San José de las Lajas
# San José de las Lajas

San José de las Lajas is a municipality and the capital city of the newly formed Mayabeque Province of Cuba, after the segmentation of La Habana Province in 2011. It is located in the center north of the province, and is bisected by the Carretera Central.

It was founded in 1778.

## Geography

The municipality includes the villages of Jamaica, Liberación, Tapaste, Pedro Pi, El Perú, Valle del Perú, Morales, Ganuza, Zaragoza, Nazareno, Comunidad Nazareno, El Volcán, La Ruda, Managuaco and San Antonio de las Vegas.

In the municipality there are 7 consejos populares ("popular councils") which include the main town of San José de las Lajas split into Sur ("south") and Norte ("north") and San Antonio de las Vegas, Nazareno, Jamaica, Tapaste, and Zaragoza.

## Demographics

In 2004, the municipality of San José de las Lajas had a population of 69,375. The city proper has 37,000 inhabitants. With a total area of 591 $km^2$ (228 sq mi), it has a population density of $117.4/km^2$ (304/sq mi).

## Economy

San José is the most important economical hub of Mayabeque Province with important industries (metallurgic, mechanical, electrical, building materials, chemical, rum) and a well-developed farming sector.

## Science and Education

This municipality hosts the Agrarian University of Havana as well as important country level scientific institutions of the agricultural sciences: CENSA (National Center of Animal Healthcare), ICA (Institute of Animal Science) and INCA (National Institute of Agricultural Sciences), forming together the core of the so named "Havana East Scientific Pole"

## Transport

San José counts a railway station, on the Havana-Güines line, served by a line of the Havana Suburban Railway. It is crossed in the middle by the Carretera Central (CC) highway and is served by 2 exits of the A1 motorway. The southwestern area of the municipality, nearby San Antonio de las Vegas, is served by the A3 motorway.

## Sports

The baseball stadium "Nelson Fernández" was the venue of the La Habana baseball team Vaqueros (Cowboys) which was the national champion in the 2008-2009 campaign. From 2011, it became the home of the new team Huracanes de Mayabeque.

