Background: 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. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's Communist revolution with Soviet support was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s 1970s and 1980s. The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo in place since 1961 as the source if its difficulties. 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 some 1000 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2011.

Geographic coordinates: 21 30 N 80 00 W

Area
Rank: 106
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Coastline: 3,735 km

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

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

Irrigated land: 8,700 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 38.1 km³ (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

Geography
Note: largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

Population: 11,075,244 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 74
Growth rate: -0.115% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 202
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Population growth rate: -0.115% (2012 est.)
Rank: 202

Birth rate: 9.96 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 197

Death rate: 7.52 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 114

Net migration rate: -3.59 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 185

Environment
Current issues: air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 182

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 60

Total fertility rate: 1.45 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 194

Physicians density: 6.399 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 5.9 beds/1000 population (2009)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 119
People living with hivaids: 7,100 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 111
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 142

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 11.8% (2002)
Rank: 50

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.9% (2000)
Rank: 95

Education expenditures: 13.6% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 2

Government type: Communist state

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

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)

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 [Raul CASTRO Ruz first secretary]

International organization participation: ACP ALBA AOSIS CELAC FAO G-77 IAEA ICAO ICC (national committees) 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 UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO Union Latina UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) 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 2,630 16th Street NW Washington DC 20,009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8,518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8,521
From the us: none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy headed by Chief of Mission John P. CAULFIELD; address: USINT Swiss Embassy Calzada between L and M Streets Vedado Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3,551 through 3,559 (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

Economy overview: The government continues to balance the need for loosening its socialist economic system against a desire for firm political control. The government in April 2011 held the first Cuban Communist Party Congress in almost 13 years during which leaders approved a plan for wide-ranging economic changes. President Raul CASTRO said such changes were needed to update the economic model to ensure the survival of socialism. The government has expanded opportunities for self employment and has introduced limited reforms some initially implemented in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food consumer goods services and housing. 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 over 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

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 68

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 151

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 114

Agriculture products: sugar tobacco citrus coffee rice potatoes beans; livestock

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 94

Labor force: 5.18 million
Rank: 73

Unemployment rate: 3.2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 31

Population below poverty line: NA%

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -4.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 146

Taxes and other revenues: 80.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 1

Public debt: 35.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 101

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.7% (2011 est.)
Rank: 148

Central bank discount rate: NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA%

Stock of narrow money: $11.1 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 75

Stock of broad money: $34.77 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 75

Stock of domestic credit: $N/A

Current account balance: -$159.7 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 52

Exports: $6.041 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 105
Commodities: sugar nickel tobacco fish medical products citrus coffee
Partners: China 24.8% Canada 21.5% Venezuela 7.1% Netherlands 7.1% Spain 6.5% (2011)

Imports: $13.96 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 89
Commodities: petroleum food machinery and equipment chemicals
Partners: Venezuela 37.4% China 9.8% Spain 8.4% Brazil 5.2% Canada 4.4% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.147 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 90

Debt external: $21.52 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 78

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $4.138 billion (2006 est.)
Rank: 64

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 16.88 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 77
Consumption: 14.65 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 77
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 183
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 175
Installed generating capacity: 5.522 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 72
Generation sources fossil fuels: 98.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 60
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 72
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 142
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 94

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 55,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 57
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 99
Crude oil imports: 46,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 57
Crude oil proven reserves: 181.5 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 64

Refined petroleum
Products production: 105,200 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 72
Products consumption: 171,500 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 63
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 168
Products imports: 23,800 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 99

Natural gas
Production: 1.15 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 64
Consumption: 1.15 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 89
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 182
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 182
Proven reserves: 70.79 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 60

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 34.46 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 75

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.193 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 70
Mobile cellular: 1.315 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 149

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)

Internet
Country code: .cu
Hosts: 3,244 (2012)
Hosts rank: 154
Users: 1.606 million
Users rank: 79

Military expenditures: 3.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Rank: 28

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)

Airports: 136 (2012)
Rank: 42

Pipelines: gas 41 km; oil 230 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 24

Roadways
Rank: 72

Waterways: 240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2011)
Rank: 95

Merchant marine
Rank: 135

Ports and terminals: Antilla Cienfuegos Guantanamo Havana Matanzas Mariel Nuevitas Bay Santiago de Cuba Tanamo

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)