The largest of the 350 islands in theCanarreos Archipelago (Archipiélago de los Canarreos), the island had an estimated population of 83,544 in 2019.[5] The capital and largest city isNueva Gerona in the north, and the second largest and oldest city isSanta Fe in the interior. Other communities include Columbia,La Demajagua (formerly Santa Bárbara), Mac Kinley, Cuchilla Alta, Punta del Este, Sierra de Caballos and Sierra de Casas.[citation needed]
Little is known of thepre-Columbian history of the island, though a cave complex near the Punta del Este beach preserves 235ancient drawings made by the native population,[6] theGuanahatabey. The first written mention of these drawings comes from French traveller Charles Berchon.[7] The caves were collectively designed as National monument in 1979.
The island was first sighted by Europeans in 1494 duringChristopher Columbus'ssecond voyage to theNew World. Columbus named the islandLa Evangelista, claiming it for Spain. The island was also known, at various points in its history, asIsla de Cotorras (Isle of Parrots) andIsla de Tesoros (Treasure Island).
Following its defeat in theSpanish–American War and theCuban War of Independence,Spain dropped all claims to Cuba under the terms of the1898 Treaty of Paris. ThePlatt Amendment of 1901, which defined Cuba's boundaries for the purposes of U.S. authorities, left the U.S. position on sovereignty over the then Isla de Pinos undetermined. This led to competing claims to the island by the United States and Cuba.[8][9][10] In 1907, theU.S. Supreme Court decided, inPearcy v. Stranahan, that control of the island was a political decision, not a judicial one.[11] In 1916, a pamphlet titledIsle of Pines: American or What? called for the U.S. to annex or purchase the island to settle the issue.[12]
In 1903, Cuba and the United States negotiated and signed theHay-Quesada Treaty, which recognized Cuba's sovereignty over the island. TheU.S. Senate ratified this agreement on March 13, 1925, over the objections of some four hundred United States citizens and companies, who owned or controlled about 95% of the island's land.[13][14][15]
Prior to 1976, the island was part ofLa Habana Province. With the political and administrative reorganization of Cuban provinces in 1976, the island was given the status of "special municipality"; it is administratively equivalent to a province.[16]
Fidel Castro presided at a ceremony changing the name of the island fromIsla de Pinos toIsla de la Juventud on 3 August 1978.[17] This was the realization of a promise that he had made in 1967, when he said "Let’s call it the Isle of Youth when the youth have done something grand with their work here, when they have revolutionized the natural environment, when they see the fruits of their labor and have revolutionized society here."[18]
Much of the island is covered inpine forests, which is the source of the island's largelumber industry (as well as its original name). The northern region of the island has low ridges from whichmarble isquarried, while the southern region is an elevated plain.Agriculture andfishing are the island's main industries, withcitrus fruit andvegetables being grown. A black sand beach was formed by volcanic activity.
The island has a mild climate but is known for frequenthurricanes. It is a populartourist destination, with manybeaches andresorts, including Bibijagua Beach. Until the Cuban governmentexpropriated all foreign-owned property in the early 1960s, much land was owned by Americans, and the island contained a branch of theHilton Hotels chain.
In the 2012 official census, the Special Municipality of Isla de la Juventud had a population of 84,751. The racial makeup of the population waswhite 50,732 (59.9%),mestizo ormulatto 26,013 (30.7%) andblack 8,006 (9.4%).[2] With a total area of 2,419.27 km2 (934.09 sq mi),[19] the Municipality had a population density of 35.8/km2 (93/sq mi).
"Caimaneros", the inhabitants of the south coast of the island, are descended from settlers from theCayman Islands andJamaica, and areEnglish-speaking Cubans.
The main transportation to the island is by boat or aircraft.Hydrofoils (kometas) and motorizedcatamarans will make the journey fromBatabanó toNueva Gerona in between two and three hours. A much slower and larger cargo ferry takes around six hours to make the crossing.
Following theCuban Revolution, the same facility was used to imprison the new regime's enemies and political dissidents. They includedHuber Matos, an officer in the revolutionary army who attempted to resign and who said he was tortured there.[21]Armando Valladares wrote a memoir describing the prison's harsh conditions and cruel treatment ofpolitical prisoners.[22] Presidio Modelo ceased functioning as a prison in 1967. It has been declared a national monument and its hospital rooms converted into a museum.
^Charles Berchon,A travers Cuba. Récit de voyage descriptif et économique, 1910, p. 91. Story of a trip he made in 1903 or 1904. Contrary to what some say, he was not shipwrecked on Isla de la Juventud (according to his own telling).
^"The Isle of Pines".New York Times. November 16, 1905. RetrievedNovember 9, 2013.The 'secession' from Cuba of a few American residents of the Isle of Pines is an incident of which National good faith and self-respect, we think, will compel the Government at Washington to take, not approving, but adverse notice.
^"Would Annex The Isle of Pines".New York Times. August 18, 1916. RetrievedNovember 9, 2013.The proposed purchase by the United States of the Danish West Indies for $25,000,000 has started a renewal of agitation by American residents of the Isle of Pines for its purchase or acquisition from Cuba by the United States. The Isle of Pines Chamber of Commerce has issued a pamphlet entitled "Isle of Pines: American or What?"
^abIreland, Gordon (1941).Boundaries, possessions, and conflicts in Central and North America and the Caribbean. New York: Octagon Books. p. 333.
