Capital City:

Villa Clara (pop. 200,000)

Population:

825,000

Villa Clara, the fifth largest municiple., borders Mantanzas, Cienfuegos, and Sancti Spíritus. The economy is based on sugar: planting, cutting, and crushing. There are also cattle ranches across the south.

Villa Clara was also the site of the infamous Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962, four Soviet rocket launchers were constructed in the north.

Highlights:

• Monuments to the legandery Che Guevara
• Colonial architecture in the unspoiled town of Remedios
• Scenic 48km causway to Cayo Santa María
• Fishing and mountain scenery at tthe Embalse Hanabanilla in the Sierra del Escambray