Puerto Cabezas


Puerto Cabezas is a municipality and city in Nicaragua. It is the capital of Miskito nation in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region.

Name

Puerto Cabezas is Bilwi in Miskito. The area was called Bragman's Bluff by English traders.

History

The earliest known mention of Puerto Cabezas was by an English pirate in the 17th century. The village was one of eight English settlements in the region before being evacuated in 1787. In 1849, a British vice-consul and King George Augustus Frederic visited the area during their travels of the Mosquito Coast. Puerto Cabezas was a fishing village prior to the arrival of American companies.
Bragman’s Bluff Lumber Company established Puerto Cabezas as a company town. The company received a grant of 50,000 hectares of land, which were inhabited by Miskito people, from the Nicaraguan government on 28 January 1921. The United States maintained a consulate in Puerto Cabezas from 1931 to 1940.
The deep water port of Puerto Cabezas was a transportation hub in the area and superior to the shallow water port of Bluefields. The United States launched the Bay of Pigs Invasion from Puerto Cabezas.
Hurricane Felix hit Puerto Cabezas on September 4, 2007, killing about 100 people. Hurricane Eta hit the city on November 3, 2020, causing extensive damage.
The majority of the inhabitants speak the Miskito language.

Climate

Puerto Cabezas has a tropical monsoon climate with significant rainfall year round, and a short dry season in March and April. Even so, these months see an average rainfall of and. The average temperature ranges from in February to in May. The average annual rainfall is, while 198 days receive measurable rain during an average year.

Twin towns – sister cities

Puerto Cabezas is a sister city to:

Notable people

Works cited

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