Industrial Cuba / Being a Study of Present Commercial and Industrial Conditions, with Suggestions as to the Opportunities Presented in the Island for American Capital, Enterprise, and Labour

by Robert P. Porter

The rate of growth of the Western Hemisphere, had Cuba been allowed to enjoy her natural advantages, would have found her at the close of 1900 with close upon 5,000,000 population and a country as flourishing as that pictured in the early part of this volume.

The population of the Island of Cuba, as enumerated on the 31st of December, 1887, was 1,631,687. This population was scattered over an area of about 122,606 square kilometres. These figures give an average density of population of 13.31 inhabitants to the square kilometre, the maximum of which appeared to be in the province of Havana (52.49), and the minimum in the province of Puerto Principe (2.10).

CENSUS OF DECEMBER 31, 1887
Province.	Number Inhabitants.	Square Kilometres.	Density per Square Kilometre.
Havana	451,928	8,610	52.49
Matanzas	259,578	8,486	30.59
Pinar del Rio	225,891	14,967	15.09
Puerto Principe	67,789	32,341	2.10
Santa Clara	354,122	23,083	15.34
Santiago de Cuba	272,379	35,119	7.76
	1,631,687	122,606	13.31

Distributed as white population and coloured people, the latter comprising negroes and half-breeds and Asiatics, the proportions were as follows:

CENSUS OF DECEMBER 31, 1887
Province.	Number Inhabitants.		Density per Square Kilometre.		Percentage.
	Whites.	Coloured.	Whites.	Coloured.	Whites.	Coloured.
Havana	335,782	116,146	39.00	13.49	74.30	25.70
Matanzas	142,040	117,538	16.74	13.85	54.72	45.28
Pinar del Rio	166,678	59,213	11.14	3.95	73.79	26.21
Puerto Principe	54,581	13,208	1.69	0.41	80.52	19.48
Santa Clara	245,097	109,025	10.62	4.72	69.27	30.73
Santiago de Cuba	158,711	113,668	4.52	3.24	58.27	41.73
	1,102,889	528,798	9.00	4.31	67.59	32.41
	1,631,687		13.31		100.

It will be observed that the number of whites is greatest in the province of Havana, but the highest percentage of whites is found in the province of Puerto Principe (80.52). The province of Matanzas shows the greatest number of the coloured race, which is explained by the fact that slavery prevailed more extensively in that province than elsewhere. The proportion of males and females was as follows:

CENSUS OF DECEMBER 31, 1887
Province.	Number of Inhabitants.		Percentage.
	Males.	Females.	Males.	Females.
Havana	243,966	207,962	53.98	46.02
Matanzas	148,876	110,702	57.35	42.65
Pinar del Rio	122,829	103,062	54.38	45.62
Puerto Principe	35,843	31,946	52.87	47.13
Santa Clara	193,496	160,626	54.64	45.36
Santiago de Cuba	137,590	134,789	50.51	49.49
	882,600	749,087	54.09	45.91

Notice that in each province, males are in excess of females. The immigration of women into Cuba has always been small. The proportion of males and females of the white and coloured races is as follows: