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Destination : CUBA

The Cuban Archipelago is located in the Caribbean Sea, just beside the Tropic of Cancer, and right at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, between North and South America. It is 140 km (87 miles) from the Bahamas, 146 km (91 miles) from Jamaica, 180 km (112 miles) from Florida, and 210 km (131 miles) from Cancun. Cuba itself is the largest island in the West Indies with a surface area of 110,922 square kilometers (42,827 miles2); the archipelago includes the island of Cuba, the Isle of Youth (also known as Isle of Pines), and about 4,195 quays and islets, 200 bays and 298 beaches. Cuba is a land of two colours, blue - in diaphanous skies and sea that shades from pale turquoise through lapis lazuli to midnight blue - and the variegated green of tropical flora - some 8,000 verdant species. The fragrant white-petaled butterfly jasmine, brought from southeast Asia, is the national flower and a favourite hair adornment for Cuban women.
The information about Cuba in the CIA worldfactbook states : Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron will 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 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually, in 1990. Havana blames its difficulties on the US embargo in place since 1962.

The country itself promotes its tourist vocation.

Cuba is also characterized by several mountain chains: Cordillera de Guaniguanico in the west, Sierra del Escambray in the central region, Sierra Maestra in the east. The population of Cuba is approximately 11,000,000 inhabitants. Havana is the capital, with almost 3,000,000 residents. The Republic of Cuba is divided into fourteen provinces and the special municipality of the Isle of Youth. The provinces are Pinar del Rio, La Habana, Ciudad de La Habana (the City of Havana), Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo.

Cuba has a tropical climate, but with no extreme temperatures since it is cooled by the gentle breezes of the trade winds. It has two clearly defined seasons, the rainy season from May to October and the dry season from November to April. There are an average of 330 sunny days per year. The average temperature is 25.5 degrees Celsius (78O F). January is the coolest month and July is the warmest. The average temperature of the coastal waters is 25 degrees Celsius (77O F) in winter and 28 degrees Celsius (83O F) in summer. The average relative humidity is 78%. The average yearly rainfall is 1,515 mm (59 in). The driest months are August and December. Spanish is the official language of Cuba.

Royal palm trees, coconut palms, sugarcane, and tropical fruit trees are all very common on the island. Cuba features some of the richest insular flora in the world. More than 50% is endemic. There are no animals that represent a danger to human beings. There are about 900 kinds of fish, 4,000 kinds of mollusks, and 400 kinds of birds. The colorful Cuban trogons, flamingos, and parrots attract the visitor's attention.

Christopher Columbus arrived in Cuba on October 27, 1492, somewhere around Cayo Bariay (Holguin), whose natural beauty made him exclaim: "It is the most beautiful...[island]!" The processes of conquest and colonization were initiated early in the sixteenth century by Diego Velázquez, who was the founder of the first seven townships: Baracoa, Bayamo, Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, Puerto Principe (today's Camaguey), and San Cristóbal de La Habana.

After the extermination of the native population, slave traders began to import Africans, who represent the second largest component of the Cuban nationality, which came into existence, so to speak, in the nineteenth century. The history of the island was marked by ongoing struggles for independence, beginning with the War of Independence of 1868 continuing through the most recent revolutionary endeavors of the present century, and reaching a climax with the victory of the Revolution on January 1, 1959.

Sugarcane and its related industries form the fundamental basis of Cuba's economy. Other traditional crops include tobacco, citrus fruit, coffee, and other minor agricultural produce. Nickel mining is important because Cuba has the world's largest open-pit ore deposits. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical industrial products, now in full development, have become a promising export commodity. The fishing industry is also important. Cuban crustaceans, such as lobsters and shrimp, have won international fame and recognition. Other main Cuban products are rum, honey, cocoa, refractory chromium, manganese, asphalt, marble, cement, agave and its by-products, rayon, and raw hides and leather. Tourism offers promising perspectives, and its growth represents an important basis for the future development of Cuba. Other main export commodities from Cuba are crude and refined cane sugar, nickel oxide, fish and crustaceans, citrus products, rum and alcohol, leaf tobacco (for cigar wrappers) and cigars, marble, and leather articles.

The capital of Cuba is Havana. With a population of 2.176.653 inhabitants, 3,006 inhabitants per square kilometer, the City of Havana limits to the north with the Strait of Florida, and to the south, east and west with Havana province. Its surface is 727.4 square kilometers and is the smallest province in the island. Annual mean temperature is between 25ºC and 26ºC, average rainfalls reach between 1200 and 1400 mm. The industrial branch plays a key role in Cuban economy with tobacco and footwear factories, brewery, oil refinery, biotechnology and others.The City of Havana is the capital of Cuba and has a great political and administrative importance. Leaderships of the State organs are located here, as well as scientific, cultural and political institutions.

The second most important city is Santiago de Cuba. With a population of approximately 1.017.040 inhabitants and 165 inhabitants per square kilometer, it limits to the north with Holguín;
to the south with the Caribbean Sea; to the east with Guantánamo; and to the west with Granma. Its mean annual temperature is between 24º and 28ºC and average rainfalls between 1,200 and 1,400 mm annually. This is the second important province in the country. Agriculture is the predominant resource of the province. Its main production is sugarcane, followed by citrus, fruits and coffee. It has a number of sugarcane mills, an oil refinery, cement factory, brewery and rum, among others. Its harbor, one of the most important harbors in the country, receives a great number of vessels with a remarkable flow of merchandises.The oldest house in Cuba was built in 1516 in Santiago and was the home of Diego Velazquez, the island's first Governor. From its balcony, Velazquez watched Hernando Cortes sail off to conquer Mexico. Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago is the final resting place of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti. But the city's greatest monument is its people, with their mulatto culture enriched by centuries of racial fusion. French and Haitian emigrants for example, fled from the Haitian revolution and settled in Santiago, bringing their music and dance in the form of La Tumba Francesa, part of the incomparable carnival celebrations that have maintained their original character. Santiago has always been a city of open doors. In the words of poet Waldo Leyva, "This is Santiago de Cuba; nothing should surprise you."