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BaracoaBaracoa (20 20' N, 74 30' W, 1996: 50.000 inhabitants) is a city in Cuba. It was founded by Diego Velzquez in 1511, which makes it the oldest Spanish settlement in Cuba. On November 27, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed at exactly the place where now the city of Baracoa is located. He wrote in his logbook ... the most beautiful place in the world ...I heard the birds sing that they will never ever leave this place.... He had also descibed El Junque, a Table Mountain (559 m high) about 6 kilometers west of the town. Cristopher Columbus has put a cross called Cruz de la Parra in the sands of what would later become Baracoa harbor. Even today, it is still possible to see that cross. It is now exhibited in the Catedral Nuestra Seora de la Asuncin. Baracoa is separated from the rest of Cuba by a mountain range. This remote location at the eastern end of the cuban island has kept the influence of mass tourism quite low. From Baracoa, it is possible to visit the Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt located about 20 kilometers north. Baracoa can be reached by bus from Santiago de Cuba (5 hours) or by plane from Havana (2 hours).
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