Geographical position: Cuba is situated at the
entrance of the Gulf of Mexico, in the Caribbean Sea. The Republic
of Cuba is an archipelago formed by the Isle of Cuba, Isle of Youth
and by 4195 cays and islets which together make a surface of 110
922 km2. There are three large mountain ranges - Sierra de los
Órganos, Sierra del Escambray and Sierra Maestra. The
highest point of the country is the Pico Real del Turquino, 1 974
meters above the sea level. The longest river in Cuba is the Cauto,
with a length of 250 kilometers. Cuba is the largest island of the
West Indies.
Surface: 110.860 km2 and 1.220 km long
Population: 11,394,043 inhabitants (2008.)
Government system: Cuba is a totalitarian
communist state controlled by General Raul Castro and a cadre of
party loyalists. Raul Castro replaced his brother Fidel Castro as
chief of state, president of Cuba, and commander-in-chief of the
armed forces on February 24, 2008. The Council of Ministers is the
highest ranking executive and administrative body and constitutes
the government of the Republic of Cuba. Its membership consists of
the President of the Council of Ministers, the Secretary, the First
Vice President, and the five Vice Presidents of the Council of
State, the heads of the national ministries, and such other members
as established by law.
Official language and script: Spanish is
official language. Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in
the world.
Administration of the country: Administrative
divisions - 14 provinces and 1 special municipality; Camaguey,
Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma,
Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de Juventud, La Habana, Las Tunas,
Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa
Clara. Cuba is divided into fourteen provinces and a special
municipality according to the last Political-Administrative
Division of 1976. Each one of these provinces is subdivided into
municipalities and zones. So-called Popular Counsels or candidates
of the National, Provincial, and Municipal Assemblies of the
Popular Power run the zones.
Time zone: Standard time zone: UTC/GMT -5
hours. Daylight saving time: +1 hour.
Religion: Christianity is the main religion,
predominantly the Catholic denomination.
Capital: La Habana - with the population of
2,201,610 inhabitants.
Coastline: 2,321 miles
Highest peak: Pico Real del Turquino, 1974
meters above the sea level.
Climate: The climate in Cuba is moderate
subtropical. The eastern part of the country has a warmer climate
than the western part. There is always good weather in Cuba due to
tropical climate with a mean annual temperature of 25'C degrees.
Average temperature in summer is 25'C degrees and 22'C in winter.
The coldest months are December, January and February and the
hottest are July and August.
Currency: The Cuban peso (CUP). The national
currency is the Cuban Peso, which is equivalent to 100 centavos
(cents). Notes can be of 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 pesos. Coins
can be of 1, 5 and 20 centavos, and there are others of 1 and 3
pesos. At the Bureaus of Exchange (CADECA) created to sell - buy
Cuban Convertible Pesos, the exchange rate can vary now between
$20.00 and $25.00 Cuban pesos to the Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC).
The exchange rate to the American dollar is fixed $ 1.00 CUC - $
0.80 USD.
Credit cards: Visa and Mastercard which are not
issued by the American government can be used in Cuba. The best
option is having the cash. The signs are usually posted on the door
of each store but it would be best to check with the staff to see
if they accept credit cards before you make your purchases.
Electricity: The voltage in Cuba is generally
110 volts, even though in some outlets you may get 220 volts, and
they will be marked as such. US two prongs thin plug is the one
used in Cuba, English and European plugs are, unfortunately, very
hard to find.
Telephone code: To call Cuba you will need to
dial: Exit country code + 53 + city code + the number
Travel documentation: Valid passport for the
duration of the stay in Cuba plus one day after return date and a
tourist card are required for vacationers. Passport holders from
other countries with no embassies in Havana should travel with a
passport that has to be valid up to two months after the return
date.
Shopping: Cigars are Cuba's
most prized product. The word "Cubans" is synonymous with the
highest quality cigars on the planet. Locally, they are called
puros or habanos; the latter is the name of the country's official
cigar company. All of the various brands -- Partagas, Cohiba, Romeo
y Julieta, Punch, and so on -- are marketed by Habanos S.A. Cigars
not officially sold by Habanos fall into the various categories of
black- and gray-market stogies. Habanos markets its product through
a series of storefronts usually called something like La Casa de
Tabaco or La Casa del Habano. Official sales are also offered at
shops on location at most cigar factories, as well as at many
higher-end hotels, restaurants, and attractions around town.
Beware: Black- and gray-market cigars sold on the street or by
jineteros (hustlers) are more often than not falsely marked
lower-quality machine-made cigars. In addition to the high-fashion
shop mentioned, perhaps the most distinctive clothing items a
traveler can buy include T-shirts with the image of Che Guevara on
the front, and the revolutionary's signature green beret (boina)
with a little red star in front.
Music is one of Cuba's greatest exports. Many CDs
available in Cuba are also widely available abroad or via the
Internet. Most CDs in Cuba sell for between $10 and $15. After
cigars, rum is one of Cuba's signature products.
Cuba produces several fine rums. The most commonly sold brand,
Havana Club, comes in white and dark varieties of various vintages
and ages. The premier rum in Cuba is Havana Club's 15-year-old Gran
Reserva. This sells for anywhere from $75 to $100 per bottle.
However, their 7-year-old Anejo Reserva is a damn fine rum at
around $12 per bottle. Other good rums include Ron Varadero,
Matusalém, Ron Caney, Ron Santiago, and Ron Mulata.
Health: Cuba's health system is said to have
one of the world's most complete programs of primary attention, the
lowest of infantile mortality rate in Latin America and free
services for all the people.
National holidays:
| January 1st: |
Triumph of the Revolution
(Triunfo de la Revolución) |
The day of the victory of the Revolution led by Fidel Castro in
1959 - after Fulgencio Batista fled the night before - which
established the present government in Cuba. |
| May 1st: |
Labour Day
(Día de los trabajadores) |
The international Labour Day. |
| July 25th: |
Day before the Commemoration of the Assault of the
Moncada garrison
(Day Before the Asalto al cuartel Moncada) |
| July 26th: |
Commemoration of the Assault of the Moncada
garrison
(Asalto al cuartel Moncada) |
The date after which the revolutionary movement (M 26-7) was
named. In the morning of July 26, 1953, some 160 men under the
command of Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada army garrison in
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba's second-largest city. Although this action
crushingly failed, it is seen as the beginning of the Castro-led
insurrection that expelled Fulgencio Batista. There are normally
two or three days public holiday together. |
| July 27th: |
Day after the Commemoration of the Assault of the
Moncada garrison
(Day after the Asalto al cuartel Moncada) |
| October 10th: |
Independence Day
(Día de la Independencia) |
This day in 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, "Father of
the Homeland", gave freedom to his slaves and started the
independence war against the Spanish colonial power, which led to
the Ten Years' War. |
| December 25th: |
Christmas
(Navidad) |
For decades Christmas was a normal working day in revolutionary
Cuba. The Christmas celebration (and the corresponding holiday) was
reinstalled in 1998 after Pope John Paul II visited Cuba. |