Map of Cuba | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


Background: Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron will has held the country together since. Cuba's communist revolution with Soviet support was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s 70s and 80s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually in 1990. Havana blames its difficulties on the US embargo in place since 1962.


top of page


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
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries

Coastline: 3,735 km

Maritime claims

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

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

Land use

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


top of page


Population: 11,141,997 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.39% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

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

Languages: Spanish

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.39% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 12.68 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 7.31 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.52 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: pollution of Havana Bay; overhunting threatens wildlife populations; deforestation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.51 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2000 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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name

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 amended July 1992

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

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)

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

Political parties and leaders: only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz first secretary]

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

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


top of page


Economy overview: The state under the durable dictatorship of Fidel CASTRO plays the primary role in the domestic 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 21 to the dollar by yearend 1999. New taxes introduced in 1996 have helped drive down the number of self-employed workers from 208,000 in January 1996. 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 and 1998 to 2.5% and 1.2% respectively. Growth recovered again in 1999 with a 6.2% increase in GDP due to the continued growth of tourism. Central control is complicated by the existence of the informal economy much of which is denominated in dollars. Living standards for the average (dollarless) Cuban remain at a depressed level compared with 1990. The continuation of gradual economic reforms and increase in tourism suggest growth of 4% to 5% in 2000.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 6.2% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1700 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: sugarcane tobacco citrus coffee rice potatoes 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: 4.5 million economically active population
By occupation agriculture: 23%
By occupation industry: 24%
By occupation services: 53%

Unemployment rate: 6% (December 1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.3% (1999 est.)

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: $1.4 billion (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: sugar nickel tobacco shellfish medical products citrus coffee
Partners: Russia 25% Netherlands 23% Canada 16% (1999 est.)

Imports: $3.2 billion (c.i.f. 1999 est.)
Commodities: petroleum food machinery chemicals
Partners: Spain 16% Venezuela 15% Mexico 7% (1999 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $11.2 billion (convertible currency 1998); another $20 billion owed to Russia (1998)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

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


top of page


Electricity
Production: 15.274 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 14.205 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Main lines in use: 353,000 (1995)
Mobile cellular: 1939 (1995)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 1 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $N/A
Percent of gdp: roughly 4% (FY95 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 170 (1999 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 240 km

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


top of page


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: territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for cocaine bound for the US and Europe; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999