Havana vs Perm

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Havana (; Spanish: La Habana [la aˈβana] (listen)) is the capital city, largest city, province, major port, and leading commercial center of Cuba. The city has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of 781.58 km2 (301.77 sq mi) – making it the largest city by area, the most populous city, and the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region.The city of Havana was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century and due to its strategic location it served as a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Americas, becoming a stopping point for treasure-laden Spanish galleons returning to Spain. The King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of capital in 1592. Walls as well as forts were built to protect the old city. The sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana's harbor in 1898 was the immediate cause of the Spanish–American War.The city is the center of the Cuban government, and home to various ministries, headquarters of businesses and over 100 diplomatic offices.

The governor is Reinaldo García Zapata of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). In 2009, the city/province had the third highest income in the country.Contemporary Havana can essentially be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado and the newer suburban districts. The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbors: Mari melena, Guanabacoa and Antares. The sluggish Almendares River traverses the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay.The city attracts over a million tourists annually; the Official Census for Havana reports that in 2010 the city was visited by 1,176,627 international tourists, a 20% increase from 2005. Old Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The city is also noted for its history, culture, architecture and monuments. As typical of Cuba, Havana experiences a tropical climate.

Source: Wikipedia

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Perm (Russian: Пермь, IPA: [pʲɛrmʲ]), previously known as Yagoshikha (Ягошиха) (1723–1781), and Molotov (Мо́лотов) (1940–1957), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Perm Krai, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Kama River, near the Ural Mountains, covering an area of 799.68 square kilometres (308.76 square miles), with a population of over 1 million residents. Perm is the fourteenth-largest city in Russia, and the fifth-largest city in the Volga Federal District. In 1723, a copper-smelting works was founded at the village of Yagoshikha. In 1781 the settlement of Yagoshikha became the town of Perm. Perm's position on the navigable Kama River, leading to the Volga, and on the Siberian Route, across the Ural Mountains helped it become an important trade and manufacturing centre. It also lay along the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Perm grew considerably as industrialization proceeded in the Urals during the Soviet period, and was named Molotov in honour of Vyacheslav Molotov. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the city returned to its historical name, and became the administrative centre of Perm Krai. Modern Perm is still a major railway hub and one of the chief industrial centres of the Urals region. The city's diversified metallurgical and engineering industries produce equipment and machine tools for the petroleum and coal industries, as well as agricultural machinery. A major petroleum refinery uses oil transported by pipeline from the West Siberian oilfields, and the city’s large chemical industry makes fertilizers and dyes. The city’s institutions of higher education include the Perm A.M. Gorky State University, founded in 1916.

Source: Wikipedia