Vía Blanca

Vía Blanca is a highway in northern Cuba, connecting the capital city of Havana and the city of Matanzas. A second section extends eastwards from Matanzas to the tourist town of Varadero.

Overview

It is mostly a four lane highway, with some divided sections. It runs east-west for 85 km between Havana and Matanzas, crossing the town of Santa Cruz del Norte, and an additional 53 km east to Varadero, at the northern tip of Peninsula de Hicacos (the section between Matanzas and Varadero is a toll road). Most of the highway runs along the Straits of Florida shoreline. This is one of the busiest highways in Cuba, as it joins the two tourist destinations of Havana and Varadero.

Construction of the highway begun in 1945; the bridge of Bacunayagua, on the Mayabeque/Matanzas province border, was completed in 1960. This is the highest bridge in Cuba.

Route description

The Via Blanca starts at the Ciudad Deportiva on the south-western side of Havana and runs through the southern suburbs of the city before crossing the Via Monumental in Habana del Este. From west to east, the Via Blanca then passes:

Cuba

Coordinates: 21°30′N 80°00′W / 21.500°N 80.000°W / 21.500; -80.000

Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba (Spanish:  República de Cuba ), is a country comprising the islands of Cuba, Isla de la Juventud and several archipelagos in the Caribbean Sea. The capital and largest city Havana is 365 km (227 mi) from Miami, Florida. Geographically, Cuba is considered part of North America. Culturally, it is considered part of Latin America.

Prior to Spanish colonization in the late 15th century, Cuba was inhabited by Amerindian tribes. It remained a colony of Spain until the Spanish–American War of 1898, which led to nominal independence as a de facto U.S. protectorate in 1902. As a fragile republic, Cuba attempted to strengthen its democratic system, but mounting political radicalization and social strife culminated in the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1952. Further unrest and instability led to Batista's ousting in January 1959 by the July 26 movement, which afterwards established a government under the leadership of Fidel Castro. Since 1965, the country has been governed by the Communist Party of Cuba.

Cuba, Portugal

Cuba (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈkuβɐ]) is a town and municipality in the District of Beja in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,878, in an area of 172.09 km².

It is historically known in Portugal as being the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. (In: Mascarenhas Barreto "Colombo Português: Provas Documentais"), and a statue honouring him can be seen on the city centre.

The current mayor (since 2013) is João Português. The municipal holiday is Monday after Easter.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (freguesias):

References

External links

Cuba (disambiguation)

Cuba is a Caribbean island country.

Cuba may also refer to:

Places

 Italy

 New Zealand

 Portugal

 Spain

 United Kingdom

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