It is a port city in the Granma Province in eastern Cuba on the Gulf of Guacanayabo, near the delta of the Cauto River.

[citation needed] The municipality is divided into the barrios of Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto y Sexto (part of the city of Manzanillo), as well as the rural communities of Blanquizal, Calicito, Canabacoa, Caño, Ceiba Caridad, Congo, Jibacoa, Palmas Altas, Purial, Remate, Tranquilidad and Zarzal.

Local agriculture is based on raising coffee, sugarcane,[5] rice, fruit and tobacco[5] crops, as well as honey and cattle.

Local industry is composed of sawmills, fish-canning, molasses plants, as well as some cigar and leather goods factories.

The railway station is the western terminus of a line from Bayamo, and is served by regional and long-distance trains, the latter linking the city with Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila, Santa Clara and Havana.