Ciego de Ávila () is one of the provinces of
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, and was previously part of
Camagüey Province. Its capital is
Ciego de Ávila, which lies on the
Carretera Central (central highway), and the second city is
Morón, further north.
The province was separated from
Camagüey Province in 1976 by the government.
Geography
Off the north coast of the province, some (
cays) of the
Jardines del Rey archipelago are being developed as
tourist resorts, principally
Cayo Coco and
Cayo Guillermo. The south coast is characterised by
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...
s.
Between Morón and the north coast are several lakes, including the
Laguna de Leche (the ''Lagoon of Milk'', so called for its white appearance because of large
lime deposits underwater) which is the largest natural lake in Cuba.
Economy
Central Ciego de Ávila is used for
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
ranching, elsewhere in the province
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
,
pineapple
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae.
The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
s and
citrus fruit
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Mandarin orange, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, ...
are grown. Pineapples are the staple crop, but sweet potatoes, potatoes, yuca, plantains, and bananas are also cultivated for national consumption.
Municipalities
''Source: Population from 2004 Census.''
''Area from 1976 municipal re-distribution.''
Demographics
In 2004, the province of Ciego de Ávila had a population of 416,370.
[ With a total area of ,]
References
External links
Ciego de Ávila
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciego de Avila Province
Provinces of Cuba
States and territories established in 1975