Ciego de Ávila

Ciego de Avila
Municipality
the Ciego de Avila's boulevard
Seal
Ciego de Ávila municipality (red) within (Cuba)
Coordinates: 21°50′53″N 78°45′47″W
Country	Cuba
Province	Ciego de Ávila
Established	1840[1]
Government
• President	Viviana Martínez Cárdenas
Area [2]
• Municipality	450 km^2 (170 sq mi)
Elevation	55 m (180 ft)
Population  (2022)[3]
• Municipality	156,322
• Density	350/km^2 (900/sq mi)
• Urban	131,551
• Rural	24,771
Demonym	Avileño/a
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
Postal code	65200
Area code	+53 43
Highways	Carretera Central

Ciego de Ávila (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsjeɣo ðe ˈaβila]) is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The capital city has a population of about 156,322 and the province 430,507.[3]

Geography

Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highway and on a major railroad. Its port, Júcaro, lies 24 km (15 mi) south-southwest on the coast of the Gulf of Ana Maria of the Caribbean Sea, in the adjacent municipality of Venezuela. The city is located about 460 km (290 mi) east of Havana and 110 km (68 mi) west of the city of Camagüey. It was part of the Camagüey Province until 1976, when Fidel Castro's government made Ciego de Ávila the capital of the newly created Ciego de Ávila Province.

By 1945, the municipality was divided into the barrios of Angel Castillo, Ceballos, Guanales, Jagüeyal, Jicotea, José Miguel Gómez, Júcaro, La Ceiba, Majagua, Norte, San Nicolás and Sur. After the new political and administrative division of Cuba in 1976, it was divided into four municipalities (Majagua, Ciego de Ávila, Baragua, and Venezuela).[1]

Climate

Ciego de Ávila experiences a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw).

Climate data for Ciego de Ávila
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	27.3 (81.1)	28.1 (82.6)	29.9 (85.8)	31.3 (88.3)	31.9 (89.4)	32.1 (89.8)	33.1 (91.6)	33.3 (91.9)	32.5 (90.5)	31.0 (87.8)	29.9 (85.8)	27.9 (82.2)	30.7 (87.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	17.2 (63.0)	17.1 (62.8)	18.8 (65.8)	20.0 (68.0)	21.5 (70.7)	22.8 (73.0)	23.3 (73.9)	23.3 (73.9)	22.6 (72.7)	21.8 (71.2)	20.4 (68.7)	18.0 (64.4)	20.6 (69.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	31 (1.2)	28 (1.1)	41 (1.6)	82 (3.2)	181 (7.1)	191 (7.5)	135 (5.3)	142 (5.6)	187 (7.4)	177 (7.0)	66 (2.6)	30 (1.2)	1,291 (50.8)
Source: CLIMATE-DATA.ORG[4]

History

St. Eugene (San Eugenio) Cathedral

The city of Ciego de Ávila was founded by 1840, having at the time 263 inhabitants. In 1877, its municipal government was created and the city became independent of the city of Morón. Ciego de Ávila gained importance when the Spanish army built a fortified military line, known as Trocha de Júcaro a Morón, to impede the pass of insurrectionist forces to the western part of the island during the 1st War of Independence (1868–1878). This "trocha", which made this region famous, was thought to be strong enough to stop the Cuban forces, but was not able to stop the pass of General Máximo Gómez and several hundred men. Many of the old Spanish colonial buildings in Ciego de Ávila (such as the Teatro Principal) were commissioned under Angela Hernández, viuda de Jiménez, a rich socialite who battled to create a cultural mecca in her hometown.

Demographics

In 2022, the Municipality of Ciego de Ávila had a population of 156,322.[3] With a total area of 445 km^2 (172 sq mi),[2] it has a population density of 350/km^2 (910/sq mi).

Attractions

• Parque Martí is the largest park in the city of Ciego de Ávila.
• Teatro Principal is a 500-seat theatre located just a few blocks from Parque Martí.
• University of Ciego de Ávila (Universidad de Ciego de Ávila, UNICA) is the province's secondary education institution.
• IPVCE Ignacio Agramonte Instituto Pre-Universitario Vocacional de Ciencias Exactas (10 a 12 grado) con emphasis en las ciencias basicas: Fisica, Quimica, Matematica, Biologia y Electronica. Se encuentra en la carretera a Ceballos.
• la Turbina is a small amusement park located to the north west of the city with approximately 6 rides.

Media

Its present radio station, Radio Surco (previously Radio Cuba), was founded October 10, 1952.

Sports

Ciego de Ávila's basketball team has been one of the most successful teams in the country, as it has won 9 national championships since 2005.

Notable residents

• Andy Morales (b. 1974, Major League Baseball player
• Tony Pérez (b. 1942), Major League Baseball player
• Rusney Castillo (b. 1987), Major League Baseball player
• William Granda (b. 1985), member of Cuba's national basketball team
• Adolis Garcia (b. 1993), member of Texas Rangers (baseball)

See also

• Municipalities of Cuba
• List of cities in Cuba

References

1. Guije.com. "Ciego de Ávila" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-10-06.
2. Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
3. "Cuba: Administrative Division (Provinces and Municipalities) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
4. Info at en.climate-data.org

External links

• Ciego de Ávila (fica.inf.cu)