CARDENAS (San Juan de Dios de Cardenas), a maritime town of Cuba, in Matanzas province, about 75m. east of Havana, on the level and somewhat marshy shore of a spacious bay of the northern coast of the island, sheltered by a long promontory. Pop. 0931), , It has a railway communication with the trunk system of the island, and communicates by regular steamers with all the coast towns. The city lies between the sea and hills. There are broad streets, various squares (including the Plaza de Colon, with a bronze statue of Columbus given to the city by Queen Isabella II. and erected in 1862) and substantial business buildings. Cardenas is one of the principal sugar-exporting towns of Cuba. The shallowness of the harbour necessitates lighterage and repeated loading of cargoes. The surrounding region is famed for its fertility. A large quantity of asphalt has been taken from the bed of the harbour. A flow of fresh water from the bed of the harbour is another peculiar feature; it comes presumably from the outlets of subterranean rivers.
There is a large United States business element, which has been, indeed, prominent in the city ever since its foundation. At El Varaderc, on a peninsula at the mouth of the bay, there is fine sea-bathing on a long beach, and El Varadero is a winter resort. Cardenas was founded in 1828, and in 1861 already had 12,910 inhabitants. In 1850, Narciso Lopez landed there on a filibustering expedition, but could secure no support for his efforts on behalf of Cuban independence. On May 11, 1898, it was the scene of the first bloodshed in the Spanish-American war.