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Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the country together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Havana portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, or falsified visas - is a continuing problem. Some 2,600 Cubans attempted the crossing of the Straits of Florida in 2001; the US Coast Guard apprehended only about 35% of the individuals.

[edit] Geography

Location 

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida

Geographic coordinates 

21 30 N, 80 00 W

Map references 

Central America and the Caribbean

Area 

total: 110,860 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 110,860 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries 

total: 29 km
border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba

Coastline 

3,735 km

Maritime claims 

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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 extremes 

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m

Natural resources 

cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land

Land use 

arable land: 33.04%
other: 59.35% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 7.61%

Irrigated land 

870 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards 

the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common

Environment - current issues 

air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation

Environment - international agreements 

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note 

largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

[edit] People

Population 

11,224,321 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 20.6% (male 1,188,125; female 1,125,743)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,902,162; female 3,880,531)
65 years and over: 10.1% (male 520,849; female 606,911) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.35% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

12.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-1.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

7.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 76.6 years
female: 79.15 years (2002 est.)
male: 74.2 years

Total fertility rate 

1.6 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

0.03% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

2,800 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

120 (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Cuban(s)
adjective: Cuban

Ethnic groups 

mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%

Religions 

nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented

Languages 

Spanish

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
male: 96.2%
female: 95.3% (1995 est.)
total population: 95.7%

People - note 

illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; some 3,000 Cubans took to the Straits of Florida in 2001; the US Coast Guard interdicted about 25% of these migrants; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US; some 2,400 Cubans arrived overland via the southwest border and direct flights to Miami in 2000

[edit] Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba

Government type 

Communist state

Capital 

Havana

Administrative divisions 

14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, 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)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration

Constitution 

24 February 1976, amended July 1992

Legal system 

based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage 

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch 

chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly; note - there is also a Council of State whose members are elected by the National Assembly
head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch 

unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609

Judicial branch 

People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders 

only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders 

NA

International organization participation 

CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Dagoberto RODRIGUEZ Barrera (since August 2001); address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518

Diplomatic representation from the US 

none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer James C. CASON; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado Seccion, Havana; telephone: 33-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: 33-3700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland

Flag description 

five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; design influenced by the US flag

[edit] Economy

Economy - overview 

The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a concern for firm political control. It has undertaken limited reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase enterprise efficiency, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services, but is unlikely to implement extensive changes. A major feature of the economy is the dichotomy between relatively efficient export enclaves and inefficient domestic sectors. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the severe economic depression of the early 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. High oil prices, recessions in key export markets, and damage from Hurricane Michelle hampered growth in 2001. Cuba paid high prices for oil imports in the face of slumping prices in the key sugar and nickel industries and suffered a slowdown in tourist arrivals following September 11. The government aimed for 3% growth in 2002, but growth was held back by hurricanes, depressed tourism, and faltering world economic conditions, including low world sugar prices and a shortage of external financing.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $25.9 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

0% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 8%
industry: 35%
services: 58%

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

7.1% (2002 est.)

Labor force 

4.3 million
note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (1999) (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation 

agriculture 24%, industry 25%, services 51% (1999) (1999)

Unemployment rate 

4.1% (2001 est.)

Budget 

revenues: $14.9 billion
expenditures: $15.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.)

Industries 

sugar, petroleum, tobacco, chemicals, construction, services, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, biotechnology

Industrial production growth rate 

0.2% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production 

14.87 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 95%
hydro: 0%
other: 5% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

13.829 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock

Exports 

$1.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities 

sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee

Exports - partners 

Netherlands 22.4%, Russia 13.3%, Canada 13.3%, Spain 7.3%, China 6.2% (2001)

Imports 

$4.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities 

petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners 

Spain 12.7%, France 6.5%, Canada 5.7%, China 5.3%, Italy 5.0% (2001)

Debt - external 

$12.3 billion (convertible currency, 2000 est.); another $15 billion -$20 billion owed to Russia (2001) (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient 

$68.2 million (1997 est.)

Currency 

Cuban peso (CUP)

Currency code 

CUP

Exchange rates 

Cuban pesos per US dollar - 1.0000 (nonconvertible, official rate, for international transactions, pegged to the US dollar); convertible peso sold for domestic use at a rate of 1.00 US dollar per 27 pesos by the Government of Cuba (January 2002)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

473,031 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

2,994 (1997)

Telephone system 

general assessment: NA
domestic: principal trunk system, end to end of country, is coaxial cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la Juventud; 2 microwave radio relay installations (one is old, US-built; the other newer, built during the period of Soviet support); both analog and digital mobile cellular service established
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios 

3.9 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

58 (1997)

Televisions 

2.64 million (1997)

Internet country code 

.cu

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

5 (2001)

Internet users 

120,000 (2002)

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

total: 4,807 km
standard gauge: 4,807 km 1.435-m gauge, in public use (147 km electrified)
note: in addition to the 4,807 km of standard-gauge track in public use, 7,162 km of track is in private use by sugar plantations; about 90% of the private use track is standard gauge and the rest is narrow gauge (2000 est.)

Highways 

total: 60,858 km
paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)
unpaved: 31,038 km (1997)

Waterways 

240 km

Ports and harbors 

Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba

Merchant marine 

total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,187 GRT/63,416 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 6, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 (2002 est.)

Airports 

172 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 78
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 36 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 94
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 64 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) including Ground Forces, Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Militia Troops (MTT), and Youth Labor Army (EJT); note - the Border Guard Troops (TGF) are controlled by the Interior Ministry

Military manpower - military age 

17 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 3,102,312
females age 15-49: 3,036,549 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 1,915,586
females age 15-49: 1,869,867 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually 

males: 86,632
females: 79,562 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

roughly 4% (FY95 est.)

Military - note 

Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease

Illicit drugs 

territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for cocaine and heroin bound for the US and Europe; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999

US Embargo & Travel by US citizens to the Island 

In 1963, the Kennedy administration in the US made travel to Cuba and financial and commercial transactions with Cuba illegal for U.S. citizens. (See <http://www.cubatravelusa.com/history_of_cuban_embargo.htm for a timeline.>) Both are still in effect, despite the fact that the UN and the US House of Representatives consistently call for an end to these policies.

In June 2004, the Bush Administration ratcheted up restrictions on US-Cuba relations through a new set of repressive and short-sighted policies. Five Cuban-American groups in Miami, including the Antonio Maceo Brigade and the Alianza Martiana, have asserted that the new restrictions on travel and money remittances to Cuba will hurt their relatives on the island—not the Cuban government, the supposed target of the new policies. Andrés Gómez of the Antonio Maceo Brigade called the new policy “a violation of civil rights." As the Latin America Working Group has pointed out, the new restrictions “will only serve to increase tensions between the two nations, heightening fears of forcible regime change among the Cuban people.” Colin Powell's key aide has described US sanctions policy against countries such as Cuba as "the dumbest policy on the face of the Earth.” Condoleeza Rice reconvened the President’s Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba in April 2006, and new, tighter restrictions are expected in early May 2006.

What follows are some of the key changes mandated by the June 2004 policy, which severely limit the rights of Cubans and Cuban-Americans in the US to visit and send money to their families on the island and seriously undermine Cuba’s right to self-determination.

See table at http://www.madre.org/articles/lac/newcubapolicies.html

Context Family Travel: While the cruelty of the restriction on the amount of baggage travelers can carry with them to Cuba may not be immediately obvious, it is actually one of the harshest pieces of the new policy. Most people visiting family in Cuba routinely bring several large bags with them, weighing 100 pounds each or more and bearing urgently needed items such as medicines, toys, and clothing. This will be impossible under the new guidelines, limiting families’ ability to share gifts with their loved ones and denying Cubans essential goods that are unavailable in Cuba or impossible to buy with the average Cuban salary.

Family Remittances: Remittances from Cubans and Cuban-Americans in the US to their relatives in Cuba currently total $800 million a year and are essential for many Cubans, who receive free health care, education, and housing but still lack money for necessities such as medicine, due in part to the US embargo.

Academic Programs: Programs shorter than one semester are now only permitted if they “directly support US foreign policy goals."

Educational Travel: All US organizations that had information-gathering or people-to-people licenses have lost their licenses over the past few months or have been issued restricted licenses that permit only staff or paid consultants of the organization to travel to Cuba for work related to the organization. These restrictions severely reduce the number of people who can travel legally to Cuba and limit essential, enriching contact that builds bridges between Cubans and people from the US. Additional new US policies/activities enacted by the Bush Administration in 2004 include:

Influence International Opinion and Action

   * Promote the image of Cuba as a country harboring international terrorists, committing espionage against the U.S. and other nations, inflicting human rights abuses, and undermining democratically elected governments in Latin America as part of a broader effort to discourage tourist travel and paint a negative picture of Cuba.
   * Fund and promote international or third-country national conferences to disseminate information abroad about U.S. policies on “transition planning efforts” related to Cuba. Deter foreign investment in Cuba's confiscated properties. This is the land which Cuban-American expatriates left behind but still claim as their own, despite the fact that it was claimed by the Cuban government after the Revolution for public use.
   * Support "Pro-democracy" movement (i.e., forces trying to undermine the Cuban Revolution) within Cuba
   * Make available an additional $29 million (to augment the current Cuba program budget of $7 million) to the State Department, USAID, and other appropriate US government agencies for measures (detailed in the report) that will aid the training, development, and empowerment of a Cuban “democratic opposition and civil society."

Transmissions of Radio and TV Broadcasts

   * Spend $59 million over the next two years to help “promote a democratic Cuba”, including $18 million to evade Cuba's jamming of Radio and TV Marti, US government broadcast operations “tailored for Cuban audiences”. Cuba has successfully jammed those broadcasts for the past 14 years.
   * Cuban Ambassador Orlando Requeijo Gual called Bush's proposal to deploy a C-130 military aircraft to broadcast near Cuban airspace "very dangerous".

What is the President’s Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba? The Commission states that its goals are: to empower Cuban civil society; to break the Cuban dictatorship's information blockade; to deny resources to the Cuban dictatorship; to illuminate the reality of Castro's Cuba; to encourage international efforts to support Cuban civil society and challenge the Castro regime; and to undermine the regime's “succession strategy”. Read more.

   * Read the full report of the President’s Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba (about 500 pages). They take comments on the report at Cubacommission@state.gov. For information on the Cuban government’s response to these new restrictions, see the Cuban government's official statement in response to the aggressive measures taken by Bush's administration.