Cuba

Cuba

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name República de Cuba/Republic of Cuba Area 110,860 sq km/42,803 sq mi Capital Havana Language Spanish (official) Religion Roman Catholic; also Episcopalians and Methodists Time difference GMT -5 Major holidays 1 January, 1 May, 25–26 July, 10 October


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Holguín, Guantánamo, Santa Clara, Bayamo, Cienfuegos Physical features comprises Cuba and smaller islands including Isle of Youth; low hills; Sierra Maestra mountains in southeast; Cuba has 3,380 km/2,100 mi of coastline, with deep bays, sandy beaches, coral islands and reefs Airports 11 international airports and ten domestic airports; total passengers carried: 611,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 14,331 km/8,905 mi, of which 9,638 km/5,989 mi used by sugar industry; total passenger journeys: 16.8 million (2002) Roads total road network: 60,858 km/37,817 mi, of which 49% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 15.6 per 1,000 people (1997 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Fidel Castro Ruz from 1959 Political system communist Political executive communist Administrative divisions 14 provinces and the special municipality of the Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud) Political party Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Marxist-Leninist Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 49,000; plus paramilitary forces of 26,500 (2006 est) Conscription compulsory for two years Defence spend (% GDP) 4 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 9 (2002 est) Health spend (% GDP) 6.3 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Cuban peso GDP (US$) 37.1 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 6 (2006 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 4,020 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 5.1% (2006 est) Unemployment 2% (2005 est) Labour force 21.2% agriculture, 19.4% industry, 59.6% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 14.5 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners the Netherlands, Venezuela, Spain, Canada, China, Italy Resources iron ore, copper, chromite, gold, manganese, nickel, cobalt, silver, salt Industries mining, textiles and footwear, cigarettes, cement, food processing (sugar and its by-products), fertilizers Exports nickel, sugar and sugar by-products, tobacco, citrus fruits, fish products. Principal market: the Netherlands 28.4% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, mineral fuels, foodstuffs, beverages. Principal source: Venezuela 27.7% (2005) Arable land 27.6% (2006 est) Agricultural products sugar cane (world's fourth-largest producer of sugar), potatoes, tobacco, rice, citrus fruits, plantains, bananas; forestry; fishing


POPULATION

Population 11,293,500 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.2% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 102 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 76 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 19%, 15–59 66%, 60+ 15% (2005 est) Ethnic groups predominantly of mixed Spanish and African or Spanish and American Indian origin Life expectancy 77 (men); 80 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 7 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 97% (men); 97% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 59.1 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 4.9 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <500 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 95 (urban); 78 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 7.5 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 1.2 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 185 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 267 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 3.4 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 1.7 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

3rd century AD The Ciboney, Cuba's earliest known inhabitants, were dislodged by the immigration of Taino, Arawak Indians from Venezuela. 1492 Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba and claimed it for Spain. 1511 Spanish settlement established at Baracoa by Diego Velazquez. 1523 Decline of American Indian population and rise of sugar plantations led to import of slaves from Africa. mid-19th century Cuba produced one-third of the world's sugar. 1868–78 Unsuccessful first war for independence from Spain. 1886 Slavery abolished. 1895–98 Further uprising against Spanish rule, led by José Martí, who died in combat; 200,000 soldiers deployed by Spain. 1898 USA defeated Spain in Spanish-American War; Spain gave up all claims to Cuba, which was ceded to the USA. 1901 Cuba achieved independence; Tomás Estrada Palma became first president of Republic of Cuba. 1906–09 Brief period of US administration after Estrada resigned in face of armed rebellion by political opponents. 1924–33 Gerado Machado established brutal dictatorship. 1925 Socialist Party founded, from which Communist Party later developed. 1933 Army sergeant Fulgencio Batista seized power. 1934 USA abandoned its right to intervene in Cuba's internal affairs. 1944 Batista retired and was succeeded by civilian Ramon Gray San Martin. 1952 Batista seized power again and began oppressive and corrupt regime. 1953 Fidel Castro Ruz led unsuccessful coup against Batista. 1956 Second unsuccessful coup by Castro. 1959 Batista overthrown by Castro and his 9,000-strong guerrilla army; constitution replaced by ‘Fundamental Law’, making Castro prime minister, his brother Raúl his deputy, and Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara third in command. 1960 All US businesses in Cuba appropriated without compensation; USA broke off diplomatic relations. 1961 USA sponsored unsuccessful invasion by Cuban exiles at Bay of Pigs. Castro announced that Cuba had become communist state with Marxist-Leninist programme of economic development and allied with the USSR. 1962 Cuban missile crisis; Cuba expelled from Organization of American States; Castro tightened relations with USSR, which installed nuclear missiles in Cuba (subsequently removed at US insistence); US trade embargo imposed. 1965 Cuba's sole political party renamed Cuban Communist Party (PCC). With Soviet aid, Cuba began to make considerable economic and social progress. 1972 Cuba became full member of Moscow-based Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON). 1976 New socialist constitution approved; Castro elected president. 1976–81 Castro became involved in extensive international commitments, sending troops as Soviet surrogates, particularly to Africa. 1982 Cuba joined other Latin American countries in giving moral support to Argentina in its dispute with Britain over the Falklands. 1984 Castro tried to improve US–Cuban relations by discussing exchange of US prisoners in Cuba for Cuban ‘undesirables’ in the USA. 1988 Peace accord with South Africa signed, agreeing to withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola. 1991 Soviet troops withdrawn with collapse of USSR. 1993 US trade embargo tightened; market-oriented reforms introduced in face of deteriorating economy. 1994 Refugee exodus; US policy on Cuban asylum seekers revised. 1998 Castro confirmed as president for further five-year term. 1999 Immigration dispute with USA; Cuba demanded return of illegal immigrants; condemned use of US justice system on such matters. 2000 Trade talks cancelled with European Union (EU) officials after EU countries voted in UN committee to condemn Cuba's human rights record. USA eased 40-year-old economic embargo of Cuba, allowing exports of food and medicine. 2003 In elections, all 601 candidates nominated by the PCC elected unopposed; Castro re-elected as leader for sixth term. Heavy crackdown on dissidents drew international condemnation. 2004 US sanctions extended to restrict family visits between the two countries and cash transfers from expatriates; Castro announced ban on transactions in US dollars, imposing 10% tax on dollar–peso conversions. 2005 Cuba resumed diplomatic ties with EU, cut off in 2003. In first such gathering since 1959 revolution, around 200 dissidents met publicly. 2006 Castro hospitalized and underwent gastric surgery; control of government temporarily handed over to his brother, Raul. 2007 Speculation about Castro's future mounted as he repeatedly failed to appear at important national events, and underwent several other operations.


© RM 2012. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.