Villa Clara, Cuba
| Villa Clara Province | |
|---|---|
| Province of Cuba | |
 |
|
| Country | Cuba |
| Capital | Santa Clara |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8,413.13 km2 (3,248.33 sq mi) |
| Population (2010-12-31) | |
| • Total | 803,562 |
| • Density | 96/km2 (250/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
Villa Clara is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is located in the central region of the island bordering with the Atlantic at north, Matanzas Province by west, Sancti Spiritus Province by east, and Cienfuegos Province on the South. Villa Clara shares with Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus on the south the Escambray Mountain Range. Its main cities are Santa Clara (the capital), Remedios, Sagua La Grande, Camajuani, Caibarién, Ranchuelo, Placetas, and Manicaragua.
The current provinces of Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, and Villa Clara were once all part of the now extinct province of Las Villas, but Villa Clara is still referred some times just as "Las Villas" using the shorter old name. Santa Clara was the capital of historical Las Villas and still capital of Villa Clara province. The name itself, Spanish for "The Cities", refers to the four original 16th and 17th-century cities founded in this vast territory: San Juan de los Remedios, Sancti Spíritus, Santísima Trinidad and Gloriosa Santa Clara.
During pre-Spanish settlement in Cuba, what now is Villa Clara province was populated by Taíno people with chieftains of Sabanaque (north west), Sabana (north east), and Cubanacan, literally "The Middle Land" in the center where Santa Clara city is located nowadays. In this region from the eastern landing point of the Spanish was where Columbus believed the "King of India" was living.
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