Puerto Cabezas

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 (Köppen climate classification Am) with significant rainfall year round, and a short dry season in March and April. Even so, these months see an average rainfall of 48 mm and 54 mm. The average temperature ranges from 24.5 C in February to 27.8 C in May. The average annual rainfall is 2799 mm, while 198 days receive measurable rain during an average year.

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Twin towns – sister cities

Puerto Cabezas is a sister city to:

• USA Burlington, United States
• SWE Luleå, Sweden
• ESP Sant Pere de Ribes, Spain
• ESP Vilafranca del Penedès, Spain

Notable people

• Dorotea Wilson, politician and activist

References

Works cited

References

1. [https://www.inide.gob.ni/docs/Anuarios/Anuario2022/ANUARIO_ESTADISTICO2022.pdf Anuario Estadístico 2022]. Instituto Nacional de Información de Desarrollo (INIDE)
2. Arghiris, Richard. (2014-04-10). "Nicaragua Footprint Handbook". Footprint Travel Guides.
3. "Deadly hurricanes lash central America". [[Agence France-Presse]].
4. (November 3, 2020). "Hurricane Eta pounds Nicaragua as Category 4 storm". [[CNBC]].
5. Jamieson, Mark. (1998). "Linguistic Innovation and Relationship Terminology in the Pearl Lagoon Basin of Nicaragua". [[Wiley-Blackwell]].
6. "Sister Cities". City of Burlington.
7. "Vänorter". Luleå kommun.
8. "Agermanament amb Puerto Cabezas". Sant Pere de Ribes.
9. "Relacions bilaterals". Vilafranca del Penedès.