Today is Havana´s 496th Birthday

HAVANA,Nov 16th  (acn) Havana, declared one of the seven World Wonder Cities, is marking its 496th birthday on Monday.

The city of Havana was founded November 16, 1519 in the shade of a leafy Ceiba tree, in site near the harbor, where citizens today come on the eve of every anniversary for a ceremony recalling the historic event.

Although Havana grew over the years to expand some 732 square kilometers, its old section boats its well preserved urban areas with Spanish colonial architecture thanks to the restoration program developed by the Historian´s office. A key point in this restoration is that the local population lives in the area and joined the culture of preservation of their city.

The magnificent buildings and the history they treasure has become major attractions for tourists from around the world.

Havana was declared Heritage of Humankind in 1982 by the UN Education, Science and Culture Organization, UNESCO.

The city, with 15 municipalities, has a population of over 2 million inhabitants, add to this the large amount of visitors from other provinces and countries.

In December 2014, Havana was chosen as one of the Seven Wonder Cities of the world, as part the New 7Wonder initiative.