Browse / Cuba / Cuba / Guardalavaca
Guardalavaca
Cubatown
Guardalavaca
Total population
4,704
Demographic figures from ONEI Cuba. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.
City facts
Facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Overview
Guardalavaca is a town in the Holguín Province of Cuba. It is a tourist location due to its white sandy beaches and warm waters. Guardalavaca beach is protected by a large coral reef and is visited by both local Cubans and tourists. Most Cuban workers in the all-inclusive hotels are transported daily in buses from neighbouring cities like Holguin, Banes, and Rafael Freyre, as only a few Cubans live in Guardalavaca due to the small size of the resort. Between Guardalavaca and Playa Esmeralda are dry tropical forest where endemic Cuban birdlife like hummingbirds Cuban emerald can be seen. Endemic Cuban knight anole lizards are numerous in these forest.
Read more on WikipediaHistory & geography
History
"Guardalavaca" literally means "guard the cow" in Spanish. There are several accounts as to how this name may have originated; one version maintains that Guardalavaca is a malapropism for its original name Guardalabarca, meaning "guard the boat". The area was once heavily targeted by sea pirates, and Bahía de Naranjo near what is now the town of Guardalavaca is a secluded shallow bay connected to the open sea by a narrow inlet, which made it a proper safe haven to guard ships against pirates. On the other hand, the name may have originated from pirates going after the cattle grazing in the area. As pirates were spotted, the local farmers would thus shout, "Guarda la vaca" - guard the cow. The Cuban government has attempted on several occasions to change the name of the area as they deem it not to be very appealing; they have so far been unsuccessful.
Geography
It is located on the northern shore of Cuba, bordering Bahia de Naranjo (Orange Bay), and is part of the municipality of Banes. Beaches in Guardalavaca include the main Guardalavaca Beach, as well as a number of smaller beaches located west and east of the main beach. Several beaches west of Guardalavaca have also been developed for tourism but there is not abundant housing for local population and little infrastructure outside of the hotels. These beaches include 3 resort areas. Five km to the west is Playa Esmeralda, and several smaller beaches at Bahia de Naranjo nature reserve. Ten km to the west are Playa Yuraguanal and Playa Pesquero. All of these beaches feature coral sand and are protected by coral reefs and feature all-inclusive hotels.
Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
Geography
Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.
Climate
Air quality
Walkability
Amenities nearby
Wildlife & biodiversity
Most-observed species
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves300
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves288
- Red-legged ThrushTurdus plumbeus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves279
- Greater Antillean GrackleQuiscalus niger (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves222
- Cuban BlackbirdDives atroviolaceus (Orbigny, 1839) · Aves221
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves209
- Cuban EmeraldRiccordia ricordii (Gervais, 1835) · Aves206
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves196
Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Earthquake history
Most recent
- M 4.3 — 2023-06-0554 km NNE of Puerto Padre, Cuba
- M 5 — 2022-11-0857 km NNE of Puerto Padre, Cuba
- M 4 — 2007-06-1033 km NNE of Jesús Menéndez, Cuba
- M 4 — 2005-03-1853 km ENE of Banes, Cuba
- M 4.4 — 2005-03-1753 km NNW of Moa, Cuba
- M 4.6 — 2003-10-1323 km ENE of San Luis, Cuba
Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).
Photos
Sights & places nearby
Notable people from here
Geography & sun
Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.
Nearby airports
Public attention
Books about this place
Recent natural events nearby
Ground air-quality sensors
Recently spotted species
Events
Gallery
Geotagged photos within ~6 miles of Guardalavaca, from Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons — see each image page for license & attribution.
Sources
- • Wikipedia
- • Wikimedia Commons
- • Wikidata
- • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
- • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
- • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org