North AmericaCubaCienfuegos Province
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos Province, Cuba · North America
About Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos sits on the route: 25 minutes from Palmira.
Cienfuegos is in Cienfuegos Province, Cuba, with about 190,000 people. The nearest town is Palmira, about 12 km away.
Cienfuegos (Latin American Spanish: [sjeɱˈfweɣos]), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about 250 km (160 mi) from Havana and has a population of 178,368 in 2022. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especially in theRead more
energy and sugar sectors. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South). Despite being known as an industrial city of factories and various power plants (including a never completed nuclear plant), and the name Cienfuegos literally translating to "one hundred fires" (cien, "one hundred"; fuegos, "fires"), the city actually takes its name from the surname of Asturian-born José Cienfuegos Jovellanos, Captain General of Cuba (1816–19).
Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the city was settled by many Spaniards, mainly Catalans and Asturians who amassed fortunes as businessmen in different branches, some of them in the sugar industry. They became rich during their stay in Cuba, and they commissioned many of the most emblematic buildings of Cienfuegos that remain today (See also: Indiano). Another well known resident was the Irish-born John O’Bourke who had ten children on the island, three of whom were Cuban independence fighters from the Spanish crown: the mestizos Juan O'Bourke y Palacio, Rafael O’Bourke y Borroto, and Don Miguel O’Bourke y Ramos. There were also artistic personalities born in Cuba who have contributed to the cultural history of the city.
In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos on the World Heritage List, citing Cienfuegos as the best extant example of early 19th century Spanish Enlightenment influence on urban planning. The downtown area contains six buildings from 1819–50, 327 buildings from 1851 to 1900, and 1188 buildings from the 20th century.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cienfuegos?
Cienfuegos is in Cienfuegos Province, Cuba, about 12 km from Palmira.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 186,644
- Continent
- North America
- Country
- Cuba
- Region
- Cienfuegos Province
- Timezone
- America/Havana
- Coordinates
- 22.1468, -80.4481
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When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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