1 The capital of Cuba , Havana is the largest city in the Caribbean region .
1 Spanish La Habana city , capital , major port , and leading commercial centre of Cuba .

1 The capital of Cuba , Havana is the largest city in the Caribbean region .
3 Located on the island's north coast , Havana , with more than 2,000,000 people , is the largest city in the Caribbean region and has one of the great treasuries of historic colonial preserves in the Western Hemisphere .

2 The city is located on the north coast of Cuba , along a deep-sea bay with a protected harbor .
3 Located on the island's north coast , Havana , with more than 2,000,000 people , is the largest city in the Caribbean region and has one of the great treasuries of historic colonial preserves in the Western Hemisphere .

8 Also in Old Havana is the Castillo ( Castle ) de la Fuerza .
66 The oldest fortification , La Fuerza ( Castillo de la Fuerza ) , was begun in 1565 and completed in 1583 .

9 This castle is the oldest in Havana , built from 1565 to 1583 .
66 The oldest fortification , La Fuerza ( Castillo de la Fuerza ) , was begun in 1565 and completed in 1583 .

10 The Palace of the Captains General stands on the Plaza de Armas .
51 Its most famous building , completed in 1793 , is the Palace of the Captains General , an ornate structure that housed the Spanish colonial governors and , from 1902 , three Cuban presidents .

11 No longer used as a palace , the building is now the home of the Museum of the City of Havana .
52 The building is now a museum .

14 Central Havana is the location of the old National Capitol , which once was home to the Cuban legislature .
62 In Central Havana are more traditional buildings , including the white-domed former National Capitol , now housing the Cuban Academy of Sciences; the Museum of the Revolution , housed in the old Presidential Palace; and the National Museum of Art .

15 Today the domed building houses the Cuban Academy of Sciences .
62 In Central Havana are more traditional buildings , including the white-domed former National Capitol , now housing the Cuban Academy of Sciences; the Museum of the Revolution , housed in the old Presidential Palace; and the National Museum of Art .

18 The city's factories produce food , beverages , chemicals , textiles , and pharmaceuticals .
97 But light manufacturing facilities , meat-packing plants , and chemical and pharmaceutical operations are concentrated in Havana .

19 In addition , building ships and vehicles and making world-famous Havana cigars help to drive the economy .
98 Other food-processing industries are also important , along with shipbuilding , vehicle manufacturing , production of alcoholic beverages ( particularly rum ) , textiles , and tobacco products , particularly the world-famous Havana cigars .

20 Havana is Cuba's main port , so a majority of Cuban imports and exports pass through Havana .
99 Although the ports of Cienfuegos and Matanzas , in particular , have been developed under the Castro government , Havana remains Cuba's primary port facility; a majority of Cuban imports and exports pass through Havana .

21 The port also supports fishing .
100 The port also supports a considerable fishing industry .

22 The city of Havana was established in 1519 by the Spanish .
169 The site was abandoned in favour of Havana's present location ( then called Puerto Carenas ) on the north coast in 1519 .

23 The deep , protected port attracted many settlers , making the city grow quickly .
170 The natural deepwater port , together with the land protection to the harbour , made Havana a site that early attracted growing numbers of settlers .

25 In 1762 the British controlled the city , but less than a year later they gave Havana back to Spain .
178 These withstood attacks until , after a three-month siege ending in August 1762 , the British under Admiral Sir George Pocock and the Earl of Albermarle took the city as a prize of war .

25 In 1762 the British controlled the city , but less than a year later they gave Havana back to Spain .
179 They held it for six months until the treaty ending the Seven Years ' War restored Havana to Spain .

29 During the first half of the 20th century , Havana was known as a playground for wealthy Cubans and Americans because of its thriving gambling and nightclub scene .
4 Prior to 1959 , when Fidel Castro came to power , it was a mecca for tourists from the United States , who were drawn by the city's many attractions , which included climate and nightlife in addition to history .

29 During the first half of the 20th century , Havana was known as a playground for wealthy Cubans and Americans because of its thriving gambling and nightclub scene .
188 Increasing numbers of U.S . businesses and tourists were drawn to Havana , which acquired the look of a U.S . city , with the signs of its northern neighbour's influence virtually everywhere .

30 However , when Fidel Castro , a Communist dictator , took power in Cuba in 1959 , the situation changed .
191 There were a number of abortive coup attempts against the government of Fulgencio Batista , but change did not come until the revolution led by Fidel Castro , who on January 1 , 1959 , took control of Cuba .

30 However , when Fidel Castro , a Communist dictator , took power in Cuba in 1959 , the situation changed .
4 Prior to 1959 , when Fidel Castro came to power , it was a mecca for tourists from the United States , who were drawn by the city's many attractions , which included climate and nightlife in addition to history .

31 Castro focused on improving the conditions in the countryside , and Havana began to decline .
5 During the following years , however , despite its continued importance as the island's major economic hub , Havana lost much of its lustre because Castro's socialist government redirected the country's resources primarily toward the improvement of conditions in rural Cuba .

31 Castro focused on improving the conditions in the countryside , and Havana began to decline .
195 This older part of the city deteriorated somewhat after the revolution as Castro first directed resources to the hinterlands .

33 In order to help protect historic Old Havana , the United Nations Educational , Scientific , and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) declared the area a World Heritage site in 1982 .
7 Old Havana and its fortifications were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1982 .

34 Although progress was slow , efforts were undertaken to restore parts of the city .
6 Havana thus deteriorated , even though rehabilitation projects began in the 1980s .