Nueva Gerona

Nueva Gerona
—  Municipality  —
The Presidio Modelo
Locator map of Nueva Gerona (in black) within Isla de la Juventud
Location of Nueva Gerona in Cuba
Coordinates: 21°53′05″N 82°48′04″W
Country	Cuba
Province	Isla de la Juventud
Founded	1802
Elevation	17 m (56 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	59,049
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
Website	Official website

Nueva Gerona is a Cuban city, capital of the Isla de la Juventud special municipality and province. As of 2003 its population was of 46,923.

History

The city was founded in 1830 by Francisco Dionisio Vives, who was the Spanish governor of Cuba at the time. There is an American graveyard in Nueva Gerona to this day.

Geography

Nueva Gerona is located by the coast, in the north-eastern area of the island, between the hills of Caballos and Casas. It is crossed by the river Río Las Casas, which provides a navigable waterway to the Caribbean Sea.

The city is divided into the repartos (quarters) of Centro, Abel Santamaría, Sierra Caballo, Nazareno, Saigón, Chacón and José Martí. In the suburban quarter of Chacón is located the Presidio Modelo, a former prison and now a museum.

Transport

Nueva Gerona is linked to La Fe (or Santa Fe), the 2nd most populated town of the island, with a 20 km-long highway. The harbour in Río Las Casas estuary provides to link it to Cuban mainland, at the port of Surgidero de Batabanó. Near the suburban quarter José Martí is located the Rafael Cabrera Mustelier Airport.

Sport

Both the baseball and the football clubs representing the Isla de la Juventud are based in Nueva Gerona. The baseball venue is the Estadio Cristóbal Labra and the football one is the Estadio El Rodeo.

Twin towns

• Girona (Catalonia, Spain)

See also

• Cayo Largo
• List of cities in Cuba
• Municipalities of Cuba
• 1917 Nueva Gerona hurricane

External links

• (Spanish) Nueva Gerona municipal website
• (Spanish) Nueva Gerona on "Guije" website