Cuba

Template:Otherusesabout The Republic of Cuba is an Island in the eastern Caribbean that lies at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north are found the United States and the Bahamas, to the west Mexico, to the southwest the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, and to the southeast Haiti. Template:Cuba infobox

History

Main article: History of Cuba

Cuba and its originally Amerindian population came under Spanish control in the 16th century, after Columbus' arrival in 1492. Many of these tens of thousands of natives died in reservations due in part to diseases brought in by the Spanish. Intermarriages resulted in Mestizos. The natives showed the Spanish the practice of smoking (named cohaba) and how to grow tobacco. The Spanish introduced sugar cane, which became the major Cuban crop, and it still is today.

Spanish mercantilism caused Spain to keep Cuba relatively isolated to external forces, but beginning with the year long occupation of Havana in 1762 at the end of the Seven Years' War, Cuba became more open economically to both the importation of slaves and advances in sugar cultivation and processing. 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 became the world's major sugar producer. By 1884, slavery was abolished.

The colony's struggle for independence lasted throughout the second half of the 19th century with the first effort with any success being the Ten Years' War beginning in 1868. The intellectual José Martí landed in Cuba with rebel exiles in 1895, but little more than a month later was killed in battle. He remains the major hero in Cuba to this day. While he initially expressed a preference for the U.S. Constitution and enjoyed some popularity in the United States, he later started fearing U.S. expansionism and even started developing ideas reminiscent of Communism (foreboding things to come).

Just when the revolutionaries started winning, the United States occupied the island in the Spanish-American War of 1898, until its independence was granted in 1902, though limited by the Platt Amendment, after which the United States continued to have a major influence in Cuban affairs. The Platt Amendment was revoked in 1934, but the lease of Guantanamo Bay, against a nominal sum, was extended.

Cuba’s history in the first half of the 20th Century was typical for Latin America of the time, with many short-lived governments. In 1940, Fulgencio Batista was elected for president and started idealistic reforms, but was voted out in 1944. In 1952 he seized power in a bloodless coup three months before the planned election and instituted an oppressive dictatorship. As a result many guerrilla groups started opposing him.

In 1953, Fidel Castro Ruz attacked the Moncada barracks, was exiled to Mexico, but returned to Cuba on November 1956 with 82 revolutionaries and thanks to popular support managed to overthrow Batista, who fled the country, on 1 January 1959. At the time when Batista was deposed, 75% of Cuba's farmable land was owned by foreign individuals or foreign (mostly U.S.) companies. The new revolutionary government adopted land reforms and confiscated all the private property owned by upper class Cubans and foreign companies. As a result, relations with the United States rapidly deteriorated. At first, Castro was reluctant to discuss his plans for the future, but eventually he declared himself a communist, explained that he was trying to build socialism in Cuba, focussing on free health care and education for all, and opened diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

The Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961 by U.S. backed Cuban expatriates failed because the expected popular support failed to materialize. Also, the Soviet Union heard of the plans and warned Cuba. U.S. president Kennedy left the invaders stranded for fear of getting officially involved.

The Cuban Missile Crisis started with the Soviet Union installing nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962, in an attempt to partly restore the nuclear balance. In response, the United States put up a blockade in international waters, 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 the United States promising 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.

In April 1980, over 10,000 Cubans stormed the Peruvian embassy in Havana seeking political asylum. 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.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 dealt Cuba a giant economic blow. This led to another exodus of economic 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 and other measures, such as prosecuting U.S. citzens who travel to Cuba. For more on these issues see the Economy section below.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Cuba

• Elections in Cuba
• The Revolutionary Government of Cuba

Politics

Main article: Politics of Cuba

Cuba is a Socialist state. Although the Cuban constitution states that, "The Communist Party of Cuba (...) is the superior guiding force of society and the state," the power of the Communist Party is moral, not juridical.

The Cuban Communist Party is not an electoral party. It does not nominate or support candidates for office. Nor does it make laws or select the head of state. These roles are played by the national assembly, which is elected by the people, and for which membership in the Communist Party is not required.[1]

The party is not open to anyone to join. Members are selected by the party in a thorough process that includes interviews with co-workers and neighbors. Those selected are considered model citizens and strong supporters of the revolution. Approximately 15% of Cuban adults are members of the Communist Party.

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 Cuban Communist Party, and commander in chief of the armed forces. This is Fidel Castro's sixth five-year term since direct elections were started in 1976. [2]

The National Assembly of People's Power or Assemblea Nacional del Poder Popular is the Cuban parliament. The Assembly is elected to five-year terms 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 candidates, who may or may not be members of the Cuban Communist Party, are nominated by municipal assemblies, but elected by the people. [3]

In 2001 an attempt was made by Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and others, operating as the Varela Project, to have a national plebiscite using provisions in the Constitution of Cuba which provided for citizen initiative. If accepted by the government and approved by public vote, the amendments would have established such things as freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of press, as well as starting private businesses. The petition was however refused by the National Assembly, and a subsequent government crackdown resulted in the imprisonment of 75 dissidents for terms of up to 28 years on charges of collaborating with and receiving money from the U.S. Government. (See Human rights in Cuba.)

Provinces

Main article: Provinces of Cuba

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

Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth) Pinar del Río La Habana (Havana) Ciudad de la Habana (Havana City) Matanzas Cienfuegos Villa Clara Sancti Spíritus	Ciego de Ávila Camagüey Las Tunas Granma Holguín Santiago de Cuba Guantánamo

Geography

Map of Cuba

Main article: Geography of Cuba

• List of places in 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), with the exception of Guantanamo Bay, a naval base that has been leased by the United States since 1903. The mainland is the world's 16th largest island.

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. However, in the melting pot that Cuba is, it is difficult to say which 'race' someone belongs to. It is said that some 70% of Cubans have some trace of black heritage, which would make them mulattos. By some standards this would classify them as blacks, but in Cuba that term is not used to refer to having some trace of black ancestry, but to actually having a 'black' skin. 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. Some people believe that a good portion of Cuban whites were actually mulatto. 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, with the Special Municipality of the Isle of Youth with 1.8. In contrast, the United States mortality rate is at 7. Only Canada has a lower mortality rate in the Americas than that of Cuba. [4]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Cuba

The economy of Cuba is based on state ownership with some small scale private enterprise existing. Hiring labour, however, is not allowed, on the theory that private employment may lead to worker exploitation. Major problems are the narrow basis of the economy (traditionally little more than sugar), the U.S. embargo, hurricanes and the fall of the Soviet Union.

Traditionally, sugar, tobacco and (later) nickel were the main sources of income for Cuba. But in the 1990's 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 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.

More recent problems include high oil prices, recessions in key export markets such as sugar and nickel, depressed tourism, and faltering world economic conditions. In late 2003, and early 2004, both tourism levels and nickel prices increased. One other factor in the recovery of the Cuban economy is the remittances of Cuban-Americans (which constitute almost 3% of the Cuban Economy, by some estimates). However, Cuba owes billions in Paris Club debt to nations such as France, Japan and Germany.

Cuba currently trades with almost every nation in the world, albeit at a very small scale because under the U.S. embargo 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 and Canada. In time as China normalises relations with the Caribbean, China may also become a more important Cuban trading partner.

The United States bans its citizens from travelling to 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.

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 other parts of the country will take the blow, but if a Caribbean island gets hit, that may devastate the entire economy.

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

According to UNESCO research, Cuba's primary school students have almost twice as much knowledge as the average student in the rest of Latin America. In a 1998 study by UNESCO, Cuban third and fourth graders were better educated in basic language and mathematics skills than children in all other Latin American countries that took part in a study.

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.[5]

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. [6]

Culture

Main article: Culture of Cuba

• List of Cubans
• Music of Cuba
• Cuban cinema

Holidays

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
January 1	Liberation Day	Triunfo de la Revolución	The day of the victory of the Revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959 - after Fulgencio Batista fled the night before - which established the socialist government in Cuba that reigns to this day.
May 1	Labour Day	Día de los trabajadores	International Labour Day
July 26	Commemoration of the Assault of the Moncada garrison	Asalto al cuartel Moncada	The date after which the revolutionary movement (M 26-7) was named. In the morning of July 26, 1953, some 160 men under the command of Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada army garrison in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba's second-largest city. Although this action crushingly failed, it is seen as the beginning of the Castro-led insurrection that expelled dictator Fulgencio Batista on January 1, 1959.
10 October	Independence Day	Día de la Independencia	This day in 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, "Father of the Homeland", gave freedom to his slaves and started the independence war against the Spanish colonial power, which led to the Ten Years' War
December 25	Christmas	Navidad	Prohibited for decades in revolutionary Cuba, the Christmas celebration (and the corresponding holiday) was reinstalled in 1998 after Pope John Paul II visited Cuba

Religion

Main articles: Santería, Palo Monte, Catholicism

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 the 6th of January is the "Dia 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

• Communications in Cuba
• Cuba Coalition
• Foreign relations of Cuba
• List of Cuban newspapers
• Military of Cuba
• Transportation in Cuba
• Women in Cuba

External links

General

• Information about Cuba Culture, history, demography, geography, religion, etc.
• AfroCubaWeb
• Cuba Maps — Maps of all the provinces of Cuba, and maps of the major cities.
• Cubamusic — All about cuban music
• CUBANET — News articles from Cuba's independent journalists and a digest of Cuban news by international newspapers
• Encuentro en la Red — Independent news and cultural site on Cuban matters
• Discover Cuba through a collection of old Photos & Vintage Postcards.
• Cuba AIDS Project HIV and AIDS in Cuba
• Spain and the Spaniard A contemporary opinion of the Cuban uprising
• UN HDI — Human Development Index for Cuba from UN
• IFEX — Freedom of expression in Cuba from IFEX
• The Electoral process in Cuba — Democracy in Cuba
  • State Department— US State Department views on Cuba

Official

• Granma — Communist Cuban Party Newspaper
• Site of the Cuban government
• Government agency
• National news agency

Opposition

• CANF — Cuban-American National Foundation, the largest political party of Cubans in exile
• Details the Cuban dissident situation
• Movimiento Humanista Evolucionario Cubano (Cuban Evolutionary Humanist Movement)
• No Castro nor his regime — the website of anti-Castro opposition

Travel information

• Cuba eXPlorer — Information about Cuba (mostly related to travel), picture galleries, daily news, forums, a directory of Cuban sites and more.
• CUBA NUESTRA - Sweden
• Cuba Photos Sights, Daily Life, Santeria, Havana, Malecon, CDR (Comite de Defensa de la Revolucion), Old American Cars
• Cuba Study Tour — A geography professor shares his experience and impressions
• Cuba Study Tour — A geography professor shares his experience and impressions
• Google maps
• Kuba-Cuba.com — a Link Guide to Cuba.
• LaHabana.com — City guide to Havana.
• Life in Havana Pictures of the daily life in Havana
• Wikitravel Guide — Wikitravel visiting guide