| Cuba |
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| Background: The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. 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. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 2,810 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2006. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: Havana
geographic coordinates: 23 08 N, 82 22 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Area Total: 110,860 sq km |
| Area Land: 110,860 sq km |
| Area Water: 0 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
| Land Boundaries Note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba |
| Coastline: 3,735 km |
| 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 |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m |
| Natural Resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land |
| Land Use Arable Land: 27.63% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 6.54% |
| Land Use Other: 65.83% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: 8,700 sq km (2003) |
| Natural Hazards: the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common |
| Environment Current Issues: air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation |
| Geography Note: largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles |
| Population |
| Population: 11,394,043 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 18.8% (male 1,100,672/female 1,042,327) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 70.5% (male 4,019,648/female 4,016,429) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 10.7% (male 554,043/female 660,924) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 36.3 years |
| Median Age Male: 35.7 years |
| Median Age Female: 37 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 0.273% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 11.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.06 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.056 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 1.001 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.838 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 0.992 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 6.04 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 6.76 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 5.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 77.08 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 74.85 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 79.43 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: 3,300 (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) |
| Religions: nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented |
| Languages: Spanish |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 97% |
| Literacy Male: 97.2% |
| Literacy Female: 96.9% (2003 est.) |
| 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 |
| Legal System: based on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legal concepts, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Economy |
| Overview: The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. Since late 2000, Venezuela has been providing Cuba oil on preferential terms, and it currently supplies about 98,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel, including some 20,000 medical professionals. In 2006, high metals prices continued to boost Cuban earnings from nickel and cobalt production. Havana continued to invest in the country's energy sector to mitigate electrical blackouts that have plagued the country since 2004. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $44.54 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 7.5% (2006 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 5.1% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 27.2% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 67.6% (2006 est.) |
Labor Force: 4.82 million
note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2006 est.) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 20%
industry: 19.4%
services: 60.6% (2005) |
| Unemployment Rate: 1.9% (2006 est.) |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 5% (2006 est.) |
| Industries: sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: 17.6% (2006 est.) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 15.34 billion kWh (2005) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 93.9% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 0.6% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 5.4% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 14.1 billion kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Imports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Oil Production: 72,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: 204,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil Proved Reserves: 259 million bbl (2006 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 704 million cu m (2004) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 704 million cu m (2004) |
| Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Proved Reserves: 70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) |
| Exports: $2.956 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee |
| Exports Partners: Netherlands 25.8%, Canada 21.1%, China 10%, Spain 6.8% (2005) |
| Imports: $9.51 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals |
| Imports Partners: China 14.5%, Spain 13.7%, Canada 8.4%, US 8.3%, Germany 7.2%, Brazil 5.6%, Italy 5.6%, Mexico 5.1%, Japan 4% (2005) |
| Debt External: $15.15 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20 billion owed to Russia (2006 est.) |
| Economic Aid Recipient: $68.2 million (1997 est.) |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 849,900 (2005) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 134,500 (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; wireless service is expensive and remains restricted to foreigners and regime elites, many Cubans procure wireless service illegally with the help of foreigners |
| Telephone System Domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 85% of switches digitized by end of 2004; telephone line density remains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular service expanding |
| Telephone System International: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; 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 Service Providers-ISPs: 5 (2001) |
Internet Users: 190,000
note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet" (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Railways Total: 4,226 km |
| Railways Standard Gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified) |
| Waterways: 240 km (2005) |
| Airports: 170 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 3.8% (2006 est.) |
| 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 |
| IllicitDrugs: territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 |