Guantánamo

"Guantanamo" redirects here. For other uses, see Guantanamo (disambiguation).

Guantánamo Provincia de Guantánamo
Province
La Farola road
Country	Cuba
Government
• Type	Mayor-council government
Area
• Province	6,167.97 km2 (2,381.47 sq mi)
Population
• Province	515 428
• Urban	328 091
• Rural	187 337
Demonym(s)	Guantanamero, -a

Guantánamo Province is the easternmost province of Cuba. Its capital is the city of Guantánamo, which functions as the main administrative and economic center of the province.

The region is geographically distinct within Cuba, bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Windward Passage to the east, across from Haiti. It also includes varied landscapes such as coastal plains, mountain ranges like the eastern end of the Sierra Maestra, and some of the island’s most isolated rural and natural areas.

Guantánamo Province has an economy that is largely based on agriculture, livestock, and local services, with sugarcane, coffee, and cocoa historically being important crops in different parts of the province. The coastal municipality of Baracoa, one of the oldest European settlements in Cuba, is also part of the province and is known for its cultural heritage and natural surroundings. In addition to agriculture and small-scale industry, the province has developed some tourism activity, especially in areas with beaches, mountains, and ecological reserves.

One of the most internationally recognized features associated with the province is the presence of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, a U.S. naval installation located on the southeastern coast of the province. It has a distinct legal and political status and is separated from the Cuban-administered territory of the province.

Administratively, Guantánamo Province was established in its current form in 1976, when Cuba reorganized its national territorial divisions. Prior to this reform, the area was part of the larger historic province of Oriente, which covered much of eastern Cuba. The division of Oriente into several smaller provinces, including Guantánamo, was intended to create more localized administrative regions.

Today, Guantánamo remains one of Cuba’s more geographically remote provinces, with a combination of coastal communities, mountainous interior regions, and agricultural zones. While it is less urbanized than western provinces like Havana, it maintains a distinct regional identity shaped by its geography, history, and cultural heritage.