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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
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Background:
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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, marked initially by neglect, became
increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and occasional
rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the
Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The
subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted
in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army
to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then.
Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout
Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is
now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following
the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion
annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in
place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien
smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing
problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 2,712 individuals attempting to
cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2005. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island between the
Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West,
Florida |
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Geographic coordinates:
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21 30 N, 80 00 W |
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Map references:
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Central America and the
Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 110,860 sq km
land: 110,860 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than
Pennsylvania |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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3,735 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical; moderated by trade
winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) |
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Terrain:
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mostly flat to rolling
plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m |
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Natural resources:
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cobalt, nickel, iron ore,
chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 27.63%
permanent crops: 6.54%
other: 65.83% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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8,700 sq km (2003) |
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Natural hazards:
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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 |
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Environment - current issues:
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air and water pollution;
biodiversity loss; deforestation |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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largest country in Caribbean
and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles |
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Population:
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11,382,820 (July 2006 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 19.1%
(male 1,117,677/female 1,058,512)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 4,001,161/female 3,999,303)
65 years and over: 10.6% (male 554,148/female 652,019) (2006 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 35.9 years
male: 35.2 years
female: 36.5 years (2006 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.31% (2006 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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11.89 births/1,000 population
(2006 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.22 deaths/1,000 population
(2006 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.57 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2006 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 6.22
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population:
77.41 years
male: 75.11 years
female: 79.85 years (2006 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.66 children born/woman
(2006 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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3,300 (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 200 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Cuban(s)
adjective: Cuban |
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Ethnic groups:
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mulatto 51%, white 37%, black
11%, Chinese 1% |
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Religions:
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nominally 85% Roman Catholic
prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and
Santeria are also represented |
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Languages:
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Spanish |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97.2%
female: 96.9% (2003 est.) |
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People - note:
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illicit migration 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 |
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Country name:
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conventional long form:
Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba
local short form: Cuba |
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Government type:
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Communist state |
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Capital:
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name: Havana
geographic coordinates: 23 08 N, 82 22 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October |
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Administrative divisions:
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14 provinces (provincias,
singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial);
Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma,
Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas,
Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara |
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Independence:
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20 May 1902 (from Spain 10
December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 10 December
(1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20
May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration; Rebellion Day,
26 July (1953) |
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Constitution:
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24 February 1976; amended
July 1992 and June 2002 |
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Legal system:
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based on Spanish and American
law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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16 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state:
President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers
Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976
when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice
President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of
Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); 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 Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February
1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2
December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice
President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December
1976)
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 term of five years; election last held 6 March 2003 (next to
be held in 2008)
election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of
legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of
legislative vote - 100% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly
of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected
directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609 |
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Judicial branch:
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People's Supreme Court or
Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are
elected by the National Assembly) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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only party - Cuban Communist
Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO,
ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU,
ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since
1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none; note - Cuba has an
Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Bernardo
GUANCHE Hernandez; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630
16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX:
[1] (202) 797-8521 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none; note - the US has an
Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Michael
E. PARMLY; 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) 833-3700; protecting power in Cuba is
Switzerland |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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The government continues to
balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political
control. It has rolled back limited reforms undertaken 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. The government in 2005
strengthened its controls over dollars coming into the economy from tourism,
remittances, and trade. External financing has helped growth in the mining,
oil, construction, and tourism sectors. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$40.06 billion (2005 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$39.51 billion |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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8% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$3,500 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 5.5%
industry: 26.1%
services: 68.4% (2005 est.) |
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Labor force:
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4.6 million
note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2005 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 21.2%
industry: 14.4%
services: 64.4% (2004) |
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Unemployment rate:
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1.9% (2005 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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7% (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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11.5% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $22.11
billion
expenditures: $23.65 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugar, tobacco, citrus,
coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock |
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Industries:
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sugar, petroleum, tobacco,
construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals
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Industrial production growth rate:
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5.1% (2005 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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15.65 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 93.9%
hydro: 0.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 5.4% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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13.27 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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72,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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205,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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532 million bbl (1 January
2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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704 million cu m (2004) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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704 million cu m (2004) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2004) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2004) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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70.79 billion cu m (1 January
2002) |
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Current account balance:
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$49 million (2005 est.) |
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Exports:
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$2.388 billion f.o.b. (2005
est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish,
medical products, citrus, coffee |
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Exports - partners:
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Netherlands 25.4%, Canada
20.7%, China 9.8%, Spain 6.8% (2005) |
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Imports:
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$6.916 billion f.o.b. (2005
est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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petroleum, food, machinery
and equipment, chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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China 14.9%, Spain 13.9%,
Canada 8.6%, US 8.5%, Germany 7.4%, Italy 5.7%, Mexico 5.2%, Japan 4.1%
(2005) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$2.618 billion (2005 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$12.56 billion (convertible
currency); another $15-20 billion owed to Russia (2005 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$68.2 million (1997 est.)
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Currency (code):
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Cuban peso (CUP) and
Convertible peso (CUC) |
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Currency code:
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CUP (nonconvertible Cuban
peso) and CUC (convertible Cuban peso) |
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Exchange rates:
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Convertible pesos per US
dollar - 0.93
note: Cuba has three currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP),
the convertible peso (CUC), and the US dollar (USD), although the dollar is
being withdrawn from circulation; in April 2005 the official exchange rate
changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1), both for
individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) for
each CUC sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC bought; enterprises,
however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1 ratio. |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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849,900 (2005) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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134,500 (2005) |
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Telephone system:
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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; wireless service is expensive and remains
restricted to foreigners and regime elites, many Cubans procure wireless
service illegally with the help of foreigners
domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 85% of
switches digitized by end of 2004; telephone line density remains low, at
less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular service expanding
international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not
linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic
Ocean region) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1
(1998) |
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Radios:
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3.9 million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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58 (1997) |
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Televisions:
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2.64 million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.cu |
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Internet hosts:
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2,234 (2006) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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5 (2001) |
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Internet users:
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190,000
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" (2005) |
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Airports:
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170 (2006) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 78
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 37 (2006) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 92
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 29
under 914 m: 62 (2006) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2006)
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Railways:
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total: 4,226 km
standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified)
note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations;
about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2005)
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Roadways:
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total: 60,858 km
paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)
unpaved: 31,038 km (1999) |
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Waterways:
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240 km (2005) |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 11 ships (1000
GRT or over) 33,932 GRT/48,791 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 17 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 2, Netherlands
Antilles 1, Panama 11, Spain 1, unknown 1) (2006) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas
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Military branches:
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Revolutionary Armed Forces
(FAR): Revolutionary Army (ER), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra
Revolucionaria, MGR), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR),
Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2005) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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17 years of age; both sexes
are eligible for military service (2004) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 17-49:
2,967,865
females age 17-49: 2,913,559 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 17-49:
2,441,927
females age 17-49: 2,396,741 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males age 18-49:
91,901
females: 87,500 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$694 million (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.8% (2005 est.) |
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Military - note:
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Moscow, for decades the key
military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by
1993 |
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Transnational Issues |
Cuba |
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Disputes - international:
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US Naval Base at Guantanamo
Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area
can terminate the lease |
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Trafficking in persons:
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current situation:
Cuba is a source country for women and children trafficked for the purposes
of sexual exploitation and forced child labor; Cuba is a major destination
for sex tourism, which largely caters to European, Canadian, and Latin
American tourists and involves large numbers of minors; there are reports
that Cuban women have been trafficked to Mexico for sexual exploitation;
forced labor victims also include children coerced into working in
commercial agriculture
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 |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 |
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This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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