Cuba

Cuba 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 29 km, U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km

Note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the U.S. and thus remains part of Cuba

Coastline

3,735 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

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

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

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

8,960 sq km (1989)

Environment

Note: Largest country in Caribbean

PEOPLE

Population

10,951,334 (July 1996 est.)
10,937,635 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

22% (male 1,256,674; female 1,191,652) (July 1996 est.)
22% (male 1,256,928; female 1,191,320) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

68% (male 3,753,343; female 3,736,043) (July 1996 est.)
68% (male 3,751,464; female 3,732,434) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

10% (male 478,630; female 534,992) (July 1996 est.)
10% (male 477,385; female 528,104) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.44% (1996 est.)
0.65% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

13.37 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
14.54 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

7.39 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.53 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-1.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
all ages: 1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.52 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.63 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Spanish

Literacy

Age 15-49 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

4.71 million economically active population (1989); 3,527,000 employed in state civilian sector (1989)

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

CU

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 U.S. from 1898 to 1902)

National Holiday

Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)

Constitution

24 February 1976

Legal System

Based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Assembly of People's Power

(Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) elections last held February 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); seats - 589 total, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions

Judicial Branch

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

Political Parties and Leaders

Only party - Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary

Member of

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

National Anthem

Flag

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

ECONOMY

Overview

The state retains a primary role in the economy and controls practically all foreign trade. The government has undertaken several reforms in recent years designed to stem excess liquidity, raise labor incentives, and increase the availability of food, consumer goods, and services from depressed levels. The liberalized agricultural markets introduced in October 1994, where state and private farms are authorized to sell any above-quota production at unrestricted prices, have broadened legal consumption alternatives and reduced black market prices. The government's efforts to reduce subsidies to loss-making enterprises and shrink the money supply caused the black market exchange rate to move from a peak of 120 pesos to the dollar in the summer of 1994 to 25-30 pesos to the dollar at yearend 1995. The number of self-employed workers licensed by the government increased more slowly in 1995, from 160,000 at yearend 1994 to 190,000 in July 1995 and to about 210,000 in January 1996. Discussions continue within the leadership over the relative affluence of self-employed workers and the growing inequality of income in what has historically been a strictly egalitarian society. The government released new economic data in 1995 which showed a 35% decline in GDP during 1989-1993, a drop precipitated by the withdrawal of massive Soviet aid and prolonged by Cuba's own economic inefficiencies. The decline in GDP apparently was halted in 1994, and government officials claim that GDP increased by 2.5% in 1995. Export earnings rose by 20% in 1995 to $1.6 billion, largely on the strength of higher world prices for key commodities and increased production of nickel through joint ventures with a Canadian firm. Higher export revenues and new credits from European firms and Mexico enabled Havana to increase its imports for the first time in six years. Imports rose 21% to almost $2.4 billion, or 30% of the 1989 level. Officials have sharply criticized provisions of legislation under consideration in the US Congress, which aims to curtail third-country investment in expropriated US properties in Cuba and deny official assistance to Havana.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $14.7 billion (1995 est.); $14 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2.5% (1995 est.)
0.4% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$1,300 (1995 est.)
$1,260 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

NA

Unemployment Rate

NA

Budget

Exports

$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$2.4 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$9.1 billion (convertible currency,1995); another $20 billion owed to Russia (1995)
$10.8 billion (convertible currency, December 1993)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 6% (1995 est.)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Key commercial crops - sugarcane, tobacco, and citrus fruits; other products - coffee, rice, potatoes, meat, beans; world's largest sugar exporter; not self-sufficient in food (excluding sugar); sector hurt by persistent shortages of fuels and parts

Economic Aid

Currency

1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos

Exchange Rates

Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (non-convertible, official rate, linked to the U.S. dollar)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

note: a large amount of track is in private use by sugar plantations

Highways

Inland Waterways

240 km

Ports

Cienfuegos, La Habana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba

Merchant Marine

Note: Cuba owns an additional 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 462,517 DWT operating under the registries of Panama, Cyprus, Malta, Belize, and Mauritius (1995 est.)

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

430,000 telephones (1987 est.); among the world's least developed telephone systems

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) includes ground forces, Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Militia Troops (MTT), and Youth Labor Army (EJT); Interior Ministry Border Guards (TGF),

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 3,053,431; females age 15-49 3,009,852; males fit for military service 1,898,644; females fit for military service 1,866,313; males reach military age (17) annually 65,182; females reach military age (17) annually 61,960 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - roughly 4% of GDP (1995 est.); approx. $600 million, 4% of GSP (gross social product) in 1994 was for defense

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

History
World Atlas