Palma Soriano is a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n city and municipality in the

Santiago de Cuba Province Santiago de Cuba Province is the second most populated province in the island of Cuba. The largest city Santiago de Cuba is the main administrative center. Other large cities include Palma Soriano, Contramaestre, San Luis and Songo-la Maya. Hi ...

. With a population of 125,385 in the city proper, it is the second-largest in the province and the 16th-largest in Cuba.

History

The city was founded in 1825, uniting ranches (''

haciendas An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

'') that stood in this area, and was the place where the body of

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a Cuban nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in the libera ...

(the leader of the Cuban independence movement, killed in 1895, in the

Battle of Dos Ríos The Battle of Dos Ríos was fought in Cuba during its war of independence from Spain. History José Martí died fighting in the battle of Dos Ríos (near Palma Soriano). He was leading a group of rebels against the Spanish royalist army in the ...

) was brought before it was laid in its final resting place in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

Geography

The city of Palma Soriano is located on the banks of the upper

Cauto River The Cauto River or Río Cauto is the longest river in Cuba, as well as the longest river in the Caribbean. Located in the southeast of the island, it is one of two navigable rivers in Cuba, the other being the Sagua la Grande River. Overview The ...

. The municipality is divided into the localities of Aguacate, Arroyo Blanco, Candonga, Dos Palmas, Dos Ríos, El Maniel, Hatillo, Hicotea, La Candelaria, La Curia, Oriente, Ramón de Guaninao, Soledad, Yarayabo and other minor localities. Until the 1976 national municipal reform, it included the localities of Alto Cedro, Caney del Sitio, Guaninao, José Martí, Juan Barón, La Concepción, Las Cuchillas, Los Dorados, Norte, Palmarito de Cauto, San Leandro, San Ramón, Santa Filomena and Sur.

Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of Palma Soriano had a population of 124,585. With a total area of , it has a population density of .

Transport

The city is crossed in the middle by the state highway " Carretera Central" (CC), the longest highway in Cuba. It is served by two exits (one in the nearby hamlet of Dos Ríos) of the

A1 motorway A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Education * A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages * Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects * A1, a ...

, on the Palma-Santiago de Cuba section. Palma Soriano

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

station is part of the San Luis-

Bayamo Bayamo is the capital city of the Granma Province of Cuba and one of the largest cities in the Oriente region. Overview The community of Bayamo lies on a plain by the Bayamo River. It is affected by the violent Bayamo wind. One of the most ...

line, and is served by trains to/from Santiago de Cuba,

Guantánamo Guantánamo (, , ) is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province. Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port near the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, site of a U.S. naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton ...

and Manzanillo.

Personalities

Orestes Kindelán Orestes Kindelán Olivares (born November 1, 1964) is the most prolific home run hitter in the history of post-revolutionary Cuban baseball, known as "El Cañon de Dos Rios" and one of the offensive stars of the Cuba national baseball team, whi ...

(b. 1964), baseball player * Jorge Molina Enríquez (b. 1966), actor and film director *

Ana Fidelia Quirot Ana Fidelia Quirot Moré (; born March 23, 1963) is a former track and field athlete from Cuba, who specialised in the 800 metres but was also successful over 400 m. At 800 metres, she is a two-time World Champion (1995, 1997) and a two-time Olym ...

(b. 1963), field and track athlete *

Mey Vidal Mey Vidal (born October 10, 1984) is a Cuban reggae en Español, Dance hall, and reggaeton singer and composer. Born in Palma Soriano, a city in Santiago de Cuba Province, is one of the first to represent the female genre in the reggaeton ...

(b. 1984), Latin Reggae singer

Twin towns

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

(

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

)Info at the Berkeley-Palma Soriano Sister City Association website
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References

External links

Palma Soriano on Guije

Palma Soriano
on EcuRed {{Municipalities in Santiago de Cuba Cities in Cuba Populated places in Santiago de Cuba Province Populated places established in 1825 1825 establishments in New Spain 1820s establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1820s in Cuba