Caimanera
Encyclopedia
Caimanera is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo is the easternmost province of Cuba. Its capital is also called Guantánamo. Other towns include Baracoa. The province surrounds the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.-History:...
on the south eastern coast of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. It is a fishing village and port built on the West shore of the sheltered Guantanamo Bay, just North of the US naval base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
and South of the provincial capital, Guantánamo. Ships chiefly sugarcane and coffee.
Residents of this remote city are the closest Cuban neighbours to the US military camp and currently prison for combatants from a war in Afghanistan. The community of fishermen and salt mine workers flourished at the beginning of the 20th century precisely because of the base’s construction. It was a magnet for Cuban workers and a popular spot for visitors, including Cubans from across the island and people from nearby countries such as Jamaica.
The city was named for the alligators (Dutch: Kaaiman) which were once common in the river and in the mangrove labyrinths of the upper Bay, but which since declined in numbers.