La Habana Province

Between 1878 and 2010, the name referred to a different province that covered a much larger area, and after 1976 restructuring, the then-La Habana Province did not include the city of Havana. The larger province was subdivided in 2010 into the present-day provinces of Artemisa (which also took over three municipalities from Pinar del Río) and Mayabeque.

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 original Province of Havana was divided into Havana City Province (Ciudad de La Habana; the capital) and Havana Province (areas surrounding the capital). Havana City Province integrated the territories of the metropolitan region of the capital, including Havana, Marianao, Guanabacoa, Regla, and Santiago de las Vegas. From 1976 until 2010, the provincial administration of Havana Province had its headquarters located in Havana City Province, since it lacked a capital of its own.

On August 1, 2010, the National Assembly made another modification of the territorial organization of Cuba, segmenting the then-Province of Havana (the areas surrounding the capital), colloquially called "Habana Campo", in two new provinces; Artemisa Province to the west, and Mayabeque Province to the east. With this change, which went into effect as of January 1, 2011, Havana City Province became known simply as Havana Province, as differentiation was no longer needed. Additionally, three municipalities of Pinar del Río Province (Bahía Honda, Candelaria and San Cristóbal) were transferred to the new Artemisa Province.