Map of Cuba | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959, and his guiding vision has defined Cuba's Communist revolution while his iron will has held the country together for more than four decades. CASTRO brought Cuba onto the world stage by inviting Soviet support in the 1960s, inciting revolutionary movements throughout Latin America and Africa in the 1970s, and sending his army to fight in Angola in the 1980s. At home, Havana provided Cubans with high levels of healthcare, education, and social security while suppressing the Roman Catholic Church and arresting political dissidents. Cuba is slowly recovering from severe economic recession following the withdrawal of former-Soviet subsidies, worth $4billion-$6 billion per year, in 1990.


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Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida

Geographic coordinates: 21 30 N, 80 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 110,860 km²
Land: 110,860 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 29 km
Border countries: (1) US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
Note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba

Coastline: 3,735 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 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
Extremes highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m

Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica, petroleum

Land use
Arable land: 24%
Permanent crops: 7%
Permanent pastures: 27%
Forests and woodland: 24%
Other: 18% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 9,100 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year; droughts are common

Geography
Note: largest country in Caribbean


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Population: 11,050,729 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 0.42% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Cuban(s)
Adjective: Cuban

Ethnic groups: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%

Languages: Spanish

Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 85% prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 22% (male 1,247,339; female 1,182,612)
15-64 years: 69% (male 3,795,310; female 3,777,454)
65 years and over: 9% (male 490,883; female 557,131) (July 1998 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.42% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 13.13 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 7.35 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.53 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: pollution of Havana Bay; overhunting threatens wildlife populations; deforestation
International agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

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: 0.88 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.89 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.64 years
Male: 73.29 years
Female: 78.13 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95.7%
Male: 96.2%
Female: 95.3% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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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: Havana

Administrative divisions: 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

Dependent areas

Independence: 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902)

National holiday: Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953; Liberation Day, 1 January (1959)

Constitution: 24 February 1976

Legal system: based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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: ead 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); note_the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly
Note: there is also a Council of State whose members are elected by the National Assembly
Elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 24 February 1998 (next to be held NA)
Election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of legislative vote_NA; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote_NA

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (601 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 11 January 1998 (next to be held NA 2003)
Election results: percent of vote_NA; seats_PCC 601

Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular), president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none
In the us note: Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy headed by Principal Officer Fernando REMIREZ DE ESTENOZ
In the us address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2,630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009;
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-8,518
From the us: none
From the us note: The US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy headed by Principal Officer Michael G. KOZAK
From the us address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado Seccion, Havana;
From the us telephone: 33-3,551 through 3,559 and 33-3,543 through 3,547 (operator assistance required);
From the us fax: 33-3,700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland

Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white five-pointed star in the center

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The state plays the primary role in the economy and controls practically all foreign trade. The government has undertaken several reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase labor incentives, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The liberalized agricultural markets introduced in October 1994, at which state and private farmers sell above-quota production at unrestricted prices, have broadened legal consumption alternatives and reduced black market prices. Government efforts to lower subsidies to unprofitable enterprises and to shrink the money supply caused the semi-official exchange rate for the Cuban peso to move from a peak of 120 to the dollar in the summer of 1994 to 23 to the dollar by yearend 1997. New taxes introduced in 1996 helped drive down the number of self-employed workers from 208,000 in January 1996 to 176,000 by September 1997. Havana announced in 1995 that GDP declined by 35% during 1989-93, the result of lost Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The drop in GDP apparently halted in 1994, when Cuba reported 0.7% growth, followed by increases of 2.5% in 1995 and 7.8% in 1996. Growth slowed again in 1997, to 2.5%, in part due to a poor sugar harvest. Export earnings declined 3% in 1997, to $1.9 billion, the result of lower sugar export volume and lower world prices for nickel and sugar. Imports remained unchanged in 1997 at $3.2 billion. Tourism plays a key role in foreign currency earnings. The disparity between those at the top of the ladder and those at the bottom has increased markedly in the past 10 years. Living standards for the average Cuban remain at a depressed level compared with 1990.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.5% (1997 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,540 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7.6%
Industry: 34.8%
Services: 57.6% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: sugarcane, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes and other tubers, beans; livestock

Industries: sugar, petroleum, food, tobacco, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals (particularly nickel), cement, fertilizers, consumer goods, agricultural machinery

Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1995 est.)

Labor force
Total: 4.5 million economically active population (1996 est.)
By occupation services and government: 30%
By occupation industry: 22%
By occupation agriculture: 20%
By occupation commerce: 11%
By occupation construction: 10%
By occupation transportationandcommunications: 7% (June1990)
Note: state sector 76%, non-state sector 24% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8% (1996 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $N/A, including capital expenditures of $N/A

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: total value:$1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Commodoties: sugar, nickel, tobacco, shellfish, medical products, citrus, coffee
Partners: Russia 18%, Netherlands 14% Canada 13% (1997 est.)

Imports: total value:$3.2 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals
Partners: Spain 14%, Russia 12%, Mexico 9% (1997 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $10.5 billion (convertible currency, 1996; another $20 billion owed to Russia (1996)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1: 1.0000 (non-convertible, official rate, linked to the US dollar)


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Electricity
Capacity: 3.988 million kW (1995)
Production: 10.105 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 924 kWh (1995)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 229,000

Telephone system: among the world's least developed telephone systems
Domestic: NA
International: satellite earth station_1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: roughly 4% (1995 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 171 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 77
With paved runways over 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With paved runways under 914 m: 36 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 94
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 33
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 61 (1997 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 4,677 km
Standard gauge: 4,677 km 1.435-m gauge (132 km electrified)
Note: a large amount of track is in private use by sugar plantations

Roadways

Waterways: 240 km

Merchant marine
Total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 91,981 GRT/126,416 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 9, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 6
Note: Cuba owns an additional 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 463,155 DWT operating under the registries of Panama, Cyprus, Malta, and Belize (1997 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: territory serves as lesser transshipment zone for cocaine bound for the US