Information
Country: CubaContinent: North America
Cuba, North America
Overview
Cuba, an island in the warm blue waters of the Caribbean, is famed for its vibrant history, lively culture, and weighty role in global politics.Here’s a closer look at Cuba-setting landmarks aside: it’s the largest island in the Caribbean, stretching across roughly 110,860 square kilometers, about the distance from one coast to the other lined with sugarcane fields swaying in the heat.It sits where the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean all come together, their waters blending in shifting shades of blue.Cuba’s climate is tropical, with heat that lingers in the air and humidity you can feel on your skin, and the rains roll in from May to October.The island lies mostly flat, but mountains rise in the east, while pockets of open plains and damp, grassy wetlands stretch across other parts.Cuba’s past is tangled and turbulent, marked by revolutions and the echo of drums in the streets.Indigenous groups, including the Taíno, once called it home, fishing its shores and tending its fields, until Spain claimed it in 1492.Spanish rule stretched on for almost four centuries, during which the island rose as a major sugar producer, its fields worked by enslaved Africans under the hot, relentless sun.In 1895, the Cuban War of Independence erupted, and three years later-after the gunfire and smoke of the Spanish-American War-Cuba finally broke free from Spain.The U. S. stepped into Cuba’s affairs, sending troops and holding the island under occupation until 1902.Cuba became a republic in 1902, yet U. S. influence lingered, fueled by American-owned shops on busy Havana streets and the island’s heavy dependence on sugar exports.In 1959, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and their allies swept into Havana and toppled U. S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.That moment marked the start of socialist rule in Cuba, as a communist government took hold-one that still governs the island, its red flags snapping in the Caribbean wind.In Cuba, a single party holds power-the Communist Party-its red flag flying over every government office.Power was tightly centralized, with Fidel Castro steering the nation from 1959 until 2008, when his brother Raúl took the helm.In recent years, Cuba has slowly opened parts of its economy, yet the government still holds a tight grip on daily life, from the headlines in the morning paper to classrooms and the ranks of the military.In 2018, Miguel Díaz-Canel took over from Raúl Castro as president, ending nearly sixty years of Castro leadership-a change as sharp as the snap of a flag in the Havana wind.Still, the Communist Party of Cuba holds a tight grip on the nation’s politics, deciding everything from election rules to who gets a seat in Parliament.Cuba’s economy is mostly run by the state, with key industries like tourism, healthcare, biotechnology, and the rich, earthy-scented tobacco trade.The government has tried to reform the economy, but Cuba still struggles under the weight of the decades-old U. S. embargo, which blocks trade and keeps foreign investors away.As a result, goods have grown scarce, and people now depend on aid from fellow socialist nations such as Venezuela, where crates of rice and cooking oil arrive by ship.Tourism is one of the rare bright spots in Cuba’s economy, especially since the U. S. eased travel rules and more Americans began strolling Havana’s sun‑warmed streets in recent years.Still, the tourism sector’s hitting roadblocks - crumbling roads in some towns and outdated facilities that beg for a modern touch.Farming-especially sugar, tobacco, and coffee-has long been at the heart of Cuba’s economy, from the rustle of cane fields to the scent of fresh coffee beans.In recent years, the country’s pushed to broaden its economy, pouring more resources into fields like biotechnology and healthcare.Cuban culture weaves together African drumbeats, Spanish traditions, and the deep roots of its indigenous past.In Cuba, music and dance pulse through daily life, from the upbeat sway of son to the quick steps of mambo, salsa, and cha-cha-cha-rhythms that have traveled the world.Cuban art, literature, and film weave together these cultural influences, often exploring revolution, identity, and social justice-like a mural splashed with bold reds and deep shadows.Cuba bursts with bold, passionate culture, especially in its music and dance-the thrum of drums and swirl of skirts spill into the streets.The island teems with musical talent, from the soaring voice of Celia Cruz to the timeless rhythms of the Buena Vista Social Club and the brilliant piano work of Chucho Valdés.Cuban food tells the story of the island’s mix of cultures, blending Spanish, African, and Caribbean flavors-like sweet plantains beside slow-roasted pork.You’ll often find rice, beans, pork, yuca-also called cassava-and sweet, golden plantains on the plate.The country’s rum is known around the world, smooth and amber in the glass, while its cigars remain among the most sought-after anywhere.In Cuba, education levels are high, and the state covers both schooling and healthcare-right down to the doctor who’ll check your blood pressure for free.Cuba’s literacy rate hovers near 100%, and the island has turned out countless doctors, engineers, and scientists-enough to fill entire university halls.Cuba takes great pride in its healthcare system, built on preventive medicine and care that reaches nearly everyone, even in the face of shortages and other economic strains.Cuba is home to about 11 million people, most of them of mixed heritage, their history woven from deep African rhythms and enduring Spanish traditions.A noticeable minority includes people of Chinese heritage and others with European roots, like families from Italy or France.Cuba’s social policies focus on equality, yet questions persist over political freedoms, human rights, and how dissidents are treated-some still speak of midnight knocks at the door.Reports describe tight limits on free speech, public gatherings, and press freedom, with the government keeping a firm grip on each-right down to deciding which headlines make it to print.Cuba’s roads, bridges, and buses are worn and outdated, the result of decades without real investment and the chokehold of the economic embargo.In big cities like Havana, most people get around by bus, taxi, or classic car-many of them faded, rumbling American models from decades past.Some parts of the island have only narrow, uneven roads, so air and sea routes play a key role in linking it to the rest of the world.Cuba takes real pride in its healthcare and schools, both considered among the nation’s finest accomplishments.Doctors and nurses from the country are a familiar sight abroad, especially in Latin America and Africa, where they work in busy clinics and rural outposts.In Cuba, schooling is free from the first day of primary class through university, and the country turns out a steady stream of doctors and engineers each year.Cuba’s ties with other nations have been shaped by its socialist government and its decades-long pushback against U. S. sway in the Caribbean, a tension felt from Havana’s busy docks to its quiet fishing villages.The U. S. embargo, enforced since 1960, has sharply restricted Cuba’s economic options, though efforts to mend ties-most notably under the Obama administration-led to looser rules on travel and trade, allowing more American visitors to stroll Havana’s sun‑worn streets.The island has stayed closely tied to other communist and leftist governments, especially in Latin America, trading ideas and support much like neighbors swapping fresh bread over a fence.It also backed several revolutionary movements worldwide, especially in Africa, where Cuban soldiers marched through the dust and fought beside Angolan forces in the civil war.Cuba’s location and mix of ecosystems give it remarkable biodiversity, from bright coral reefs offshore to dense mountain forests inland.The island teems with birds, reptiles, and plants, including a few found nowhere else-like a bright green lizard basking on sun‑warmed rock.Cuba’s dotted with national parks and protected lands, from quiet wetlands where herons stalk the shallows to bright coral reefs swaying under clear blue water.Still, Cuba wrestles with environmental problems, from eroding coastlines to litter scattered along its beaches.
