havana 2011 - ISBN 959-7049-21-X
  6. "Casas Particulares in Las Tunas". May 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  7. "Cartera de Oportunidades de Inversion". April 2014. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  8. "Yordan Álvarez stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
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