port city, central Cuba. Caibarién is a major centre for the collection and distribution of goods from the agricultural hinterland, which produces mainly sugarcane, tobacco, and fruit. Sponge fishing is carried on offshore, and the city has sawmills, sugar refineries, and fish canneries. Caibarién is linked by highway and railroad to Placetas and to communities along the coast. Pop. (2002) 32,679.