Pinar del Río

Cuba

Also known as: Nueva Filipina

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Pinar del Río, city, western Cuba. It is situated on the Guamá River, near the base of the Sierra de los Órganos.

The city was founded in 1775. In 1800 it was officially named Nueva Filipina and was made capital of the western jurisdiction of Cuba. Its economic importance dates from about 1830, when the tobacco industry of the Vuelta Abajo region was developed. With the completion of the railroad from Havana came the development of Pinar del Río as a commercial centre for the hinterland, which yields tobacco, sugarcane, rice, pineapples, coffee, and livestock. The city’s industrial activity centres on the manufacture of cigars, cigarettes, and furniture, and it has a small thermal power plant. Pinar del Río is the western terminus of the country’s Central Highway. Pop. (2002) 139,336; (2011 est.) 137,523.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg.