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Cuba, the largest Caribbean island, is a land of pleasant surprises and the gateway to some out of the world experiences. Tap your feats with the beats of mambo, Son or chachacha or simply blow rings with the famous Havana cigar - this is Cuba for you. Situated at the intersection point of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, the island nation of Cuba is part of the Greater Antilles. With all its ecological wonders and historical splendours, the country offers a breathtaking view of the serene beaches and archaeological findings. The tropical Island is spread over an area of roughly 750 miles and shelters more than 11,200,000 people, with most of them living in urban areas. The population count doubles during the events of the Casa de las Américas literary contest, the Havana International Ballet Festival, the Festival of New Latin American Cinema and the International Jazz Festival. These prestigious Cuban cultural events attract international celebrities from the fields of dance, music, theatre and other arts and huge number of tourists. Havana is the capital city of Cuba and also a renowned transit point for shipments. Other main Cuban cities and ports are located in the provinces of Cienfuegos, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas and Santiago de Cuba. The country’s official language is Spanish, though French and English are largely spoken too. Majority of the Cuban population adhere to Roman Catholicism.
Officially and politically, the formal identity of Republic of Cuba is a conglomeration of the main island of Cuba, the Isle of Youth and about 4,195 small islands and islets. The combined surface then stands at some 110,992 square kilometres and is characterised by diverse geographical conditions. The elongated island of Cuba is bounded to the north by the Straits of Florida and the greater North Atlantic Ocean, to the northwest by the Gulf of Mexico, to the west by the Yucatan Channel, to the south by the Caribbean Sea, and to the east by the Windward Passage. The off-the-shores neighbouring countries of Cuba include the United States of America, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Haiti, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. The narrow landscape of Cuba has its widest point at 210 kilometers and is narrowest at 32 kilometers. The Cuban terrain can be broadly categorised into countrywide rolling plains in contrast to the rising mountain ranges of south central and southeast part of the country. The mountain ranges include the Cordillera de los Organos to the West, the Sierra del Escambray in the central region and the Sierra Maestra to the East with the highest point of Pico Real del Turquino at 2,005 m. There topographical variations of Cuba are visible amidst the semi-desert and wet tropical forest regions in different parts of the country. Cuba’s weather condition is moderately subtropical and predominantly warm. The country’s two clearly defined seasons are the rainy season that stay from May to October and the dry season that scorches through November to April each year.
Palacio Cienfuegos
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Cuba, the Pearl of the Antilles and the Caribbean, is today one of the strongest den of Communism in the world. Since the New Year's Day of 1959 till date, the country is being led by the socialist regime of Fidel Castro and is constantly at loggerheads with the administration of United States of America. The Cuban journey began with primitive settlements of the indigenous Taíno and Ciboney tribes. But it was October 27, 1492, when Christopher Columbus discovered the Cuban archipelago during his initial voyage and the country landscape managed a space in the world map. The Spanish colonisation of the island begun in early decades of sixteenth century under the leadership of Diego Velázquez who led the Cuban townships of Baracoa, Bayamo, Santiago de Cuba, Santísima Trinidad, Sancti Spíritus, Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe (Camagüey) and San Cristóbal de La Habana (Havana). By this time the sugarcane industry of Cuba bloomed fully and large number of African slaves was brought into the country to support the agriculture. Four centuries of Spanish dominion came to an end with a movement initiated by writer and rebel organiser José Martí and military occupation by the United States in 1898. The U.S. occupation came to an end in 1902 but it continued to intervene in Cuban matters. The struggle for independence and subsequent dismantling of powers became regular affair including the ones of the president Gerardo Machado and Sergeant Batista. The most effective movement began on July 26, 1953 with the attack on the Moncada Garrison led by Fidel Castro. Castro’s arrival was initially welcomes by American authorities but the pro-Russian activities of the island nation drew flak from the U.S. government. Large scale Cuban immigration to United States of America and the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has remained the bone of contention between the two countries.
Old American Car in Old Habana |
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The economy of Cuba follows more of a socialist pattern with majority of state controlled organisations and some small-scale privatisation options. The Cuban financial structure was hit hard in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union, as it lost its biggest trading partner and the subsidies. High oil prices, damages from hurricanes and recessions in export markets further worsened the situation. However, it recovered gradually and tourism and sugar industry now stand as two pillars of the Cuban economy. Other major industries are tobacco, coffee, rum, honey, cocoa, citrus fruit, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, as well as construction materials, fishing and mining. Cuba has the world’s largest nickel deposits and also copper and magnesium mines.
The Communist Party of Cuba is the ultimate political structure and identity of the country. The country has a constitution that states that the President of the Council of State is considered to be the head of state, which Fidel Castro has been since 1959. The legislative members of the National Assembly of People’s Power are elected by general population of Cuba through secret ballot voting systems.
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