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Varadero
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Varadero | |
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| Nickname: Playa Azul (Blue Beach) | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Cuba |
| Province | Matanzas |
| Founded | December 5, 1887 |
| Established | 1976 (Municipality) |
| Area [1] | |
| - Municipality | 32 km² (12.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population (2004)[2] | |
| - Municipality | 24,681 |
| - Density | 771.3/km² (1,997.7/sq mi) |
| - Urban | 8,000 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | +53-52 |
Varadero is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resorts in the Caribbean. Varadero is also called Playa Azul, meaning "blue beach" in Spanish.
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It is situated on the Hicacos Peninsula, between the Bay of Cárdenas and the Straits of Florida, some 140 km east of Havana, at the eastern end of the Via Blanca highway. The peninsula is only 1.2 km wide at its widest point and is separated from the island of Cuba by the Kawama Channel. This spit of land extends from the mainland in a northeasterly direction and its tip, Punta Hicacos, is the northernmost point of the island of Cuba. At the northeastern end of the peninsula there is a nature reserve with virgin forests and beaches. The Hicacos Point Natural Park is a 3.12 km² (1.2 sq mi) ecological preserve established in 1974. It contains the 250 m (820 ft) long Cave of Ambrosio, Mangón Lake (home to 31 species of birds and 24 species of reptiles) and the ruins of the La Calavera (The Skull) Salt Works (one of the first salt works to be constructed by the Spanish in the New World).[3] The cays developed off shore, such as Cayo Piedras and Cayo Cruz del Padre are the western most part of the Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago.
Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport, situated west of the peninsula, is Varadero's airport. It is the second-most-important airport of the island after José Martí Airport in Havana, and serves international and domestic flights.
The first mention of Varadero was in 1555.[4] However, the foundation date of Varadero as city was only on December 5, 1887, when ten families settled in the area that now occupies the famous resort.
It was established as a municipality (spanish: municipio) at the administrative re-distribution of July 3, 1976[5] from territories previously part of Cárdenas.
Varadero is first and foremost a tourist resort, boasting more than 20 km of white sandy beaches. Tourism grew in the early 1930s as Irénée du Pont Nemours, an American millionaire, built his estate on the peninsula. But the first tourists visited Varadero as early as the 1870s, and for years it was considered an elite resort. Hotels began to appear in the 1950s. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the beach's many mansions were expropriated from their rich owners. Many famous and infamous people have stayed in Varadero, like Mafia boss Al Capone.[6]
Its most valued resource; the beach, has added natural attractions such as the caves and rasp, and a rosary of virgin keys easily accessed. These riches of natural scenery overshadow Varedero's status as the most oriental portion of the territory, and its other attractions of cultural, historical and environmental character similar to the cities of Matanzas and Cárdenas, the Peninsula of Zapata and the resort of San Miguel de los Baños. The fact that the city hosts the Convention Center Plaza America bolsters its potentiality as a destination for congresses and attracts tourism. Varadero, which is a free port, possesses excellent conditions for scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, yachting and other water sports.
Since the early 1990s, most of the peninsula has been developed for tourism, with many of the hotels being operated or co-owned by foreign businesses.
As of 2006, Varadero is primarily visited by European and Canadian tourists. The number of American tourists visiting Varadero, although increasing, has been limited because of the restrictions that prevent U.S. citizens from flying directly from the U.S. to Cuba. Unlike many other Cuban tourism centers, Cubans can visit Varadero (though their use of some of the hotels is restricted).
In 2004, the municipality of Varadero had a population of 24,681.[2] With a total area of 32 km² (12.4 sq mi),[1] it has a population density of 771.3/km² (1,997.7/sq mi). The town proper has 8,000 inhabitants.[7]
- ^ a b Statoids (July 2003). Municipios of Cuba. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
- ^ a b Atenas.cu (2004). 2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. (Spanish)
- ^ Cuba Travel. Varadero, Cuba. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
- ^ Cuba Travel - Varadero history
- ^ Fifth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Vol. II, published by the United Nations, New York, 1991
- ^ Varadero. http://www.netssa.com/varadero.html
- ^ WCities. Varadero facts
- Varadero at the Cubatravel.cu website
- Historic page about the town of Varadero page (Spanish)
- Varadero travel guide from Wikitravel
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| Calimete · Cárdenas · Ciénaga de Zapata · Colón · Jagüey Grande · Jovellanos · Limonar · Los Arabos · Martí · Matanzas · Pedro Betancourt · Perico · Unión de Reyes · Varadero |  |