Matanzas is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns in the province include Cárdenas, Colón, Jovellanos and the capital of the same name, Matanzas. The resort town of Varadero is also located in this province.

San Juan de Dios de Cárdenas, or simply Cárdenas, is a municipality and city in the Matanzas Province of Cuba, about 116 km (72 mi) by air [156 km (97 mi) by road] east of Havana. Cárdenas is the 15th most-populated Cuban city and the second most populated one not being a provincial seat, after Manzanillo.