Eastern Cuban City Turns 498

Camagüey, Cuba, Feb 2. – Tourist attractions in the eastern Cuban city of Camagüey mark the festivities on the 498th anniversary of the city, which is visited by thousands of foreign visitors, mainly Europeans.

Camagüey, which covers 15,615 square kilometers and has a population of 782,582, is Cuba's flattest, largest and most famous province, and has a great impact on national culture and traditions, according to reports.

It is also known as the city of "tinajones", due to the large number of large earthenware jars (tinajones) in the yards and public buildings. Its name was officially accepted in 1903, but a long history links its streets to Cuba's development, with great impact on the tourist sector.

Spanish colonization implied the extermination of the indigenous population and the city was founded in 1514 in Punta del Guincho under the name of "Santa Maria del Puerto del Principe". Two years later, it was moved to the banks of the Caonao River and to its current location in 1528.

With an extensive historic-cultural tradition, Camagüey is mainly agricultural; it has great tourist attractions, 125 kilometers of beaches along the north coast, and a group of heavenly adjacent keys, which are visited by tourists from all over the world.(Prensa Latina)