Guantanamo History
of
Cuba & Base 1954
[REF:
1954 mimeographed handout for sailors visiting Guantanamo
Naval Base. Only the History part was transcribed]
GENERAL INFORMATION
Cuba, the largest and most populous of the islands of the
West Indies,
is about 759 miles in length and varying in width from 36
miles to 195
miles. It has total area of approximately 44,164
square miles and
a population of 5,870,528 according to the census of 28
February 1953.
Cuba has about 2,000 miles of coast line. The north
coast is
mostly steep and rocky, and the central section is bordered
by
innumerable sparsely populated islands and reefs of coral
formation
covered with mangrove trees. The southern coast, with
the
exception of the eastern end, is generally low and
swampy. West
of Cienfuegos along the southwestern coast of Las Villas
Province lies
the immense Zapata Swamp, about 100 miles long, and as much
as 35 miles
wide at the widest place.
The mountains consist of three principal groups, with the
Pico de Tarquino (7,872 ft.) the highest point.
Between the mountain regions and the coasts and in the
valleys are many
fairly level areas with excellent soil. In the extreme
western
part of the island, on the slopes between the mountains and
the
southern coast, lie the Vegas, where Vuelta Abajo tobacco is
produced. The plains and valleys in the west central
part are
also devoted largely to crops, while in the east central
part,
especially the Province of Camaguey, are extensive plains of
sabanas,
with poorer and shallower soil covered with natural pasture
and used
largely for cattle ranching.
Temperatures vary only slightly from day to night and from
summer to
winter. Havana, for instance, averages about 80 F.
from June to
September and only 10 lower during the coolest months,
January
and February.
Rainfall averages 54.0 inches a year ranging from about 36
inches to 70
inches and being heavier on the north coast than on the
south, and
still heavier in the interior. The rainy season
usually begins
about the middle of May and lasts through October. The
other six
months, November to April (la seca), are relatively dry.
Spanish is usually spoken and domestic business
correspondence is
conducted in that language, but English is understood by
many in the
larger centers.
HISTORY
The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus on 27
October 1492,
during his first voyage. He landed at what is called
the Bay of
Nuevitas and took possession of the country in the name of
the King of
Spain. Named successively Juana, Santiago and Ave
Maria, the
island finally regained the original Indian name of
Cuba. In 1511
Diego Velazquez was appointed Governor and to him fell the
task of
subduing the aborigines, the warlike and savage Caribs and
Nabacs. From that date, except for a brief of period
of British
occupancy from August 12, 1762 to June 6, 1763, the island
remained a
Spanish possession until December 10, 1898, when the
sovereignty was
relinquished under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, which
ended the
armed intervention of the United States in the struggle of
the Cubans
against Spanish rule. Cuba thus became free and
independent, but
the U.S.A. maintained a Governor there for some time.
On February 24, 1902 Thomas Estrada Palma was elected
President and on
his inauguration on May 20, 1902, the United States
representative was
withdrawn.
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA
Guantanamo, Cuba is a town in the province of Orients,
situated near
the head of the most important harbor east of the city of
Santiago on
the southern coast. It's surroundings were favorable
known before
1898 for the beauty of the groves of lime-trees and lemon
trees, the
coffee plantations and the residences of wealthy planters,
who made the
heights overlooking the bay of famous resort.
Guantanamo Bay has been famous as the scene of important
actions in the
Spanish American War. On 19 May, 1898 an unsuccessful
attempt to
cut the cable in the bay was made by the USS SAINT LOUIS and
the USS
WOMPATUCK. On 10 June a force of 600 Marines landed
from the
transport USS PANTHER on the eastern shore of Guantanamo Bay
and
undertook to make the outer harbor a secure place for the
use of U.S.
Vessels when coaling or as a rendezvous and a refuge in
stormy
weather. The marines established their camp on a small
hill,
where they sustained attacks of Spanish troops for several
days with
courage and endurance. The USS MARBLEHEAD and the USS
TEXAS lent
assistance by landing small forces of marines and then these
and other
ships supported the land operation with naval gunfire.
When ten
days had passed, the outer harbor was practically in the
possession of
American Forces.
In July 1901 the U.S. Government selected Guantanamo Bay as
the site
for a naval station and in 1903 the land on both sides of
the entrance
was leased from the Cuban Government. The Naval Base
facilities
were expanded tremendously just prior to and during World
War II, and
today Naval Operating Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is the
major U.S.
naval installation in the Caribbean.
End of Page
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