Background: The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the arrival of 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 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 Spain in 1898 and, following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic 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 authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He handed off the presidency in February 2008 to 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. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office on 19 April 2018. DIAZ-CANEL was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party on 19 April 2021 following the retirement of Raul CASTRO, and continues to serve as both president and first secretary.

Geographic coordinates: 21 30 N, 80 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 110,860 km²
Land: 109,820 km²
Water: 1,040 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 28.5 km
Border countries: (1) US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 28.5 km
Note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba

Coastline: 3,735 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguouszone: 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
Highest point: Pico Turquino 1,974 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 108 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 60.3% (2018 est.)
Forest: 27.3% (2018 est.)
Other: 12.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 8,700 km² (2012)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 1.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 740 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 4.519 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 38.12 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

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
Distribution: large population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana: 11,008,112 (2022 est.)
Growth rate: -0.21% (2022 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Cuban(s)
Adjective: Cuban

Ethnic groups: White 64.1%, Mulatto or mixed 26.6%, Black 9.3% (2012 est.)
Note: data represent racial self-identification from Cuba's 2012 national census

Languages: Spanish (official)
Major language samples:

Religions: Christian 58.9%, folk religion 17.6%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, Muslim <1%, other <1%, none 23.2% (2020 est.)
Note: folk religions include religions of African origin, spiritualism, and others intermingled with Catholicism or Protestantism; data is estimative because no authoritative source on religious affiliation exists for Cuba

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.34% (male 929,927/female 877,035)
15-24 years: 11.81% (male 678,253/female 627,384)
25-54 years: 41.95% (male 2,335,680/female 2,303,793)
55-64 years: 14.11% (male 760,165/female 799,734)
65 years and over: 15.8% (male 794,743/female 952,348) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.9
Youth dependency ratio: 23.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 22.9
Potential support ratio: 4.4 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.1 years
Male: 40.2 years
Female: 43.8 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.21% (2022 est.)

Birth rate: 10.11 births/1000 population (2022 est.)

Death rate: 9.29 deaths/1000 population (2022 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.92 migrant(s)/1000 population (2022 est.)

Population distribution: large population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana

Urbanization
Urban population: 77.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 2.149 million HAVANA (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: soil degradation and desertification (brought on by poor farming techniques and natural disasters) are the main environmental problems; biodiversity loss; deforestation; air and water pollution
International agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 18.37 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 28.28 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 9.3 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 36 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.13 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.65 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.57 deaths/1000 live births (2022 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.64 years
Male: 77.29 years
Female: 82.14 years (2022 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.71 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 69% (2019)

Current health expenditure: 11.3% of GDP (2019)

Physicians density: 8.42 physicians/1000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 5.3 beds/1000 population (2017)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2021 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Vector borne diseases: dengue fever

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 24.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 4.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.77 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 2.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 17.9% (2020 est.)
Male: 25.5% (2020 est.)
Female: 10.3% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.4% (2019)

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.8%
Male: 99.9%
Female: 99.8% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 15 years (2021)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
Conventional short form: Cuba
Local long form: Republica de Cuba
Local short form: Cuba
Etymology: name derives from the Taino Indian designation for the island "coabana" meaning "great place"

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 second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lighting
Etymology: the sites of Spanish colonial cities often retained their original Taino names; Habana, the Spanish name for the city, may be based on the name of a local Taino chief, HABAGUANEX

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 (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest drafted 14 July 2018, approved by the National Assembly 22 December 2018, approved by referendum 24 February 2019
Amendments: proposed by the National Assembly of People’s Power; passage requires approval of at least two-thirds majority of the National Assembly membership; amendments to constitutional articles on the authorities of the National Assembly, Council of State, or any rights and duties in the constitution also require approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on the Cuban political, social, and economic system cannot be amended

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

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descentonly: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: unknown

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 19 April 2018); Vice President Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (since 10 October 2019)
Head of government: Prime Minister Manuel MARRERO Cruz (since 21 December 2019); Deputy Prime Ministers Ramiro VALDES Menendez, Ines Maria CHAPMAN Waugh, Jorge Luis TAPIA Fonseca, Alejandro GIL Fernandez, Ricardo CABRISAS Ruiz (since 21 December 2019), and Jorge Luis PERDOMO DI-LELLA (since 20 April 2021)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president and appointed by the National Assembly
Elections and appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (may be reelected for another 5-year term); election last held on 10 October 2019 (next to be held NA)
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (605 seats; (586 seats filled in 2021); members directly elected by absolute majority vote; members serve 5-year terms); note 1 - the National Candidature Commission submits a slate of approved candidates; to be elected, candidates must receive more than 50% of valid votes otherwise the seat remains vacant or the Council of State can declare another election; note 2 - in July 2019, the National Assembly passed a law which reduces the number of members from 605 to 474, effective with the 2023 general election
Elections: last held on 11 March 2018 (next to be held in early 2023)
Election results: Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed; composition (as of June 2021) - men 273, women 313, percent of women 53.4%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: People's Supreme Court (consists of court president, vice president, 41 professional justices, and NA lay judges); organization includes the State Council, criminal, civil, administrative, labor, crimes against the state, and military courts)
Judge selection and term of office: professional judges elected by the National Assembly are not subject to a specific term; lay judges nominated by workplace collectives and neighborhood associations and elected by municipal or provincial assemblies; lay judges appointed for 5-year terms and serve up to 30 days per year
Subordinate courts: People's Provincial Courts; People's Regional Courts; People's Courts

Political parties and leaders: Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez]

International organization participation: ACP, ALBA, AOSIS, CELAC, EAEU (observer), 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, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lianys TORRES RIVERA (since 14 January 2021)
In the us chancery: 2,630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-8,515 through 8,518
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 797-8,521
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Timothy ZUNIGA-BROWN (since 31 July 2020)
From the us embassy: Calzada between L & M Streets, Vedado, Havana
From the us mailing address: 3,200 Havana Place, Washington DC 20,521-3,200
From the us telephone: [53] (7) 839-4,100
From the us FAX: [53] (7) 839-4,247
From the us email address and website:

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 symbols: royal palm; national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem
Name: "La Bayamesa" (The Bayamo Song)
Lyrics and 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 by 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

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 9 (7 cultural, 2 natural)
Selected world heritage site locales:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2016 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2016 US dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 57% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 31.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 9.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 14.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -12.7% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4% (2017 est.)
Industry: 22.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 73.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar cane, cassava, vegetables, plantains, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, milk, pumpkins, mangoes/guavas, rice

Industries: petroleum, nickel, cobalt, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, construction, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, sugar

Industrial production growth rate: -1.2% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 4.691 million (2017 est.)
Note: state sector 72.3%, non-state sector 27.7%
By occupation agriculture: 18%
By occupation industry: 10%
By occupation services: 72% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Note: data are official rates; unofficial estimates are about double

Population below poverty line: NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Budget
Revenues: $54.52 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $64.64 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: $-10.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 58.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0.06% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: China 38%, Spain 11%, Netherlands 5%, Germany 5% (2019)
Commodities: cigars, raw sugar, nickel products, rum, zinc (2019)

Imports:
Partners: Spain 19%, China 15%, Italy 6%, Canada 5%, Russia 5%, United States 5%, Brazil 5% (2019)
Commodities: poultry meat, wheat, soybean products, corn, concentrated milk (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Installed generating capacity: 7.479 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 16,097,460,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission distribution losses: 3.429 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 95.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 2.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 4,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 4,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 38,400 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 164,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 48,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 124 million barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 104,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 24,190 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 52,750 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 976.023 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 976.023 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 70.792 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 16.478 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 28,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 14.636 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 1.814 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 32.785 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,502,230 (2020 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6,661,763 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 59 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media: government owns and controls all broadcast media: five national TV channels (Cubavision, Tele Rebelde, Multivision, Educational Channel 1 and 2), two international channels (Cubavision Internacional and Caribe), 16 regional TV stations, 6 national radio networks, and multiple regional stations; the Cuban Government beams over the Radio-TV Marti signal; although private ownership of electronic media is prohibited, several online independent news sites exist; those that are not openly critical of the government are often tolerated; the others are blocked by the government; there are no independent TV channels, but several outlets have created strong audiovisual content (El Toque, for example); a community of young Youtubers is also growing, mostly with channels about sports, technology and fashion; Christian denominations are creating original video content to distribute via social media (2019)

Internet
Country code: .cu
Users total: 8,381,696 (2020 est.)
Users percent of population: 74% (2020 est.)
Users 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"; issues relating to COVID-19 impact research into internet adoption, so actual internet user figures may be different than published numbers suggest

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 231,654 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR): Revolutionary Army (Ejercito Revolucionario, ER), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR, includes Marine Corps), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (Defensas Anti-Aereas y Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria, DAAFAR); Paramilitary forces: Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT), Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT), Civil Defense Force; Ministry of Interior: Border Guards, State Security, National Revolutionary Police (2022)

Military service age and obligation: 17-28 years of age for compulsory (men) and voluntary (men and women) military service; conscripts serve for two years (2022)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 18
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 560,754 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 17.76 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: CU

Airports
Total: 133 (2021)
With paved runways total: 64
With paved runways over 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 16
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 27 (2021)
With unpaved runways total: 69
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 58 (2021)

Pipelines: 41 km gas, 230 km oil (2013)

Railways
Total: 8,367 km (2017)
Standard gauge: 8,195 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge (124 km electrified)
Narrowgauge: 172 km (2017) 1.000-m gauge
Note: As of 2013, 70 km of standard gauge and 12 km of narrow gauge track were not for public use

Roadways
Total: 60,000 km (2015)
Paved: 20,000 km (2001)
Unpaved: 40,000 km (2001)

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

Merchant marine
Total: 59
By type: general cargo 12, oil tanker 7, other 40 (2021)

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Antilla, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Nuevitas Bay, Santiago de Cuba

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: Cuba is not a major consumer, producer, or transit point of illicit drugs; strict policing on smuggling, production and consumption; prescription drug abuse is increasing