from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Cuba
Introduction
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 2,712 individuals attempting to cross the
Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2005.
Geography
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida
Geographic 21 30 N, 80 00 W
coordinates:
Map Central America and the Caribbean
references:
Area: total: 110,860 sq km
land: 110,860 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
comparative:
Land total: 29 km
boundaries: border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and
remains part of Cuba
Coastline: 3,735 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 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 lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m
Natural cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt,
resources: timber, silica, petroleum, arable land
Land use: arable land: 27.63%
permanent crops: 6.54%
other: 65.83% (2005)
Irrigated 8,700 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to
hazards: November (in general, the country averages about one
hurricane every other year); droughts are common
Environment - air and water pollution; biodiversity loss;
current deforestation
issues:
Environment - party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
international Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
agreements: Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of
note: the Greater Antilles
People
Population: 11,382,820 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.1% (male 1,117,677/female 1,058,512)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 4,001,161/female 3,999,303)
65 years and over: 10.6% (male 554,148/female 652,019)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 35.9 years
male: 35.2 years
female: 36.5 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.31% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 11.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 7.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 6.22 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 5.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 77.41 years
expectancy at male: 75.11 years
birth: female: 79.85 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 3,300 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 200 (2003 est.)
deaths:
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
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97.2%
female: 96.9% (2003 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; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to
enter the US including direct flights to Miami and
over-land via the southwest border
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba
local short form: Cuba
Government Communist state
type:
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
Administrative 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1
divisions: 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 US from 1898 to 1902)
National Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10
holiday: December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain,
20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US
administration; Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)
Constitution: 24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002
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 chief of state: President of the Council of State and
branch: 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)
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president
of the Council of State and appointed by the National
Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by
the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in
session
elections: president and vice presidents elected by the
National Assembly for a term of five years; election
last held 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president;
percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz
elected vice president; percent of legislative vote -
100%
Legislative unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or
branch: Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected
directly from slates approved by special candidacy
commissions; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held
in 2008)
election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats -
PCC 609
Judicial People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular
branch: (president, vice president, and other judges are
elected by the National Assembly)
Political only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO
parties and Ruz, first secretary]
leaders:
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS,
organization IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO,
participation: ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal
participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss
representation Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Bernardo GUANCHE
in the US: Hernandez; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss
Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009;
telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521
Diplomatic none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the
representation Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Michael E.
from the US: PARMLY; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between
L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7)
833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required);
FAX: [53] (7) 833-3700; protecting power in Cuba is
Switzerland
Flag five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and
description: bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral
triangle based on the hoist side bears a white,
five-pointed star in the center
Economy
Economy - The government continues to balance the need for
overview: 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. The government in 2005
strengthened its controls over dollars coming into the
economy from tourism, remittances, and trade. External
financing has helped growth in the mining, oil,
construction, and tourism sectors.
GDP $40.06 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $39.51 billion
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 8% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $3,500 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 5.5%
composition by industry: 26.1%
sector: services: 68.4% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 4.6 million
note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2005
est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 21.2%
by occupation: industry: 14.4%
services: 64.4% (2004)
Unemployment 1.9% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 7% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 11.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $22.11 billion
expenditures: $23.65 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Agriculture - sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans;
products: livestock
Industries: sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel,
cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals
Industrial 5.1% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 15.65 billion kWh (2004)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 93.9%
production by hydro: 0.6%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 5.4% (2001)
Electricity - 13.27 billion kWh (2004)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 72,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 205,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 532 million bbl (1 January 2002)
reserves:
Natural gas - 704 million cu m (2004)
production:
Natural gas - 704 million cu m (2004)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2004)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2004)
imports:
Natural gas - 70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
proved
reserves:
Current $49 million (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $2.388 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus,
commodities: coffee
Exports - Netherlands 25.4%, Canada 20.7%, China 9.8%, Spain 6.8%
partners: (2005)
Imports: $6.916 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals
commodities:
Imports - China 14.9%, Spain 13.9%, Canada 8.6%, US 8.5%, Germany
partners: 7.4%, Italy 5.7%, Mexico 5.2%, Japan 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of $2.618 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $12.56 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20
external: billion owed to Russia (2005 est.)
Economic aid - $68.2 million (1997 est.)
recipient:
Currency Cuban peso (CUP) and Convertible peso (CUC)
(code):
Currency code: CUP (nonconvertible Cuban peso) and CUC (convertible
Cuban peso)
Exchange Convertible pesos per US dollar - 0.93
rates: note: Cuba has three currencies in circulation: the
Cuban peso (CUP), the convertible peso (CUC), and the
US dollar (USD), although the dollar is being withdrawn
from circulation; in April 2005 the official exchange
rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC
per $1), both for individuals and enterprises;
individuals can buy 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) for each CUC
sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC bought;
enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a
1:1 ratio.
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 849,900 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 134,500 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: greater investment beginning in
system: 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
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
international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable
laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth
station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Radio AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 3.9 million (1997)
Television 58 (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 2.64 million (1997)
Internet .cu
country code:
Internet 2,234 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 5 (2001)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 190,000
users: 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
Airports: 170 (2006)
Airports - total: 78
with paved over 3,047 m: 7
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 37 (2006)
Airports - total: 92
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 29
under 914 m: 62 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2006)
Railways: total: 4,226 km
standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km
electrified)
note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar
plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge;
the rest is narrow gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 60,858 km
paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)
unpaved: 31,038 km (1999)
Waterways: 240 km (2005)
Merchant total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 33,932 GRT/48,791
marine: DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1,
passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 17 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 2,
Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 11, Spain 1, unknown 1)
(2006)
Ports and Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas
terminals:
Military
Military Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR): Revolutionary Army
branches: (ER), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra
Revolucionaria, MGR), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense
Force (DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2005)
Military 17 years of age; both sexes are eligible for military
service age service (2004)
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 17-49: 2,967,865
available for females age 17-49: 2,913,559 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 17-49: 2,441,927
for military females age 17-49: 2,396,741 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 91,901
reaching females: 87,500 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $694 million (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 1.8% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Military - Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and
note: supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by
1993
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and
international: only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can
terminate the lease
Trafficking in current situation: Cuba is a source country for women
persons: and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual
exploitation and forced child labor; Cuba is a major
destination for sex tourism, which largely caters to
European, Canadian, and Latin American tourists and
involves large numbers of minors; there are reports
that Cuban women have been trafficked to Mexico for
sexual exploitation; forced labor victims also include
children coerced into working in commercial agriculture
tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with
the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do
so
Illicit drugs: 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