Havana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. With a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, it is the largest city in Cuba and the second largest in the Caribbean region, after Santo Domingo.

The city was established by King Philip II of Spain in 1592 and grew in importance after a royal decree in 1634 designated it the "Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies". It was officially proclaimed the capital in 1553. The sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana's harbor in 1898 was the immediate cause of the Spanish-American War.

Present day Havana is the center of the Cuban government, and various ministries and headquarters of businesses are based there. Havana's economy first developed on the basis of its location, which made it one of the early great trade centres in the New World. Sugar and a flourishing slave trade first brought riches to the city, and later, after independence, it became a renowned resort.