Bayamo

Bayamo, city, eastern Cuba. It lies on the Bayamo River, a major tributary of the Cauto River.

It was founded as San Salvador de Bayamo in 1513. In colonial times Bayamo was one of Cuba’s most important cities, and it was the scene of several uprisings, including the independence movement of 1895.

Today Bayamo is an important manufacturing, commercial, and transportation centre for the surrounding countryside, in which cattle raising is widespread and the dairy and tanning industries are well developed; copper and manganese are mined in the area. Sugar, rice, coffee, and tobacco are processed in the city, and tiles are manufactured. Bayamo is a railroad junction and lies on the country’s Central Highway; it also has an airfield. Pop. (2002) 144,664; (2011 est.) 147,563.