Mariel, Cuba
Encyclopedia
Mariel is a municipality and city in the Artemisa Province
Artemisa Province
Artemisa Province is one of two new provinces in Cuba, which creation was approved by the Cuban National Assembly by splitting former La Habana Province.Artemisa was the largest city and municipality of the former La Habana province...
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 located approximately 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) west of the city of Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. The town is situated on the south-east side of the Mariel bay. La Boca, Henequen, Mojica, Quiebra Hacha, Cabañas are major towns that conform the municipality of Mariel.
On the east side of the bay are a port, cement works and a power station, which contribute to very high levels of environmental contamination. On the west side of the bay is a former submarine base, later designated as a free trade zone
Free trade zone
A free trade zone or export processing zone , also called foreign-trade zone, formerly free port is an area within which goods may be landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and reexported without the intervention of the customs authorities...
.
The port of Mariel is the nearest port to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1980, some 125,000 Cubans left Mariel and went to the United States in what is known as the Mariel boatlift
Mariel boatlift
The Mariel boatlift was a mass emigration of Cubans who departed from Cuba's Mariel Harbor for the United States between April 15 and October 31, 1980....
. While many reached the USA, several died while traveling through the ocean. Those involved became known as "Marielitos".
Agustin Parla, born in Key West on October 11, 1887, of Cuban parents exiled during the struggle for Cuban's independence, was the first man to fly 119 miles (191.5 km) over the sea from Key West, Florida to El Mariel, Cuba, on May 19, 1913.