Cuba
- Alternate meanings: see Cuba (disambiguation)
The Republic of Cuba is another archipelago in the northern Caribbean, in between the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north are found the United States and the Bahamas, to the west Mexico, to the south the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, and to the southeast Haiti.
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| National motto: "Patria y Libertad" (Spanish: Homeland and Freedom) | |||||
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| Official language | Spanish | ||||
| Capital | La Habana (Havana) | ||||
| Largest City | La Habana (Havana) | ||||
| President | Fidel Castro | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 106th 100,860 km² Negligible | ||||
| Population
- Density | Ranked 67th
101/km² | ||||
| Independence
- Recognised | Sp.-Am. War
May 20, 1902 | ||||
| Currency | Cuban Peso | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -5 | ||||
| National anthem | La Bayamesa | ||||
| Internet TLD | .CU | ||||
| Calling Code | 53 | ||||
History
Main article: History of Cuba
Cuba and its originally Amerindian population (Taino, Siboney and Guanajatabey) came under Spanish control in the 16th century. The colony's struggle for independence started in 1868 and continued during the 19th century until the Spanish-American War of 1898. The United States then occupied the island until recognising independence in 1902, though limited by the Platt Amendment (revoked in 1934), after which the US continued to exercise considerable control over Cuban affairs.
Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro and a rebel army in 1959 overthrew president Fulgencio Batista. When Castro started to implement political and social reforms that threatened the United States' longstanding domination of the island, relations with the US rapidly deteriorated. Castro instead turned to Soviet backing and trade ties, declared the Revolution socialist in 1961, began socializing the economy and set up a Leninist style government led by the newly-recreated Communist Party of Cuba. A Constitution of Soviet inspiration was implemented in 1976.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country suffered a major economic setback, but has been steadily recovering since then, while maintaining a socially owned economy, in contrast to countries like China or Vietnam. The Cuban government had been carrying out since the 80's a campaign to correct the errors of the Leninist government model and reentrench Cuban democracy. Citizens were given the duty to approve or disapprove the higher-level politicians elected by the more local politicians. Also, an effort was made to get more young people elected.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Cuba
Cuba is a "Communist state," or a parliamentary republic led by a Communist Party. Fidel Castro has been the head of state and head of government since 1959, first as prime minister and after the abolition of that office in 1976 as president. He is also the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, and commander in chief of the armed forces.
The unicameral Cuban parliament is the National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Its 609 members, representing a wide spectrum of the Cuban society, are elected to serve five-year terms. The Communist Party is constitutionally recognised as Cuba's only legal political party. Many who are not members of the Cuban Communist Party are regularly elected.
Other political issues include illegal emigration to the US, the economic and humanitarian embargo enforced by the United States and how much truth there is behind stories of things like the government's imprisonment of political dissidents.
Provinces
Main article: Provinces of Cuba
Cuba is divided into 14 provinces of 169 municipalities, and one special municipality (the Isla de la Juventud).
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Geography
Main article: Geography of Cuba
The elongated island of Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and is bounded to the north by the Straits of Florida and the greater North Atlantic Ocean, to the northwest by the Gulf of Mexico, to the west by the Yucatan Channel, to the south by the Caribbean Sea, and to the east by the Windward Passage. The Republic comprises the entire island, including many outlying islands such as the Isle of Youth, with the exception of Guantanamo Bay, a naval base that has been leased by the United States since 1903. The mainland is the world's 16th largest island.
The island consists mostly of flat to rolling plains, with more rugged hills and mountains primarily in the southeast and the highest point is the Pico Real del Turquino at 2,005 m. The local climate is tropical, though moderated by trade winds. There is a drier season from November to April, and a rainier season from May to October. Havana is the largest city and capital, other major cities include Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Cuba
Cuba continues it's public ownership of the economy and has shown itself unwilling to implement "free market" reforms. Tourism has become one of the largest sources of income for Cuba and it has put the american dollar into circulation in parts of Cuba where tourists go. Some say that the dollar goes a lot further than the Cuban peso.
The Cuban economy was hit hard in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Comecon economic bloc, with which it had traded predominantly. A continuing United States trade embargo has had a highly detrimental effect on the economy since the early 1960s. More recent problems include high oil prices, recessions in key export markets such as sugar and nickel, damage from hurricanes, depressed tourism, and faltering world economic conditions. In late 2003, and early 2004, both tourism levels and nickel prices increased, as has the Cuban trade with the USA -in spite of the US financial and trade embargo. One other factor in the "recovery" of the Cuban economy is the remittances of Cuban-Americans.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Cuba
Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of either mixed (mulatto) or more specific Spanish and African origins. There is also a small ethnic Chinese community. The largest organised religion is the Roman Catholic Church. Afro-Cuban or Santería religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. Officially, Cuba had been an atheist state for most of the Castro era, but religious restrictions have been relaxed since 1991 and the state secularised. Smaller Protestant and Jewish minorities also exist.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Cuba
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
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| January 1 | Liberation Day | ||
| May 1 | |||
| July 26 | Rebellion Day | ||
| October 10 | Day of the Heroic Guerrilla | ||
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Navidad |
Miscellaneous topics
- Communications in Cuba
- Transportation in Cuba
- Military of Cuba
- Foreign relations of Cuba
- List of places in Cuba
- Cuba & Women
External links
- Cuban Government - Official governmental site
- Cubaweb - Cuban directory
- The Internet Cuban - Cuban Culture Site
- Granma - Cuban Communist Party's newspaper
- CUBANET - News from Cuba's "independent journalists" and dissidents
- Cuban Embargo
- Cuba: Socialism and Democracy by Peter Taaffe
- Movimiento Humanista Evolucionario Cubano (Cuban Evolutionary Humanist Movement)
- Cuba AIDS Project HIV and AIDS in Cuba
- Spain and the Spaniard a contemporary opinion of the Cuban uprising