Cuba
Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. It is known for its beautiful beaches, historic sites, and vibrant culture.
Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. It is known for its beautiful beaches, historic sites, and vibrant culture.
The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the arrival of Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492, as the country was developed as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement, and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from Spain in 1898, and after three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902. Cuba then experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He handed off the presidency to his younger brother Raul CASTRO in 2008. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office in 2018. DIAZ-CANEL was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party in 2021 after the retirement of Raul CASTRO and continues to serve as both president and first secretary. Cuba traditionally and consistently portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its socioeconomic difficulties. As a result of efforts begun in 2014 to reestablish diplomatic relations, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries in 2015. The embargo remains in place, however, and the relationship between the US and Cuba remains tense. Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the US via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. In 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay. Irregular Cuban maritime migration has dropped significantly since 2016, when migrant interdictions at sea topped 5,000, but land border crossings continue.
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida, USA, and north of Jamaica
21 30 N, 80 00 W
Central America and the Caribbean
total: 109,884 sq km
land: 109,884 sq km
water: 0 sq km
highest point: Pico Turquino 1,974 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 112 m
tropical; modified by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)
mostly flat to rolling plains with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast
cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum
arable land: 32.31%
permanent crops: 6.15%
permanent pasture: 4.62%
forest: 20.77%
other: 36.15% (2018 est.)
total: 10,059,519 (2025 est.)
male: 4,950,615
female: 5,108,904
comparison rankings: total 94; male 93; female 92
White 64.1%, Mulatto or mixed 26.6%, Black 9.3% (2012 est.) note: data represent racial self-identification from Cuba's 2012 national census
Spanish (official)
Christian 58.9%, folk religion 17.6%, Buddhist < 1%, Hindu < 1%, Jewish < 1%, Muslim < %, other < 1%, none 23.2% (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 14.91% (male 777,703/female 734,920)
15-24 years: 11.03% (male 575,201/female 555,206)
25-54 years: 43.68% (male 2,253,200/female 2,392,303)
55-64 years: 15.12% (male 769,992/female 858,306)
65 years and over: 15.26% (male 737,519/female 1,051,669)
conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: República de Cuba
local short form: Cuba
etymology: name derived from the Taíno language, meaning "where fertile land is abundant"
one-party socialist republic
name: Havana (La Habana)
geographic coordinates: 23 08 N, 82 23 W
time difference: UTC-5 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: from the Taíno language
15 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality (municipio especial): Pinar del Río, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo; Isla de la Juventud (special municipality)
civil law system based on Spanish civil code