JAPAN and the WORLD Magazine APRIL ISSUE 2016 #Issue 15 | Page 80

Credits: Jorge Royan
Vintage taxi, La Habana, Cuba.
Another area of significance in Havana is the
Havana-Club Rum Museum. The museum
is located in an ancient three story colonial
residence, which was built in the 17th century. underwater, such as the Guanahacabibes
Peninsula biosphere reserve. Divers have
access to international diving centers located
on several of the beautiful beaches.
Due to its historical values, the UNESCO
declared it as a Cultural Patrimony of Havana in
1982. The museum employs professional guides
that show and explain to visitors, in several
languages, all the steps involved in the original
manufacturing of Cuban rum. At the end of the
tour, a free rum tasting awaits the visitors. The Viñales Valley, also found in the province
of Pinar del Rio, is a cultural landscape
inscribed onto the World Heritage List in 1999.
With its particularly diverse flora, consisting
of 17 endemic plant species and attractive
The taste of Cuba is definitely represented by
Cuban Rum, but also by the original Cuban
cigars, known as Habanos. The tobacco
industry is a countrywide industry and is
crucial to Cuba’s economy, since it is Cuba’s
third largest export. Boasting over five
centuries of tradition in cigar manufacturing,
the Pinar del Rio province is the most
important region for tobacco production. The
province is located at the very western part
of the island and contains the Vuelta Abajo
region, which is the main region of tobacco for
Habanos, and the only region that grows all
varieties of tobacco leaves.
ECONOMY
Industry:
Sugar, petroleum,
tobacco, chemicals.
Agriculture:
Sugar, tobacco, citrus,
coffee; livestock.
Exports:
Sugar, nickel, tobacco,
fish, medical products.
hills known as hummocks. The Viñales Valley
is revered as a landscape of unique rock
formations. Viñales Valley is distinguishable
by its geologic complexity with rocks from
the Jurassic period, and caves that make up
the largest cavern system in Cuba. Visitors
typically explore the 45-kilometer St. Thomas
cave. Moreover, Viñales Valley hosts the
Mural of Prehistory, one of the largest frescos
on the planet, harmoniously embedded into
FACT
The Republic of Cuba encompasses more than
4,000 islands and cays; the main island is the
largest in the West Indies. The natural beauty
of Cuba brings millions of tourists, with many
coming to see the thousands of species of plants
and animals that live nowhere else on Earth.
Some experts consider Cuban tobacco as the
world’s best tobacco, which is directly related
to the few select farms that are judged good
enough to grow the tobacco for Habanos.
Pinar del Rio is not just recognized as an
important growing area for tobacco, it is also
known as Cuba Natural Cathedral, because of
its exceptional natural beauty. The territory
boasts natural features both on land and
79 // APRIL 2016
Text From:
National Geographic Atlas
of the World, Eighth Edition
JAPAN AND THE WORLD MAGAZINE