La Habana Province, formerly known as Ciudad de La Habana Province, is a province of Cuba, that includes the territory of the city ofHavana, capital of the Republic. Between 1878 and 2010, the name referred to another province, which covered a much more extensive area, and was subdivided into the present-day provinces of Artemisa, and Mayabeque. The territory of the province is the seat of the superior organs of the State and of its provincial administration.
History
The Province of Havana was created in 1878, is one of the 6 original provinces in which the island was divided, still under Spanish colonial rule. In the political administrative division of 1976, in which the country was divided into 14 provinces, the first Province of Havana was divided into Havana City Province and Havana Province, with the areas surrounding the capital. The first of them integrated the territories of the metropolitan region of Havana, basically, the old municipalities of Havana, Marianao, Guanabacoa, Regla, Santiago de las Vegas and Santa María del Rosario as well as other adjoining areas. On August 1, 2010, the National Assembly decided another modification of the territorial organization of Cuba, segmenting the then known as the Province of Havana, colloquially called "Habana Campo" in two new provinces, denominated Artemisa Province, to the west, and Mayabeque Province, to the east, which implied that, as of January 1, 2011, there would only be one Cuban province that would be called "from Havana", instead of two; reason why it was also agreed to change the denomination of "Province of Havana City" to that of "Province of Havana", without any need for further additions for, thus, to distinguish or individualize it. In addition, three municipalities of the Pinar del Río Province were transferred to the new Province of Artemisa. Between 1976 and 2010, the provincial administration of the then known as the Province of Havana had its headquarters in the territory of the Havana City Province, since it lacked capital of its own. It was divided into two new provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque on January 1, 2011.
Municipalities
Before 1961, Havana was the official name only of the central municipality of a conurbated area that included at least 6 municipalities: Havana, Marianao, Regla, Guanabacoa, Santiago de las Vegas and Santa María del Rosario-Cotorro. Currently, the territory that occupies the old municipality of Havana is divided into 6 municipalities, and Boyeros. The city, as it is conceived at the present time, includes all the provincial territory, also includes the territories of 9 municipalities that were not part of old Havana municipality, which are: Playa, Marianao, La Lisa, Guanabacoa, Regla, Habana del Este, San Miguel del Padrón, Cotorro and Boyeros.
