The provinces were created in 1879 by the Spanish colonial government. From 1879 to 1976, Cuba was divided into six provinces, which maintained with little changes the same boundaries and capital cities, although with modifications in official names. These "historical" provinces are the following (from west to east):
Pinar del Río
La Habana, included the city of Havana, current Mayabeque, some municipalities of current Artemisa Province (prior to 1970: 5 municipalities; from 1970 to 2011, 8 municipalities, including Artemisa city itself). Isla de Pinos ("Isle of Pines") was considered a "special municipality" in the province of La Habana.
Camagüey (before 1899 named "Puerto Príncipe"), contained the present-day provinces of Camagüey and Ciego de Ávila, as well as two municipalities of current Las Tunas Province (prior to 1970).
Presidents of the People's Power Provincial Councils
The following are the presidents of the Provincial People's Councils in each province in the country (local governments).[5]
The Provincial People's Councils replaced the Provincial Assemblies in the 2019 Constitution and are made up of provincial representatives elected by the municipal assemblies or councils.
^"Cuba has New Name for 'Treasure Island'" (PDF). New York Times. 4 August 1978. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
^Proponen en Pleno del Partido dos nuevas provincias cubanas: Artemisa y Mayabeque (+ Infografía) - Cubadebate
^Cuba Census 2002 Archived 2008-01-17 at the Wayback Machine Population table
^"Presidentes de las Asambleas Provinciales del Poder Popular en cada provincia" (in Spanish). Parlamento Cubano. Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2007-02-10.