Bayamo | |
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 The "Boulevard" of Bayamo | |
 Flag  Seal | |
.png) Bayamo municipality (red) in Granma Province (yellow) and Cuba | |
| Coordinates:20°22′54″N76°38′34″W / 20.38167°N 76.64278°W /20.38167; -76.64278 | |
| Country | Cuba |
| Province | Granma |
| Established | November 15, 1513[1] |
| Incorporated | 1827 (city) |
| Government | |
| • President | Reydier Bernal Gómez |
| Area | |
| 918 km2 (354 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Population (2022)[3] | |
| 236,826 | |
| • Density | 258/km2 (668/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 169,209 |
| • Rural | 67,617 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| Postal code | 85100 |
| Area code | +53 23 |
| Vehicle registration | G |
| Website | https://www.bayamo.gob.cu/es/ |
Bayamo is the capital city of theGranma Province ofCuba and one of the largest cities in theOriente region.
The community of Bayamo lies on a plain by the Bayamo River. It is affected by the violentBayamo wind.
One of the most important education institutions in the province is theUniversity of Granma.
Established in 1513, Bayamo was the second of seven cities founded byDiego Velázquez de Cuéllar.[4] Francisco Iznaga,[5] aBasque landowner in the western portion of Cuba during the first 30 years of the colonization of Cuba, was elected mayor in 1540. Iznaga was the originator of a powerful lineage that finally settled inTrinidad, where the Torre Iznaga (Iznaga Tower) is. His descendants fought for the independence of Cuba, from 1820 to 1900.
During much of the 16th century it was one of the most important agricultural and commercial settlements of the island. Its inland situation gave it relative security against the pirates who infestedWest Indian seas, and the misfortunes ofSantiago were the fortunes of Bayamo. Down theCauto River, then open to the sea for vessels of 200 tons, and throughManzanillo, Bayamo drove a thriving contraband trade that made it the leading town of Cuba at the opening of the 17th century.[4]
A tremendous flood, in 1616, choked the Cauto with trees and wrecked vessels, cutting it off from direct access to the sea; but through Manzanillo it continued a great clandestine traffic withCuraçao,Jamaica, and other foreign islands throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Bayamo was then surrounded by fine plantations.[4]
In 1827 it acquired the status ofcity. In thewar of 1868–1878 it was an insurgent stronghold. One of the most desperate conflicts of the war was fought nearby, and it was nearly destroyed by the opposing parties.[4]
In 2022, the municipality of Bayamo had a population of 236,826.[3] With a total area of 918 km2 (354 sq mi),[2] it has apopulation density of 242.0/km2 (627/sq mi). The urban population was 169,209.[6]
Bayamo is an under-developed municipality where most of the inhabitants get around on foot. Per a UN study only about 15% of the population relies on motorized transport and almost three times as many (39%) rely on about 500 licensed horse-drawn carriages generally following fixed routes. The rest of the non-pedestrian traffic is bicycle and bicycle taxi.[7][8]
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Airport satisfies the city's commercial aviation needs; it has had service to Havana onCubana Airlines.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bayamo".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 553–554.
Media related toBayamo at Wikimedia Commons
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