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Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army
to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the country together since.
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 3,000 Cubans took to the Straits of Florida in
2000; the US Coast Guard interdicted only about 35% of these. |
| Location: |
Caribbean, island between the
Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
21 30 N, 80 00 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America and the
Caribbean |
| Area: |
total: 110,860
sq km
land: 110,860 sq km
water: 0 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 |
| 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: 24%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 27%
forests and woodland: 24%
other: 18% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
9,100 sq km (1993 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: |
pollution of Havana Bay;
overhunting threatens wildlife populations; 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
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
largest country in Caribbean |
| Population: |
11,184,023 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
20.99% (male 1,205,159; female 1,142,070)
15-64 years: 69.14% (male 3,876,432; female 3,855,878)
65 years and over: 9.87% (male 511,589; female 592,895)
(2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.37% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
12.36 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.33 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-1.36 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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 (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
7.39 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
76.41 years
male: 74.02 years
female: 78.94 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.6 children born/woman (2001
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.03% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
1,950 (1999 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 |
| Literacy: |
definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.7%
male: 96.2%
female: 95.3% (1995 est.) |
| 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 2000; the US
Coast Guard interdicted about 35% 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 |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba
local short form: Cuba |
| Government
type: |
Communist state |
| 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 US) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day, 10 October
(1868); note - 10 October 1868 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
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
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
elections: president and vice president elected by the
National Assembly; election last held 24 February 1998 (next election
unscheduled)
election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz elected president;
percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice
president; percent of legislative vote - 100% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral National Assembly
of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (601 seats,
elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions;
members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 11 January 1998 (next to be held in
2003)
election results: percent of vote - PCC 94.39%; seats - PCC
601 |
| 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, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory
user), 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
Fernando REMIREZ DE ESTENOZ; 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
Vicki HUDDLESTON; 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 |
| Economy
- overview: |
The government, the primary
player in the economy, 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
prioritizing of political control makes extensive reforms unlikely.
Living standards for the average Cuban, without access to dollars,
remain at a depressed level compared with 1990. The liberalized farmers'
markets introduced in 1994, sell above-quota production at market
prices, expand legal consumption alternatives, and reduce black market
prices. Income taxes and increased regulations introduced since 1996
have sharply reduced the number of legally self-employed from a high of
208,000 in January 1996. Havana announced in 1995 that GDP declined by
35% during 1989-93 as a result of lost Soviet aid and domestic
inefficiencies. The slide in GDP came to a halt in 1994 when Cuba
reported growth in GDP of 0.7%. Cuba reported that GDP increased by 2.5%
in 1995 and 7.8% in 1996, before slowing down in 1997 and 1998 to 2.5%
and 1.2% respectively. Growth recovered with a 6.2% increase in GDP in
1999 and a 5.6% increase in 2000. Much of Cuba's recovery can be
attributed to tourism revenues and foreign investment. Growth in 2001
should continue at the same level as the government balances the need
for economic loosening against its concern for firm political control. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$19.2 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5.6% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$1,700 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 7%
industry: 37%
services: 56% (1998 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
0.3% (1999 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
4.3 million (2000 est.)
note: state sector 75%, non-state sector 25% (1998) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 25%, industry
24%, services 51% (1998) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
5.5% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $13.5
billion
expenditures: $14.3 billion, including capital expenditures
of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
sugar, petroleum, tobacco,
chemicals, construction, services, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural
machinery |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
5% (2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
14.358 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
94.2%
hydro: 0.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 5.1% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
13.353 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sugar, tobacco, citrus,
coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock |
| Exports: |
$1.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000
est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish,
medical products, citrus, coffee |
| Exports
- partners: |
Russia 23%, Netherlands 23%,
Canada 13% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$3.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000
est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
petroleum, food, machinery,
chemicals, semifinished goods, transport equipment, consumer goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
Spain 18%, Venezuela 13%,
Canada 8% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$11.1 billion (convertible
currency, 1999); another $15 billion -$20 billion owed to Russia (2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$68.2 million (1997 est.) |
| Currency: |
Cuban peso (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 22 pesos by the Government of Cuba (January
2001) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| 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, Soviet-built); 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): |
4 (2001) |
| Internet
users: |
60,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 11,969 km
standard gauge: 4,807 km 1.435-m gauge (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) |
| Highways: |
total: 60,858 km
paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)
unpaved: 31,038 km (1997) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Cienfuegos, Havana,
Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 15 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,821 GRT/78,062 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 7, liquefied gas 1, petroleum
tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 5 (2000 est.) |
| Airports: |
171 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 77
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 35 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 94
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 63 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Revolutionary Armed Forces
(FAR) includes ground forces, Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air
Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Troops Militia (MTT), and Youth
Labor Army (EJT); the Border Guard (TGF) is controlled by the Interior
Ministry |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
17 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
3,090,633
females age 15-49: 3,029,274 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
1,911,160
females age 15-49: 1,867,958 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 79,562
females: 85,650 (2001 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 |
| 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 bound for the US and
Europe; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in
1999 |
|
