Cuba
- Alternate meanings: see Cuba (disambiguation)
The
Republic of Cuba is an
archipelago in the northern
Caribbean, in between 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 south the
Cayman Islands and
Jamaica, and to the southeast
Haiti.
History
\nMain article: History of Cuba
Cuba and its originally Amerindian population (Taino, Siboney and Guanajatabey) came under Spanish control in the 16th century. The colony's struggle for independence started in 1868 and continued during the 19th century until the Spanish-American War of 1898. The United States then occupied the island until recognising independence in 1902, though limited by the Platt Amendment (revoked in 1934), after which the US continued to exercise considerable control over Cuban affairs.
Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro and a small rebel army of less than 100 individuals were one of many guerilla groups that opposed Fulgencio Batista. Castro subsumed these other groups quickly and violently and took over Cuba's government in 1959. When Castro started to execute political opponents, nationalize all private property and promote ties to communist countries, relations with the US and other western nations rapidly deteriorated. Castro claimed he was "always a communist" and soon turned to Soviet backing and trade ties, declared the Revolution socialist in 1961, began socializing the economy and set up a Leninist style government led by the newly-recreated Communist Party of Cuba. A Constitution of Soviet inspiration was implemented in 1976.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country, which the Soviets subsidized by $6 billion per year suffered a major economic setback, but has been steadily recovering since then, while maintaining a socially owned economy, in contrast to countries like China or Vietnam. There is only one party in Cuba. In 2002 after a national referendum socialism was recognized in the constitution as the firm and unchangable system (this was in response to the ignored petition by the Varela Project to have a different referendum, mentioned below). The United States of America has attempted to terminate the Cuban Revolution through the use of force (Bay of Pigs) and a harsh economical blockade. Nevertheless, it still stands and is considered one of the most advanced Latin American countries in areas such as medicine, education (100% of literate population).
Politics
\nMain article: Politics of Cuba
Cuba is a "Communist state," or a parliamentary republic led by a 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. He is also the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, and commander in chief of the armed forces.
The unicameral Cuban parliament is the National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Its 609 members, representing a wide spectrum of the Cuban society, are elected to serve five-year terms. The candidates are nominated by people and independent political organisations (not the Communist Party). Independents who are not members of the Cuban Communist Party are occasionally elected. The Communist Party is constitutionally recognised as Cuba's only legal political party.
Other political issues include illegal emigration to the US, the economic and humanitarian embargo enforced by the United States (strengthened in 1996 by the Helms-Burton Act) and allegations of government imprisonment of political dissidents and human rights abuses.
In 2001 unsucessful attempts were made by Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and others, operating as the Varela Project, to force a national plebiscite using obscure provisions in the Constitution of Cuba which provided for citizen initiative. The Petition was refused, and a subsequent crackdown resulting in imprisonment of 75 political prisoners for terms of up to 28 years.\nProvinces
\nMain article: Provinces of Cuba
Cuba is divided into 14 provinces of 169 municipalities, and one special municipality (the Isla de la Juventud).
Geography
\nMain article: Geography 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
Isle of Youth, 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.
Economy
\nMain article: Economy of Cuba
Cuba continues it's public ownership of the economy and has shown itself unwilling to implement "free market" reforms. Tourism has become one of the largest sources of income for Cuba and it has put the American dollar into circulation in parts of Cuba where tourists go.
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. More recent problems include high oil prices, recessions in key export markets such as
sugar and
nickel, damage from
hurricanes, depressed tourism, and faltering world economic conditions. In late 2003, and early 2004, both tourism levels and nickel prices increased, as has the Cuban trade with the USA. One other factor in the "recovery" of the Cuban economy is the remittances of Cuban-Americans (which constitute one-third of the Cuban Economy). Cuba currently trades with almost every nation in the world except the US. Nevertheless, the Unites States allows U.S. multinational food companies to trade with Cuba provided the Cuban government pays in dollars. Cuba owes billions in Paris Club debt to nations such as France, Japan and Germany.
Demographics
\nMain article: Demographics of Cuba
Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of either mixed (mulatto) or more specific
Spanish and
African origins. Former Cuban Dictator Fulgencio Batista was of mulatto ancestry and it is rumored that racism was one of the reasons he was ousted from power. There is also a small
ethnic Chinese community. The largest organised religion is the
Roman Catholic Church. Afro-Cuban or
Santería religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. Officially, Cuba had been an
atheist state for most of the Castro era, but religious restrictions have been relaxed since
1991 and the state secularised. Smaller
Protestant and
Jewish minorities also exist.
Culture
\nMain article: Culture of Cuba
- List of Cubans\n* Music of Cuba\n
\nHolidays\n| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|
\n| January 1 | Liberation Day | | |
\n| May 1 | | Día de los trabajadores | |
\n| July 26 | Rebellion Day | | |
\n| October 10 | Day of the Heroic Guerrilla | Día de la Independencia | This day Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the father of the [patria in spanish], give freedom to their slaves and the war of the 1868 against the Spanish government began |
\n| December 25 | Christmas Day | Navidad | |
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Miscellaneous topics
External links
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Category:Caribbean countries
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