Guantánamo

Guantánamo, city in southeastern Cuba, in Guantánamo Province, near Guantánamo Bay. The city has rail, highway, and air communications with the rest of Cuba and is connected by railroad with the bay ports of Caimanera and Boquerón. Guantánamo is the trading and processing center of an agricultural region devoted chiefly to sugarcane and coffee. Principal industries include coffee roasting, sugar milling, and salt processing. Originally called Santa Catalina de Saltadero, the city was renamed and grew rapidly in the early 19th century, when large numbers of French refugees from the slave rebellion on Hispaniola settled in the area. A United States naval base, located in nearby Guantánamo Bay, became a major detention facility for suspected terrorists and enemy combatants after the September 11 attacks in 2001, sparking controversy for the reported abuse of its prisoners. Population (2007 estimate) 243,808.