Ten fun facts about Havana

Fact 1
Havana is home to the Cuban National Ballet School, with approximately 3,000 students making it the biggest ballet school in the world.

Fact 2
As of 2010, Havana had a population of 2,168,255, making it the ninth largest city in Latin America.

Fact 3
Despite what many people assume, Havana is a safe city because the police presence on the streets is heavy. Cuba is the safest country in the region.

Fact 4
The International Ballet Festival of Havana, a ballet festival held every two years, started in 1960 making it the oldest of all held in the world.

Fact 5
In 1982, Old Havana was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List because it exhibits more than 2,000 hectares of almost all the Western architectural styles seen in the New World.

Fact 6
The Havana Riviera Hotel, built in 1957, was actually inspired after a mobster visited the Riviera Casino in Las Vegas.

Fact 7
Cuba's oldest cigar factory, the Real Fabrica de Tabacos Partagas, is located in Havana Cuba, which produces the world famous Habanos cigars.

Fact 8
In 1837, after its first railroad was constructed in Havana, it made Cuba the first Spanish-speaking country and fifth country in the world to have a railroad.

Fact 9
There is a park in the city called 'John Lennon Park'. It has a sculpture of the Beatles member John Lennon sitting on a park bench.

Fact 10
The official nickname of the city is 'Ciudad de la Columnas' or the City of Columns, referring to its Colonial architecture.

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