INTRODUCTION
The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development 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 that 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 the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians.... See More |
GEOGRAPHY
Location: | |
| Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida | |
Geographic Coordinates: | |
| 21 30 N, 80 00 W | |
Area: | |
| Total: 110,860 sq km Land: 109,820 sq km Water: 1,040 sq km | |
Area - Comparative: | |
| Slightly smaller than Pennsylvania | |
Land Boundaries: | |
| Total: 29 km Border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km Note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba | |
Coastline: | |
| 3,735 km (Rank: 32) | |
Maritime Claims: | |
| Territorial sea: 12 nm Contiguous zone: 24 nm Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | |
Climate: | |
| Tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) | |
Terrain: | |
| Mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast | |
Elevation Extremes: | |
| Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m Highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m | |
Natural Resources: | |
| Cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land | |
Land Use: | |
| Arable land: 27.63% Permanent crops: 6.54% Other: 65.83% (2005) | |
Irrigated Land: | |
| 8,700 sq km (2008) | |
Total Renewable Water Resources: | |
| 38.1 cu km (2000) | |
Freshwater Withdrawal: | |
| Total: 8.2 cu km/yr (19%/12%/69%) Per capita: 728 cu m/yr (2000) | |
Natural Hazards: | |
| The east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common | |
Environment - Current Issues: | |
| Air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation | |
Environment - International Agreements: | |
| Party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands Signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation | |
Geography - Note: | |
| Largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles | |
Nationality: | |
| Noun: Cuban(s) Adjective: Cuban | |
Ethnic Groups: | |
| White 65.1%, mulatto and mestizo 24.8%, black 10.1% (2002 census) | |
Languages: | |
| Spanish (official) | |
Religions: | |
| Nominally Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria Note: prior to CASTRO assuming power | |
Population: | |
| 11,087,330 (July 2011 est.) | |
Age Structure: | |
| 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 984,607/female 931,167) 15-64 years: 71.1% (male 3,947,047/female 3,932,128) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 583,757/female 708,624) (2011 est.) | |
Median Age: | |
| Total: 38.4 years Male: 37.6 years Female: 39.2 years (2011 est.) | |
Population Growth Rate: | |
| -0.104% (2011 est.) | |
Birth Rate: | |
| 9.99 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) | |
Death Rate: | |
| 7.47 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) | |
Net Migration Rate: | |
| -3.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) | |
Urbanization: | |
| Urban population: 75% of total population (2010) Rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) | |
Major Cities - Population: | |
| HAVANA (capital) 2.14 million (2009) | |
Sex Ratio: | |
| At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.) | |
Maternal Mortality Rate: | |
| 53 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) | |
Infant Mortality Rate: | |
| Total: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) | |
Life Expectancy At Birth: | |
| Total population: 77.7 years Male: 75.46 years Female: 80.08 years (2011 est.) | |
Total Fertility Rate: | |
| 1.44 children born/woman (2011 est.) | |
Health Expenditures: | |
| 11.8% of GDP (2009) | |
Physicians Density: | |
| 6.399 physicians/1,000 population (2007) | |
Hospital Bed Density: | |
| 5.9 beds/1,000 population (2009) | |
Drinking Water Source: | |
| Urban: 96% of population Rural: 89% of population Total: 94% of population Unimproved: Urban: 4% of population Rural: 11% of population Total: 6% of population (2008) | |
Sanitation Facility Access: | |
| Urban: 94% of population Rural: 81% of population Total: 91% of population Unimproved: Urban: 6% of population Rural: 19% of population Total: 9% of population (2008) | |
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: | |
| 0.1% (2009 est.) | |
HIV/AIDS - People Living With HIV/AIDS: | |
| 7,100 (2009 est.) | |
HIV/AIDS - Deaths: | |
| Fewer than 100 (2009 est.) | |
Major Infectious Diseases: | |
| Degree of risk: intermediate Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever (2009) | |
Children Under 5 - Underweight: | |
| 3.9% (2000) | |
Obesity - Adult Prevalence Rate: | |
| 11.8% (2002) | |
Education Expenditures: | |
| 13.6% of GDP (2008) | |
Literacy: | |
| Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 99.8% Male: 99.8% Female: 99.8% (2002 census) | |
Average Years of Schooling: | |
| Total: 18 years Male: 16 years Female: 19 years (2009) | |
Unemployment, Youth Ages 15-24: | |
| Total: 3.1% Male: 2.8% Female: 3.5% (2008) | |
People - Note: | |
| Illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border | |
Country Name: | |
| Conventional long form: Republic of Cuba Conventional short form: Cuba Local long form: Republica de Cuba Local short form: Cuba | |
Government Type: | |
| Communist state | |
Capital: | |
| Name: Havana Geographic coordinates: 23 07 N, 82 21 W Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins third Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October | |
Administrative Divisions: | |
| 15 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Artemisa, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara | |
Independence: | |
| 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence | |
National Holiday: | |
| Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January (1959) | |
Constitution: | |
| 24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002 | |
Legal System: | |
| Civil law system based on Spanish civil code | |
International Law Organization Participation: | |
| Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt | |
Suffrage: | |
| 16 years of age; universal | |
Executive Branch: | |
| Chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government Head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008) Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by the assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session Elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held on 24 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013) Election results: Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100% | |
Legislative Branch: | |
| Unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (number of seats in the National Assembly is based on population; 614 seats; members elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms) Elections: last held on 20 January 2008 (next to be held in January 2013) Election results: Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed | |
Judicial Branch: | |
| People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice presidents, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly) | |
Political Parties and Leaders: | |
| Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary] | |
Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: | |
| Human Rights Watch; National Association of Small Farmers | |
International Organization Participation: | |
| ACP, AOSIS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: | |
| None; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Jorge BOLANOS Suarez; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521 | |
Diplomatic Representation From the US: | |
| None; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Chief of Mission Jonathan D. FARRAR; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-1653; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland | |
Flag Description: | |
| Five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; the blue bands refer to the three old divisions of the island: central, occidental, and oriental; the white bands describe the purity of the independence ideal; the triangle symbolizes liberty, equality, and fraternity, while the red color stands for the blood shed in the independence struggle; the white star, called La Estrella Solitaria (the Lone Star) lights the way to freedom and was taken from the flag of Texas Note: design similar to the Puerto Rican flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed | |
National Anthem: | |
| Name: "La Bayamesa" (The Bayamo Song) Lyrics/music: Pedro FIGUEREDO Note: adopted 1940; Pedro FIGUEREDO first performed "La Bayamesa" in 1868 during the Ten Years War against the Spanish; a leading figure in the uprising, FIGUEREDO was captured in 1870 and executed in front of a firing squad; just prior to the fusillade he is reputed to have shouted, "Morir por la Patria es vivir" (To die for the country is to live), a line from the anthem | |
Economy - Overview: | |
| The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. The government announced it would eliminate 500,000 state jobs by March 2011 and has expanded opportunities for self-employment. President Raul CASTRO said such changes were needed to update the economic model to ensure the survival of socialism. The government has introduced limited reforms, some initially implemented in the 1990s, to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. Since late 2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it currently supplies about 100,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela including some 30,000 medical professionals. | |
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): | |
| $114.1 billion (2010 est.) $112.4 billion (2009 est.) $110.8 billion (2008 est.) Note: data are in 2010 US dollars | |
GDP (Official Exchange Rate): | |
| $57.49 billion (2010 est.) | |
GDP - Real Growth Rate: | |
| 1.5% (2010 est.) 1.4% (2009 est.) 4.1% (2008 est.) | |
GDP - Per Capita (PPP): | |
| $9,900 (2010 est.) $9,800 (2009 est.) $9,700 (2008 est.) Note: data are in 2010 US dollars | |
GDP - Composition By Sector: | |
| Agriculture: 4% Industry: 20.9% Services: 74.2% (2010 est.) | |
Labor Force: | |
| 5.147 million Note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2010 est.) | |
Labor Force - By Occupation: | |
| Agriculture: 20% Industry: 19.4% Services: 60.6% (2005) | |
Unemployment Rate: | |
| 1.6% (2010 est.) 1.7% (2009 est.) | |
Population Below Poverty Line: | |
| NA% | |
Household Income / Consumption By Share: | |
| Lowest 10%: NA% Highest 10%: NA% | |
Investment (Gross Fixed): | |
| 10.3% of GDP (2010 est.) | |
Budget: | |
| Revenues: $46.14 billion Expenditures: $48.61 billion (2010 est.) | |
Taxes and Other Revenues: | |
| 80.3% of GDP (2010 est.) | |
Budget Surplus / Deficit: | |
| -4.3% of GDP (2010 est.) | |
Public Debt: | |
| 34.2% of GDP (2010 est.) 34.7% of GDP (2009 est.) | |
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices): | |
| 2.9% (2010 est.) 1.4% (2009 est.) | |
Central Bank Discount Rate: | |
| NA% | |
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate: | |
| NA% | |
Stock of Narrow Money: | |
| $11.63 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $11.74 billion (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Stock of Broad Money: | |
| $35.98 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $35.61 billion (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Agriculture - Products: | |
| Sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock | |
Industries: | |
| Sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals | |
Industrial Production Growth Rate: | |
| -2.7% (2010 est.) | |
Electricity - Production: | |
| 16.99 billion kWh (2008 est.) | |
Electricity - Production By Source: | |
| Fossil fuel: 93.9% Hydro: 0.6% Nuclear: 0% Other: 5.4% (2001) | |
Electricity - Consumption: | |
| 14.2 billion kWh (2008 est.) | |
Electricity - Exports: | |
| 0 kWh (2009 est.) | |
Electricity - Imports: | |
| 0 kWh (2009 est.) | |
Oil - Production: | |
| 53,690 bbl/day (2010 est.) | |
Oil - Consumption: | |
| 176,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) | |
Oil - Exports: | |
| 6,882 bbl/day (2009 est.) | |
Oil - Imports: | |
| 109,500 bbl/day (2009 est.) | |
Oil - Proven Reserves: | |
| 124 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Production: | |
| 1.16 billion cu m (2009 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Consumption: | |
| 1.16 billion cu m (2009 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Exports: | |
| 0 cu m (2009 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Imports: | |
| 0 cu m (2009 est.) | |
Natural Gas - Proven Reserves: | |
| 70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) | |
Current Account Balance: | |
| $201.4 million (2010 est.) $538.9 million (2009 est.) | |
Exports: | |
| $3.816 billion (2010 est.) $2.879 billion (2009 est.) | |
Exports - Commodities: | |
| Sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee | |
Exports - Partners: | |
| China 25.5%, Canada 23.3%, Venezuela 10%, Spain 5.6% (2010) | |
Imports: | |
| $10.41 billion (2010 est.) $8.91 billion (2009 est.) | |
Imports - Commodities: | |
| Petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals | |
Imports - Partners: | |
| Venezuela 35.2%, China 11.7%, Spain 8.5%, Brazil 4.6%, Canada 4.2%, US 4.1% (2010) | |
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold: | |
| $4.847 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $4.647 billion (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Debt - External: | |
| $19.75 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $19.42 billion (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment - Abroad: | |
| $4.138 billion (2006 est.) | |
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment - At Home: | |
| $NA (31 December 2009 est.) | |
Exchange Rates: | |
| Convert Cuban Peso to Any Currency Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar - | |
Telephones - Main Lines In Use: | |
| 1.164 million (2010) | |
Telephones - Cellular: | |
| 1.003 million (2010) | |
Telephone System: | |
| General assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of switches digitized by end of 2006; mobile-cellular telephone service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos, which effectively limits subscribership Domestic: fixed-line density remains low at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; mobile-cellular service expanding but remains less than 5 per 100 persons International: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) (2009) | |
Broadcast Media: | |
| Government owns and controls all broadcast media with private ownership of electronic media prohibited; government operates 4 national TV networks and many local TV stations; government operates 6 national radio networks, an international station, and many local radio stations; Radio-TV Marti is beamed from the US (2007) | |
Radio Broadcast Stations: | |
| AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998) | |
Television Broadcast Stations: | |
| 58 (1997) | |
Internet Country Code: | |
| .cu | |
Internet Hosts: | |
| 3,025 (2010) | |
Internet Users: | |
| 1.606 million Note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet" (2009) | |
Airports: | |
| 136 (2010) | |
Airports - With Paved Runways: | |
| Total: 65 Over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 5 Under 914 m: 27 (2010) | |
Airports - With Unpaved Runways: | |
| Total: 71 914 to 1,523 m: 13 Under 914 m: 58 (2010) | |
Pipelines: | |
| Gas 41 km; oil 230 km (2010) | |
Railways: | |
| Total: 8,598 km Standard gauge: 8,322 km 1.435-m gauge (124 km electrified) Narrow gauge: 276 km 1.000-m gauge Note: 4,533 km of the track is used by sugar plantations; 4,257 km is standard gauge; 276 km is narrow gauge (2009) | |
Roadways: | |
| Total: 60,858 km Paved: 29,820 km (includes 638 km of expressway) Unpaved: 31,038 km (2001) | |
Waterways: | |
| 240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2010) | |
Merchant Marine: | |
| Total: 5 By type: cargo 2, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 2 Registered in other countries: 6 (Cyprus 1, former Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 4) (2010) | |
Ports and Terminals: | |
| Antilla, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Nuevitas Bay, Santiago de Cuba, Tanamo | |
Military Branches: | |
| Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR): Revolutionary Army (Ejercito Revolucionario, ER, includes Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT)); Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR, includes Marine Corps); Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT) (2011) | |
Military Service Age and Obligation: | |
| 17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2006) | |
Manpower Available For Military Service: | |
| Males age 16-49: 2,998,201 Females age 16-49: 2,919,107 (2010 est.) | |
Manpower Fit For Military Service: | |
| Males age 16-49: 2,446,131 Females age 16-49: 2,375,590 (2010 est.) | |
Manpower Reaching Militarily Significant Age Annually: | |
| Male: 72,823 Female: 69,108 (2010 est.) | |
Military Expenditures: | |
| 3.8% of GDP (2006 est.) | |
Military - Note: | |
| The collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban military of its major economic and logistic support and had a significant impact on the state of Cuban equipment; the army remains well trained and professional in nature; while the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment has increasingly affected operational capabilities, Cuba remains able to offer considerable resistance to any regional power(2010) | |
Disputes - International: | |
| US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease | |
Illicit Drugs: | |
| Territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 (2008) | |
Trafficking in Persons: | |
| Current situation: Cuba is a source country for adults and some children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; prostitution of children reportedly occurs in Cuba as prostitution is not criminalized for anyone above 16 years old; the scope of trafficking within Cuba is particularly difficult to gauge due to the closed nature of the government and sparse non-governmental or independent reporting Tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government did not publicize information about government measures to address human trafficking through prosecution, protection, or prevention efforts during the reporting period (2011) | |
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