is crossed by the Carretera Central highway (CC) and Autopista A1 motorway. A ring road serving the city is directly linked to the motorway. The main railway station, Santa Clara railway station, is part of the principal line of the country, the Havana-Santa Clara-Camagüey-Santiago. Abel Santamaría Airport, located to the north, is the city airport, serving flights to Italy, Canada, France, and Poland, along with domestic and other flights. Education Santa Clara is home to the University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas (), which is composed of a number of faculties: Electrical Engineering Agricultural Sciences Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Sciences Humanities Law Psychology Social Sciences Construction Managerial Sciences Mechanical Engineering Chemistry and Pharmacy Distance Education The university offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees and boasts the graduation of 35,000 engineers, licensees, architects, medics, and veterinarians, of which 1,000 are foreigners from 47 countries. Additionally, it has educated more than 310 doctors and more than 1600 magisters. The university collaborates with institutions from Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Spain, Peru, Mexico, and Venezuela. Santa Clara is also home to the Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Villa Clara, founded in 1966. Notable people Marta Abreu (1845−1909), benefactress José Bernal, artist Yuniesky Betancourt, Major League Baseball shortstop Mike Cuellar, Major League Baseball pitcher Aledmys Díaz, Major League Baseball shortstop Newton Estape Vila, photographer and journalist José Fernández (1992−2016), Major League Baseball pitcher Mirka Francia, Cuban-Italian volleyball player Rubén González, pianist Benny 'Kid' Paret (1937−1962), boxer Moraima Secada, singer Miguel Díaz-Canel, 17th president of Cuba Gerardo Machado y Morales, general, 5th president of Cuba (1925–1933) Marilyn Pupo, Cuban-Puerto Rican actress and television host Dafnis Prieto Cuban-American drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator International relations Twin towns/Sister cities Santa Clara is twinned with: Cali, Colombia (1994) Oviedo, Asturias, Spain (1995) Bloomington, Indiana, United States (1999) Cheboksary, Chuvash Republic, Russia (2004) São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil (2005) Image gallery References External links "Santa Clara" Collection of photos from Santa Clara 2007 to 2015 "Santa Clara's Rebel Saint" by Egle Procuta, Globe and Mail, November 11, 2006 "Che's Last Stand" by Ed Ewing, The Guardian, December 31, 2008 Santa Clara a Jump-Off Spot to Twin-isle Paradise by Joseph Kula, The Province, November 10, 2008 Cities in Cuba Populated places in Villa Clara Province 1680s in Cuba Populated places established in 1689 1689 establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1680s establishments in the Caribbean 17th-century establishments in