Villa Clara

Province of north-central Cuba, bounded on the north by Nicholas Channel, on the west by the province of Matanzas, on the south by Cienfuegos, and on the east by Sancti Spíritus; area 8,073 sq km/3,117 sq mi; population (1994 est) 880,000. The provincial capital is Santa Clara. In the north lie lowlands and coastal marshes, while the south is hilly. The principal crop is sugar, though the area around Remedios is one of the leading tobacco-producing regions of Cuba. Coffee and fruits are also grown, cattle are reared, and rice is cultivated around Santo Domingo. Industries are based on agricultural and forestry products. Chrome is an important mineral product; there is also some gold, asphalt, and baryte mining in the southeast, near Placetas. Caibarién and La Isabela, which both have fishing industries, are the main commercial ports.