Sancti Spíritus

Town in central Cuba, in the West Indies, 77 km/48 mi southeast of Santa Clara and 386 km/240 mi from Havana; population (1994 est) 86,000. Its port is Tunas, 32 km/20 mi to the south, and it trades in cattle, sugar, and tobacco. Founded in 1516, it still has much Spanish-style architecture.

Sancti Spíritus

Province in central Cuba, bounded to the west by Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, to the east by Ciego de Avila province, to the north by Nicholas Channel, and to the south by the Caribbean Sea; area 6,704 sq km/2,588 sq mi; population (2000 est) 452,500; capital Sancti Spíritus. The province is predominantly agricultural. Farming activities include cattle rearing and the cultivation of sugarcane, tobacco, and rice. Oil was struck in Jatibonico in 1954, and the province remains Cuba's largest petroleum producer. Manganese and serpentine are worked near the town of Fomento. The town of Trinidad on the south coast is the major industrial centre in the area, with sugar refineries, sawmills, and cigar and cigarette factories.

The northern coastlands are plains that rise southwards to the Sierra de Sancti Spiritus and the Sierra de Trinidad. The Escambray Mountains lie to the north of Trinidad, the highest peak being the Pico San Juá (1,140 m/3,740 ft). To the east of Trinidad is the San Luís Valley, which was the centre of Cuba's sugar production during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The territory was part of Las Villas province until 1976.