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Cuba




The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the northern Caribbean, in
between the Caribbean Sea 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.

                                          National motto: None
                                          Official
History                                   language       Spanish
                                          Capital        Havana

                                          President      Fidel Castro
Cuba and its originally Amerindian        Area           Ranked 106th
population came under Spanish control in  Ê- Total       100,860 km²
the 16th century. The colony's struggle   Ê- % water     Negligible
for independence started in 1868 and      Population
continued during the 19th century until   Ê- Total       Ranked 67th
the United States intervened in the       (2002)         11,184,023
Spanish-American War of 1898. The US then Ê- Density     101/km²
occupied the island until recognising
independence in 1902, though limited by   Independence   Spanish-American
the Platt Amendment, after which the US   Ê- Declared    War
continued to exercise considerable        Ê- Recognised  October 10, 1868
control over Cuban affairs.                              May 20, 1902
                                          Currency       Cuban Peso
Fidel Castro led a rebel army to victory
in 1959 against dictator Fulgencio        Time zone      UTC -5
Batista and Castro has remained in power  National
since. Relations with the US deteriorated anthem         La Bayamesa
after Castro initiated economic reforms   Internet TLD   .CU
and sought closer ties with the Soviet
Union, leading to the failed US-sponsored Calling Code   53
Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban
missile crisis, as well as a strict US trade blockade largely still in place today.

Cuba was subsequently involved in revolutionary wars in Africa and Latin
America, while it enjoyed close economic ties with the Soviet bloc.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 however the country
suffered an economic setback, but has recovered to an extent since then,
though economic and political reforms have been made only haltingly.

Politics

Cuba is a republic led by a president who is elected by parliament together
with the vice-president. Fidel Castro has been in power since 1959, first as
prime minister and after the abolition of that office in 1976 as president.
He is both head of state and head of government, as well as 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 are elected directly
from slates approved by special candidacy commissions, and they serve
five-year terms. The communist party is constitutionally recognised as
Cuba's only legal political party. The party and its affiliated
organisations monopolise all government positions, including judicial
offices. Continuing political issues include illegal emigration, primarily
to the US, and the government's attitude towards political dissidents.

Provinces

Cuba is divided into 14 provinces (provincias, singular provincia) and 1
special municipality (municipio especial), marked by a *:

   * CamagŸey
   * Ciego de Avila
   * Cienfuegos
   * Granma
   * Guant‡namo
   * Havana (La Habana)
   * Havana City (Ciudad de La Habana)
   * Holgu’n
   * Isle of Youth * (Isla de la Juventud)
   * Las Tunas
   * Matanzas
   * Pinar del R’o
   * Sancti Sp’ritus
   * Santiago de Cuba
   * Villa Clara

Geography

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 island consist 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 CamagŸey.

Economy

The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against
a concern for firm political control over the economy. It has undertaken
limited reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase
enterprise efficiency, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer
goods, and services, but seems unlikely to implement extensive changes. A
major feature of the economy is the dichotomy between relatively efficient
export and tourism enclaves and inefficient domestic sectors.

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 blockade has also had a
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.

Demographics

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 Santeria 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

                  Holidays
   Date    English Name  Local Name Remarks
 January 1Liberation Day
 July 26  Rebellion Day

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