Cuba — The Pearl of the Antilles 



537 



PRESENT POPULATION ABOUT 1,700,000 



The population of Cuba, according to 

 the census taken under the direction of 

 the United States War Department in 

 1899, was 1,572,797. ■ Twelve years ear- 

 lier, in 1887, according to a census under 

 Spanish authority, the number was 

 1,631,687, or nearly 59,000 greater. 

 After allowing for the probable increase 

 ■of the population between 1887 and 1895, 

 the date on which the insurrection broke 

 out, the loss of life, as indicated by these 

 two censuses, may be estimated at nearly 

 200,000, a loss which may be attributed 

 to the war and to the accompanying 

 reconcentration. The loss of population 

 incident to the insurrection was sustained 

 entirely by the three western provinces, 

 the three eastern provinces having gained 

 during the period between 1887 and 1899, 

 although Santa Clara, one of the largest 

 provinces of the island, gained but a 

 trifling amount. 



In 1903 the population was estimated 

 at 1,653,486, and taking into considera- 

 tion the natural increase and the number 

 of immigrants which have settled in 

 •Cuba, it may be safely said that the popu- 

 lation reaches, in 1906, 1,700,000 souls, 

 and that Habana has more than 275,000 

 The center of population of Cuba in 1899 

 . was situated in Santa Clara Province, 30 

 miles southwest of the city of Santa 

 Clara and 8 miles northwest of Cien- 

 fuegos. It is at a distance of 75 miles 

 northwest of the geographic center of the 

 island. 



The urban population of Cuba, in- 

 cluding in that term the inhabitants of 

 all cities of more than 8,000 population, 

 • was 32.3 per cent of the entire popula- 

 tion, or a little less than one-third, being 

 but a trifle smaller than that of the United 

 States. Including, however, all cities 

 down to 1,000 each, the proportion of 

 urban population rises to 47.1 per cent, 

 that of the United States being the same. 

 The capital and chief city of the island is 

 Habana, situated on the north coast near 

 its western end. Other important cities 

 are Santiago, the capital of Oriente Prov- 



ince, on the south coast, near the eastern 

 end of the island, population 43,090 ; Ma- 

 tanzas, the capital of Matanzas Province, 

 on the north coast, population 36,374; 

 Cienfuegos, in Santa Clara Province, on 

 the south coast, population 30,038 ; Cama- 

 guey, the capital of the province of the 

 same name, situated in the interior, pop- 

 ulation 25,102; Cardenas, on the north 

 coast, in Matanzas Province, population 

 21,940. Most of the larger cities are 

 situated on the seacoast rather than in 

 the interior, indicating their commercial 

 character. 



In former times the Cuban cities were 

 unhealthful, owing to insanitary condi- 

 tions, and yellow fever was prevalent ; 

 but by the adoption of energetic and sci- 

 entific measures during and since the re- 

 cent United States occupation, these con- 

 ditions have been materially improved 

 and the fever has almost disappeared. 

 The health status of the island is now 

 quite satisfactory. The mortality in the 

 island during 1902 was 25,512, and in 

 1903, 23,982, and the annual death rate 

 diminished from 15.43 in 1902 to 14.52 

 in 1903. If a comparison is made with 

 the lowest rate in the Spanish regime, 

 29.30 per thousand in 1885, and with the 

 average rate for the thirty years ending 

 1900, of 41.95 per thousand, the wonder- 

 ful progress made can be seen. 



The figures as to the density of popu- 

 lation are significant. They indicate a 

 population of 153 persons to the square 

 mile in the Province of Habana, 55 in 

 Matanzas, 37 in Santa Clara, 35 in Pinar 

 del Rio, 26 in Oriente, and only 8 in 

 Camaguey. In other words, Havana 

 Province is as thickly inhabited as New 

 York State and Camaguey about as much 

 so as Washington State. The density of 

 population throughout the two republics 

 is nearly equal, that of Cuba being some- 

 what greater than that of the United 

 States. A relatively larger area remains 

 uncultivated or unsettled in Cuba, and 

 practically all the unsettled area in the 

 island is available for high cultivation, 

 whereas vast expanses of territory in the 

 United States are unavailable for this 



