Centro Habana

Centro Habana is a municipality of Havana, Cuba. It lies within the city at latitude 23.13488 and longitude -82.36893.

Boundaries and Topography

The district occupies a compact 4 km² defined by the Malecón, the Paseo del Prado, Maximo Gómez, Arroyo and Infanta streets. Its terrain rises to about 45 m above sea level, giving a modest elevation that frames the dense urban fabric.

Population and Density

In the 2004 census the municipality recorded 158,151 residents, producing a density of roughly 39,538 inhabitants per square kilometre. The high concentration of people shapes daily life and the use of public space.

Cultural Layers

Centro Habana hosts Havana’s historic Barrio Chino and is divided into five consejos populares: Cayo Hueso, Colón, Dragones, Los Sitios and Pueblo Nuevo. The spoken languages include Spanish (es‑CU) and Papiamento (pap), reflecting the area’s multicultural roots.

Historical Pulse

Established as an administrative division in 1963 and formalized as a municipio in 1976, the area saw restoration projects begin in 1996 to improve housing after a period of decline.

For more information see the Wikipedia entry or the GeoNames record.

Centro Habana is a municipality of Havana, Cuba.

It lies at latitude 23.13488° N, longitude ‑82.36893° W, and rises about 45 m above sea level.

Boundaries that shape the streets

The municipality is bounded by the Malecón, the Paseo del Prado, Maximo Gómez, Arroyo and Infanta streets, forming a tightly packed urban core.

Wards of daily rhythm

Five consejos populares—Cayo Hueso, Colón, Dragones, Los Sitios and Pueblo Nuevo—structure local administration and community life.

Chinatown’s echo

Within its limits the Barrio Chino, Havana’s Chinatown, adds a distinct cultural layer to the area.

Density that defines

Spanning only 4 km², Centro Habana recorded 158,151 residents in 2004, producing a population density of 39,537.8 inhabitants per square kilometre, the highest among Havana’s municipalities.

Year	Population	Density (inhabitants/km²)
2004	158,151	39,537.8

For more detail see the Wikipedia entry.

Declaratives

Centro Habana is a municipality situated within the city of Havana, Cuba. It functions as one of the fifteen municipalities in the city and holds the highest population density.

The geographic boundaries of the municipality form a polygon enclosed by the Malecón, the Paseo del Prado, Maximo Gómez, Arroyo, and Infanta streets. Within its boundaries, Centro Habana contains a chinatown known as Barrio Chino. Administratively, the municipality is subdivided into five *consejos populares* (wards): Cayo Hueso, Colón, Dragones, Los Sitios, and Pueblo Nuevo.

Historically, the area reached a significant turning point during the 1990s. The infrastructure of the city, which was built 450 years ago, heavily deteriorated following the collapse of the Cuban–Soviet trade partnership. In response to this decline, restoration projects began in 1996 to improve housing and infrastructure specifically within the Cayo Hueso community. Prior to these administrative developments, Centro Habana was established as an administrative division in 1963 and subsequently made its own *municipio* in 1976.

Demographic records indicate that the municipality recorded a population of 158,151 in 2004 across a total area of 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi), yielding a population density of 39,537.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (102,402/sq mi). By 2023, the population shifted to 126,105, with a corresponding population density of 36,872 inhabitants per square kilometre (95,500/sq mi). Official geographic coordinates place the area at a latitude of 23.13488 and a longitude of -82.36893, at an elevation of 45 metres. Local administrative operations observe the America/Havana timezone, utilizing the CUP currency and recognizing es-CU and pap as languages.

Further information regarding the area is available through the Centro Habana article and the GeoNames record for Centro Habana.