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República de Cuba
Motto: Patria y Libertad
(Spanish: Homeland and Freedom)
Anthem: La Bayamesa (The Bayamo Song)
Location of Cuba
Capital
and largest city
La Habana
Official languagesSpanish
GovernmentCommunist state
Independence
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2005 estimate
11,346,670 (70th)
• 2002 census
11,177,743
GDP (PPP)2004 estimate
• Total
$33.9 billion (89th)
• Per capita
$3,000 (128th)
CurrencyPeso (CUP)
Convertible peso 1 (CUC)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)
UTC-4 ((Starts April 1, end date varies))
Calling code53
ISO 3166 codeCU
Internet TLD.cu
1 1993–2004, the U.S. dollar was used in addition to the peso until the dollar was replaced by the convertible peso.
For other uses, see Cuba (disambiguation).

The Republic of Cuba consists of the island of Cuba (the largest of the Greater Antilles), the Isle of Youth and various adjacent small islands. The name of the island is derived from the Taino word "cubanacán", meaning a central place. It is located in the northern Caribbean at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north is found the United States, to the northeast the Bahamas, to the east the Turks and Caicos Islands, to the west Mexico, to the south the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, and to the southeast Haiti.

Portal Caribbean portal

History

Main article: History of Cuba
Before 1492 Cuba had been long settled by many once distinct peoples such as the Ciboney (pronounced with a soft C and also written Siboney)) [1] (Lalueza-Fox et al. Am. J. Phys. Anthro. 121(2) 97-108).) unified by the widespread seafaring polygamous, sexually open, commonly pacific and assimilating Taíno (Island Arawak) culture.  Rumors of Atlantean civilizations, although much touted by the present government [2], are not considered well founded.  These peoples lived in tidy towns and villages grouped into numerous principalities called Cacigazgos ruled by leaders called Caciques.  Although they wove cloth from cotton and other fibers, they commonly went naked or almost nude.  The Taíno, who were trading with the Maya, were transitioning out of the neolithic age and used some copper tools, copper alloys, and elaborately worked gold, but used ceramic and woven containers, shell and stone tools.  The Taíno had a settled and very diverse agriculture; but also fished and hunted with inventive devices notably using harpoons (arpón is a Taíno word) and tethered remora sucker fish, and made adroit use of natural products.  Complex beliefs included great mysticism and a complicated and variable pantheon of diverse gods and belief in an almost Ancient Greek style afterlife as ghost hupías.  They held complicated, but not lethal, batu ball games held in plazas called bateys, and in sacred ritual smoked tobacco said mixed with mild doses of dangerous hallucinogens (cohoba) [3].  Their swords macanas were stone tipped wood; and their atl-atl launched yaya spears, and weakly poisoned arrows tipped with stone or manta ray stingers so lethal against bare flesh, were useless against steel armor.

Cuba was first visited by Europeans when Christopher Columbus arrived on October 28, 1492. In 1511 Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar conquered the Island and became the first Spaniard to govern Cuba. These warlike invaders, thought of themselves as members of diverse Spanish kingdoms, and inherited the strategies and horsemanship from the ancient Romanized Iberians, Celts and Goths, and especially from 900 years of fighting successful wars against the North African Muslim Moors. Our knowledge of the Taíno comes from these invadors written language we know as Spanish, oral traditions and considerable archeological evidence.

File:Cuba modis.jpg
Cuba as seen from space

The Taínos (Island Arawak) were part of a cultural group commonly called the Arawak, which extends far into South America. The wide diffusion of this culture is witnessed even today by names of places in the New World; for example localities or rivers called Guamá (the Taíno name for Lonchocarpus domingens a leguminous tree, the designation of a chief, Guamá was also the name of famous Taíno who fought the Spanish) are found in Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil. The Arawaks incorporated readily into the successive invading groups and are now acculturated almost to the point of disappearance. Residues of Taíno poetry, songs, sculpture, and art are found today throughout the Antilles. The Arawak and other such cultural groups are responsible for the development of perhaps 60% of crops in common use today and some major industrial materials such as rubber. Taínos taught the Spanish to grow tobacco and make cigars.

Approximately 16 to 60 thousand or more, for some estimates are far higher, Taínos inhabited Cuba before colonization. During the Spanish subjugation the indigenous populations of Cuba were forced from their minor princedoms or Cazigazgos into encomiendas, where they were used for lethal gold mining forced labor. The daughters of the Caciques were considered nobility and became wives of Spanish leaders; other women were incorporated into hareems of the conquerors. Vasco de Porcaya, who married Taína Princess Taníma of Sagua, is reputed to also have three hundred such women for his pleasure; until after surviving the failure of the Ponce de Leon expedition to Florida he became a priest. Encomiendas included Guanabacoa, today a city near Havana, Jiguaní and Guisa in the east. Many Native Cubans died due to the brutality of Spanish conquistadores and the measles and smallpox etc that they brought with them, diseases previously unknown to Indians. On the other hand the introduction of smoking and most probably syphilis into Europe as a result of this contact caused uncounted deaths in Europe.

Shakespeare's character Caliban is taken by many to represent a Caribbean Shaman. Sir Walter Raleigh's execution is said witnessed by his Caribbean servant. A number of Taíno words, transliterated into Spanish, have found English usage; such words include canoe, savanna, and tobacco. By 1550, most indigenous civil organization had disappeared. Many Conquistadors intermarried with Indigenous women. Their children were called mestizo, but the Native Cubans called them Güajiro, which translates as "one of us". Yet today, some descendants maintain their heritage. Population recovery, albeit mixed of the Taíno indicates that they in the Caribbean, as other Native Americans, are a vital part of today's human biological landscape in the western hemisphere (Larsen, C.S. 1994 Am. J. Physical Anthro. 37 (S19) 109-154).

Cuba had first served as base for Spanish Conquistadors such as Hernán Cortes [4] when these expeditions left for the mainland of the Americas, the island was almost depopulated. The resulting treasures, mined gold and silver, chocolate and, then very valuable, dyes and medicine plant products were transported from the Americas and later also from the Philippines to Spain using Cuban ports as safe harbors. In this period there were further indigenous risings most especially that of Guamá, followed by intense pirate activity, both based in Cuba and attacking Cuban cities.

Spanish mercantilism caused Spain to keep Cuba relatively isolated to external influences, but beginning with the year-long occupation of Havana by the British in 1762 at the end of the Seven Years' War known in the US as the French and Indian War, Cuba became more open economically to both the importation of slaves and advances in sugar cultivation and processing. During this time some American Colonials died in guerrilla attacks, and many thousands more died of fever. The massive La Cabaña fortress which completely dominates Havana Bay, and was later infamous for executions during the Cuban Wars of Independence and those of Ernesto “Che” Guevara in 1959, but never taken by assault, was built soon after Havana, exchanged for Florida, was returned to Spain. Cuban colonial forces fought the English ranging as far north as Michigan, but mainly near Florida during US War of Independence. Between 1791 to 1804 many French fled to Cuba from the Haitian revolution, bringing with them slaves and expertise in sugar refining and coffee growing. As a result Cuba would become the world's major sugar exporter. There were a number of slave revolts in this period. After Texas became independent there were several landings by Narciso Lopez [[5]] attempting to free Cuba from Spain. During the US Civil War Cubans fought on both sides, and a number returned to fight for freedom in Cuba. By 1884, those slaves who were not freed at the end of the Ten Years' War were declared free.

The colony's struggle for independence lasted throughout the second half of the 19th century with the first effort with any success was the Ten Years' War (1868-78). It is notable that in this war Thomas Jordan an ex-Confederate general lead Cuban troops fighting against slavery. In 1879-1880 or so Antonio Maceo and Calixto Garcia started another rebellion La Guerra Chiquita that failed to coordinate their efforts. In 1895 [6] José Martí rebel organizer and prolific writer, who had been deeply involved in la Guerra Chiquita, landed in easternmost Cuba with Antonio Maceo and Máximo Gómez and other exiles. Although a little more than a month later he died in battle, Martí is considered the major Cuban historic figure. While organizing rebellion in the United States Martí wrote voluminously praising the U.S. Constitution, and explicitly condemning communism [7]. Some socialist historians, based on an unfinished letter [8], have interpreted his writings, to support communism and to express a fear of U.S. expansionism.

Antonio Maceo and Máximo Gómez led a brilliant campaign the length of the Island, defeating all attempts to stop them, in one battle they out maneuvered a Spanish force which included Winston Churchill [9]. Antonio Maceo died in battle but Calixto García escaped Spain and with his train of artillery including dynamite cannon [10] [11] began to systematically drive the Spanish from eastern Cuba and by 1898 these Mambí forces controlled most of the eastern countryside and some towns [12]. After landing in eastern Cuba and taking Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish-American War in 1898 the US occupied the island, until its independence was granted in 1902, though limited by the Platt Amendment. The US continued to have a major influence in Cuban affairs, even occupying Cuba again between 1906 and 1909. The Platt Amendment was revoked in 1934, but the lease of Guantánamo Bay, leased for a now nominal sum, was extended. On the web there are many erroneous statements, even from “reliable” sources for instance according to the BBC [13], US forces suppressed Black protests against discrimination, while in reality the Cuban government forces defeated a Black Haitian style separatist movement that was trying found a separated country by burning out all but the most deeply pigmented Cubans; or the BBC sites states Batista overthrew Gerardo Machado, while in reality Batista played no role in Machado’s ousting. Closer to reality is to view the Cuban circumstance in first half of the 20th Century as reflecting in milder form the ferocious world troubles of the 20th century. It is common to view the Cuban presidential succession as completely chaotic, yet this gives a false impression. The Cuban presidential succession: José Miguel Gómez (1908-1912); Mario Garcia Menocal (1913 to 1920); Alfredo Zayas (1921-25); until Gerardo Machado (1925-1933) was far from perfect, yet internal Cuban problems were not comparable to world wide horrors [14]. Internal Cuban conflicts were not even roughly comparable to the “Troubles in Ireland.” This is the time of WWI and its aftermath as the world drifts helplessly towards WWII Cuba’s neighbor Mexico was far more troubled and bloody. In these years the “Loyalists” of the “Republic” and Franco killed many in Spain; Bela Khun in Hungary; Rosa Luxemberg and Hitler in Germany; Mussolini in Italy, and Russia's Lenin and Stalin committed horrors, these struggles were reflected in only much attenuated form in Cuba. The brief Chambelona War of 1917 was believed by some to have German influence. Stalin sent agents, and so did Franco. The “Green Shirts” of the ABC fought with leftist radicals. By the cruel international standards of the time, only the sad 1912 Race War and the struggle to oust Gerardo Machado elected president in 1925, wanting to turn Cubans into orderly Swiss, turned dictator 1927-1933 produced noticeable levels of bloodshed. And yet progress was made, vast amounts of sugar were exported, industry grew; public works and good highways were built. And although often faulty, elections were held with some regularity.

By 1940, German Admiral Wilhelm Canaris’s dwarf spy freely walked Havana troubling US observers, Fulgencio Batista was elected for president and started useful reforms. In On December 9 1941 [15], the world afirer and the submarine war raged all around the island Cuba [16] entered WWII one day after the US. However, Cuban contributions to the “war effort” aside from one submarine sinking and volunteer soldier, involved more supply than fighting forces. Two constitutional presidents followed Ramon Grau San Martin (1944-1948) and Carlos Prio Socarras (1948-1952). In 1952 Batista seized power again in an almost bloodless coup three months before the planned election and set up an oppressive dictatorship. As a result many guerrilla groups started opposing him.

In 1953, Fidel Castro attacked the Guillermón Moncada barracks, was jailed and then exiled to Mexico, but returned to Cuba on November 1956 with 82 fighters trained by Alberto Bayo (a former Spanish Republican Army Colonel), and with the help of a coalition of other resistance groups and generalized popular discontent managed to overthrow Batista, who fled the country, on 1 January 1959. Castro established a Soviet-leaning one party Communist state, the first in the Western Hemisphere, although Castro did not officially reveal his Marxist-Leninist leanings until 1961. At the time when Batista was deposed, 75% of Cuba's farmable land was said by Castro supporters to be owned by foreign individuals or foreign (mostly US) companies [[17]] based on statistics of Antonio Núñez Jiménez, a Castro Comandante [[18]]. Calculations based on other data [[19]]. [[20]] suggest 45% or less is a far more realistic figure. The new revolutionary government adopted “land reforms” that placed all but about 9% nominal and less than 5% (real) under direct government control [[21]] [[22]] [[23]] and confiscated all the private property [[24]] owned by upper and middle class Cubans and foreign companies. As a result, relations with the United States rapidly deteriorated, although the U.S. recognized the new government and refused to host a government in exile by anti-Castro Cubans. At first, Castro was reluctant to discuss his plans for the future, but eventually he declared himself a [communism|communist]], explained that he was trying to build socialism in Cuba, focusing on free health care and education for all, and began close political and economic relations with the Soviet Union.

The Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961 by U.S. backed Cuban expatriates who after some initial successes lost heart when it became clear Brigade 2506 had been abandoned to its fate by a weak and vacillating U.S. president John F. Kennedy, who left the invaders stranded for fear of getting officially involved. Also, the Soviet Union heard of the plans and warned Cuba, Castro activated his numerous militia and under the guidance of East European specialists arrested perhaps as many as 200,000 of those suspected of being likely to support a counter-revolution and holding them in theaters, old fortresses, sport stadiums and even cattle corrals.

The Cuban Missile Crisis started with the Soviet Union secretly installing nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962 arguing later it was to partly restore nuclear balance. In response, the United States sent war ships to the international waters around Cuba, not knowing that some Soviet submarines carried nuclear missiles. This is generally believed to be the closest the world ever came to a nuclear holocaust. The Soviet Union backed down, in return for a United States promise to remove nuclear missiles in Turkey and never to invade Cuba again. After this, the United States never openly threatened Cuba again, but did engage in covert activities to assassinate Castro, as well as sheltering and funding Castro opponents who carried out many violent attacks such as the 1976 bombing of Cubana Flight 455, killing 73; Cuban government web sources indicate these included the Cuban Armed Forces fencing team, senior Cuban Government officials; some “students”from Guyana, a country in the process of “Socialistic Nationalization,” [[25]] and a number of North Koreans, all apparently on the way to Cuba. Castro has often covertly purged those he considers threatening by such or similar incidents. Other activities were what the present Cuban government calls the "War Against the Bandits" generally believed have had some CIA support. This was a wide spread revolt among the country folk of the middle provinces from early in Castro’s time in power to about 1967. This revolt was eventually suppressed by massive force, executions, and internal deportations.

Castro cast a big shadow in the Cold War. In overt and covert operations, throughout much of the world, Cuban operatives and Cuban regulars did battle against US allies and US interests. In Angola there were tank battles. In Granada Cuban and US forces actually entered into combat. In Vietnam Cuban engineers help build the Ho Chi Min trail, and Cuban intelligence harshly interrogated US prisoners. When the Soviet Union stopped supplying funding much of this ceased for a while. However, more recently Cuban intelligence is once more active in the US as agents such as Ana Belen Montes and the Red Avispa Network are revealed to have penetrated US intelligence services. At present Castro and his ally Hugo Chavez have been busy through out Latin America.

In April 1980, over 10,000 Cubans stormed the Peruvian embassy in Havana seeking political and economic freedom. In response to this, Castro allowed anyone who desired to leave the country to do so through the port of Mariel. Under the Mariel boatlift, over 125,000 Cubans migrated to the United States. Eventually the United States stopped the flow of vessels and Cuba ended the exodus. Exodus continues on a smaller scale (see below) [26] especially when Castro decides more repression is appropriate [27], [28] .

One of many Cuban Maquinas, aka Yank tanks

[[29]]

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 dealt Cuba a giant economic blow [[30]]. This led to another exodus of asylum seekers to the United States in 1994, which was again stopped bilaterally by Cuba and the United States. The United States has over the years since Castro come to power progressively enacted legislation intended to isolate Cuba economically via the U.S. embargo (now partially lifted for cash purchases) and other measures, such as prosecuting U.S. citizens who travel to Cuba. The official Castro position is that this embargo is the cause of all Cuban ills. However, the Cuban government buys medicine and food in the US but must pay in cash e.g. [[31]]. Accumulated Cuban debt [[32]], e.g. [[33]] (estimated now at 5.4 billion) slows free trade with other countries.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Cuba

The Cuban constitution states that, "[t]he Communist Party of Cuba […] is the superior guiding force of society and the state". Members of the Communist Party of Cuba are selected by the party in a thorough process that includes interviews with co-workers and neighbors. Those selected are considered model citizens. They are selected because they are viewed as strong supporters of the revolution. It makes recommendations concerning the future development of the revolution, and it criticizes tendencies it considers counterrevolutionary. It has a relatively large influence in Cuba, but its authority is moral, not legal. The Communist Party of Cuba is not an electoral party; Laws and election of the 31 member Council of State (including the President), are carried out by the National Assembly, who is in turn elected by the people. However, power is concentrated in the Cuban Communist Party, and the elections are not regarded as free or fair by international civil rights organizations.

Fidel Castro has been the head of state and head of government since 1959, first as prime minister and, after the abolition of that office in 1976, as president of the Councils of State and Ministers. He is also a member of the National Assembly of People's Power from the municipality of Santiago de Cuba since 1976, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, and commander in chief of the armed forces.

The National Assembly of People's Power (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) is the Cuban parliament. The Assembly is elected every five year and meets twice each year. Once established, it nominates and elects the Council of State including the President. The Council of State represents the National Assembly when it is not in session and is accountable for its actions to the National Assembly. The vast majority of candidates are members of the Communist Party compared to approximately 15 percent of the adult population. Critics of the Cuban government say this is because of the Communist Party's control over Cuba, while supporters say it shows that the Party has wide support among the populace.

Delegates are nominated by municipal assemblies and put to a yes/no vote; citizens are to vote for several candidates at both levels of government and may vote for none, some, or all of them. If the candidates do not receive more than 51% of the votes, new elections will be scheduled; however, near unanimous "unity" (yes for all candidate) votes are frequently reported.

In 2001, the Varela Project, attempted to have a national plebiscite to add protections for human rights using provisions in the Constitution of Cuba which provided for citizen initiative. The petition was refused on technical grounds without a vote being allowed.

In March 2003, the government of Cuba arrested dozens of people, and charged them with sedition due to alleged contacts with the head of the U.S. interest section in Havana, James Cason — contacts explicitly denied by him. In all, 75 were tried and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 28 years. Amnesty International described the closed-door trials as "hasty and manifestly unfair." [34]

Education

Main article: Education in Cuba

The University of Havana, Cuba's oldest university, was founded in 1721. Historically, Cuba has had some of the highest rates of education and literacy in Latin America. [35]

In a 1998 study by UNESCO, Cuban third and fourth graders were better educated in basic language and mathematics skills than children in other Latin American countries that took part in the study, with the "test achievement of the lower half of students in Cuba is significantly better than the test achievement of the upper half of students in the countries that (fell) immediately behind Cuba" in the study group. [36]

All students regardless of age and gender wear school uniforms with the color denoting grade level.

Healthcare

WHO health statistics for Cuba
Source: WHO country page on Cuba
Life expectancy at birth m/f: 75.0/79.0 (years)
Healthy life expectancy at birth m/f: 67.1/69.5 (years)
Child mortality m/f: 8/6 (per 1000)
Adult mortality m/f: 137/87 (per 1000)
Total health expenditure per capita: $236
Total health expenditure as % of GDP: 7.5

Castro has long made the promise of free, universal health care an important part of the case for his government. Cuba's healthcare system is widely regarded as one of the better in the non-developed world. Cuba has had good doctors for centuries such as Carlos Finlay, who determined how yellow fever was spread. The massive Havana hospital, "Calixto Garcia" as well as 72 others were operating well before 1959. [[37]] However, like the rest of the Cuban economy, Cuban medical care suffered from severe material shortages following the end of Soviet subsidies. Support from the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chavez has alleviated those problems. Today, Cuba has over 20,000 health workers in Venezuela, with over 5,000 more spread around the world, as it views such missions an important part of its foreign policy. These health workers are not allowed to have their families travel with them, which anti-Castro observers charge is to insure the workers will return and not defect or escape. Like a number of countries, Cuba has developed a hospital system for health tourists, taking advantage of a combination of low labor costs (kept low through the suppression of emigration), an educated work force, and the ability of such tourists to pay in much desired hard currency for their care.

Provinces

Main article: Provinces of Cuba

Cuba is divided into 14 provinces, and one special municipality (the Isla de la Juventud).

1 Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth)
2 Pinar del Río 9 Ciego de Ávila
3 La Habana (Havana) 10 Camagüey
4 Ciudad de la Habana (Havana City) 11 Las Tunas
5 Matanzas 12 Granma
6 Cienfuegos 13 Holguín
7 Villa Clara 14 Santiago de Cuba
8 Sancti Spíritus 15 Guantánamo

Geography

Main article: Geography of Cuba
Map of Cuba

The elongated island of Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and 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 Republic comprises the entire island, including many outlying islands such as the Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), previously known as the Isla de los Pinos (Isle of Pines). Guantánamo Bay, is a naval base that has been leased by the United States since 1903, a lease that has been contested since 1960 by Castro.

The main island is the world's 16th largest. The island consists mostly of flat to rolling plains, with more rugged hills and mountains primarily in the southeast and the highest point is the Pico Real del Turquino at 2,005 m. The local climate is tropical, though moderated by trade winds. There is a drier season from November to April, and a rainier season from May to October.

Havana is the largest city and capital; other major cities include Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. Some of the well-known smaller towns are Baracoa which was the first Spanish settlement on Cuba, as well as Trinidad and Bayamo.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Cuba
Cuba population in thousands(1961-2003)

According to the CIA's World Factbook, Cuba is 51% mulatto (mixed white and black), 37% white, 11% black, and 1% Chinese. Cuba has historically been more heavily European than other Caribbean islands, and in 1950 was said to have a 75% white majority. It should be mentioned that between 1900 and 1930 close to a million white Spaniards arrived in the Island from Spain. It highlights the shock that Castro's rise to power had on the white upper class, a large portion of whom moved to Florida in the 1960s and 1970s. Also, economic shock caused their birthrate to fall precipitously, even as the poorer black and mulatto populations soared. This is not hard to understand when one considers that the white population was 4 million during the second half of the twentieth century (with low birthrates and heavy emigration), while blacks and mulattos increased from 1.5 million to over 6 million, very similar to the growth in the predominately black and mulatto Dominican Republic.

The Chinese population in Cuba derives mostly from Chinese sent to Cuba during the 19th century to build railroads and work in the mines, as was also occurring in the United States at this time. Once the work was completed, however, most of them could not afford the passage back to China and remained in the Island. Historical papers show that, while considered inferior to Cubans of European descent, they were considered to be superior to blacks because they had lighter skin.

In Cuba there is little racial tension in the attitude of people towards each other. Still, in Santiago de Cuba there is a sizeable Jamaican population that suffers from an image of being lazy. Also, lighter skinned people often have 'higher' jobs (although in socialist Cuba this does not translate in a high difference in income). The melting pot is expressed not only in a racial sense, but also in religion (see below) and the music of Cuba.

Cuba has the lowest birthrate of any Latin American or Caribbean country, perhaps influenced by its socialist government's policy of free health care and abortion, which was similar to the situation in Eastern Europe. The current fertility rate of about 1.6 children per woman is the lowest of any country in the western hemisphere save Canada. The infant mortality rate in Cuba is down to 5.8 per thousand births. (State of the World's Children 2005)

Economy

Main article: Economy of Cuba

Cuba's socialist economy is based on state ownership with some small scale private enterprise existing. Hiring labor, however, is not allowed, on the theory that private employment will lead to worker exploitation. For 2005, 68% of the state budget spending is to be directed to raising the levels of education, public health, social security, culture, sports and science and technology. [38] According to Cuban government statistics.

Historically, sugar, tobacco and (later) nickel were the main sources of income for Cuba. But in the 1990s tourism saw an explosive growth. In 1993 the U.S. dollar was made legal tender (the country operated under a dual-currency system); this arrangement was, however, revoked on 25 October 2004. At that time, use of the dollar in business was officially banned, and a 10% surcharge was introduced for the conversion of dollars to convertible pesos, the island's new official currency. Other currencies, including the euro, were not affected. See details at the Ludwig Van Mises Institute.

The Cuban economy was hit hard in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Comecon economic bloc, with which it had traded predominantly. For several decades, Cuba received what was effectively a Soviet subsidy, whereby Cuba provided the Soviet Union with sugar and the Soviets provided Cuba with petroleum at unrealistic prices. In response, Cuba opened up to tourism, which is now a major source of income. Since 2003, both tourism levels and nickel prices increased. One other factor in the recovery of the Cuban economy is the remittances from Cuban-Americans (which constitute almost 3% of the Cuban Economy, by some estimates).

Cuba currently trades with almost every nation in the world, albeit with restrictions from the U.S. embargo. Trade with the United States is restricted to cash-only transactions for food and medicine. Any company that deals with Cuba is barred from dealing with the United States, so internationally operating companies are forced to choose between Cuba and the United States, which is a much bigger market. This extraterritorial U.S. legislation is considered highly controversial, and the U.S. embargo was condemned for the 13th time in 2004 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, by 179 countries (out of 183). The main current trading partners of Cuba are: Spain, Venezuela, the Netherlands and Canada. As China normalises relations with the Caribbean, China is becoming a more important Cuban trading partner.

Cuba has a significant foreign debt load. Cuba owes approximately $5.4 billion in foreign debt to Paris Club nations such as France, Japan and Germany. Cuba also has other sources of debt including approximately $25 billion in debt disputed with Russia dating from the era of the Soviet Union. [39] The lack of domestic sources of capital financing, an inherent by-product of its socialist economic system, makes Cuba's debt extremely vulerable to disruptions in trade.

A Cuban state hotel (35 convertible pesos per night)

Although U.S. citizens are not officially banned from travelling to Cuba, they are generally prohibited from spending money there (exceptions are made for students studying in Cuba, diplomats, and people with family members in Cuba), which amounts to a de facto travel ban, as Cuba requires that foreign visitors spend a minimum of three nights in a hotel; moreover, the only direct flights from the United States are strictly for those with family members in Cuba. Nevertheless, U.S. citizens can visit Cuba by travelling through other countries (like Mexico, Canada or the Bahamas) because Cuban immigration does not stamp the passports (the visum is a separate leaflet). However, U.S. citizens are liable to fines if discovered and prosecuted by the U.S. government, although it has been reported that U.S. authorities are not overly strict with this.

Although struggling with its economy since the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba has seen substantial improvements since the early 1990s. The economy has been helped in recent years by strong tourism, international investment in nickel production and oil exploration as well as beneficial oil purchases from Venezuela, in exchange for medical services.

A major problem is damage from hurricanes. In 2004, Hurricane Charley, (August 12) caused an estimated 1 billion dollars economic damage, followed by Hurricane Ivan (September 13). In 2005, Hurricane Dennis (July 8) struck south-central Cuba. This is a problem that all Caribbean islands suffer from and an argument Castro uses to urge the islands to cooperate, promoting an agreement that is a sort of international insurance, so that if one island gets hit the other islands will help it out. He says that if the United States get hit, the economy of the rest of the country will take the blow (although that was slow to start up when hurricane Katrina hit), but if a Caribbean island gets hit, that may devastate the entire economy.

Over 7,300 homes have been completed in 2005. During the remaining months of this year the majority of homes partially affected by Hurricane Dennis will be repaired. No less than 10,000 of the homes destroyed will be built again as new and the plans to finish and construct new homes to cover the most urgent requirements will continue, up to at least 30,000 additional housing.

Cuba is notable for its national organic agriculture initiative. In the early 1990s, post-Soviet Union, Cuba lost over 70% of agricultural chemical imports, over 50% of food imports, and an equally significant amount of oil. Its agricultural sector, built on a large-scale, mechanized, chemical-based model, was instantly crippled. By restructuring its agricultural industry, and focusing scientific efforts on organic solutions, Cuba managed to rapidly and successfully convert the country to entirely organic production. Currently, only organic agriculture is permitted by law. Today, Cuba is a leading nation in biotechnology.

On a total population of 11 million, Cuba has 250,000 educators, 67,500 medical doctors, and 34,000 physical education and sports professors and technicians.[40]

Culture

The courtyard of one of the free museums in Havana, the 'Casa de Simón Bolívar'
Main article: Culture of Cuba

Cuban culture is much influenced by the fact that it is a melting pot of cultures, mostly from Spain and Africa. It has produced its fair share of literature, including the output of non-Cuban Ernest Hemingway. But best known is Cuban music, the most central form of which is Son, which has been the basis of many other musical styles like salsa. chachachá was invented to make it possible for 'Yankees' to dance to Cuban music. A musical instrument invented in Cuba is the Tres.

Religion

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The religious landscape of Cuba is strongly marked by syncretisms of various kinds. In the post-revolutionary era religious practice was discouraged, and Cuba, from 1962, was officially an atheist state until 1992 which it amended its constitution to become formally a secular state. While the papal visit to Cuba has strengthened official Catholicism, most Cubans share a motley of faiths that include popular Catholicism, over 50 versions of Protestantism, spiritism, African-derived beliefs. The most important currents of these are Regla de Ocha (known as Santería), which derives from Yoruban religion, Regla de Palo Monte, which derives from Congo-based religions, and the Sociedad Secreta Abakuá, which derives from the secret men's societies in the region of Calabar, in south-eastern Nigeria.

It is assumed that Santería and popular Catholicism are the most widely followed religious beliefs in Cuba, though these are by no means exclusive, and one can easily be a follower of several religious currents at the same time, as well as being a member of the communist party. Pentecostalism is also growing rapidly, and the Assemblies of God alone claims a membership of over 100,000 people.

Cuba once had a small but vibrant Jewish population, and Havana still has one or two active synagogues.

Freemasonry is also practised (although this is not a religion).

In Cuba 6 January is the "Día de los Reyes Magos" which in English means "Day of Kings" is celebrated to commemorate the day that the Three Wise Men came to visit Jesus according to the Gospels. As in most Latin American countries as well as Spain, this day is celebrated in conjunction with, or sometimes instead of Christmas Day.

Important religious festivals include various days dedicated to the saints such as the "Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre" (the Virgin of Cobre, Cuba's patron saint, syncretised with Santería's Ochún) on September 8, and San Lázaro (Lazarus) (syncretised with Babalu Ayé), on December 17.

See also

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