HAVANA - Capital of the Republic of Cuba
During the period of colonialism it was considered to be "The key of the Golf" and "fortress of the West Indies," because of its strategic geographical position in the Caribbean Basin, and the most important city of Spain in this part of the world. The harassment of corsairs and pirates was the reason that such a system of fortifications was created for this large city, which is among the oldest forts of America. You will find here the castles of the Tres Reyes del Morro, The Real Fuerza and The San Salvador de la Punta.
Capital of the Republic of Cuba, modern and cosmopolitan, follows the agitated course of modern days. This city is the center of the cultural, economic and social life of the Island. Havana, without any doubt, is a city of the World, rich in traditions, legends, history and glorious colonial Spanish architecture; it has a treasure of ancient buildings, plazas and churches from the colonial period, situated as a whole of its historic center, and declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. The streets of cobbled stones miss the passing of carriages and the clamor of street vendors whose happy faces of mixed races assume themselves in its plant-adorned balconies.
With the sunset, Havana is transformed. Discotheques and nocturnal centers spread their wings of fantasy in an indescribable show, and the city becomes special, unique with the cadence of the Caribbean music sounding in each corner.
Havana is the most exciting adventure that someone can experience in the Caribbean: it has the charm of its colonial setting, the comfort of its modern inner city and the beauty of its days, close to the sea. The city invites the travelers and traps them with the soft sweetness of its ways.
Havana is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Caribbean. It is the center of outstanding cultural and international events: annually politicians, artists, scientists and creators meet from all latitudes, and its access is possible from any part of the planet, by air as well as by sea.
...Founded on the 16th of November 1519, its original name was San Cristobal of Havana, but it had three previous settlements before this definitive one.