CUBA
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CUBA
@Cuba:Geography
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
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CUBA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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HAVANA 2,059,000 23.07N, 82.25W 53- GMT-5
Santiago de Cuba 390,000 20.00N, 75.49W 53- GMT-5
Camagey 275,000 21.25N, 77.55W 53- GMT-5
Holguin 218,000 20.54N, 76.15W 53- GMT-5
Guant namo 193,000 19.59N, 75.10W 53- GMT-5
Santa Clara 188,000 22.25N, 79.58W 53- GMT-5
Bayamo 119,000 20.23N, 76.39W 53- GMT-5
Cienfuegos 116,000 22.10N, 80.27W 53- GMT-5
Pinar del Rio 112,000 22.24N, 83.42W 53- GMT-5
Las Tunas 111,000 20.58N, 76.59W 53- GMT-5
Matanzas 110,000 23.04N, 81.35W 53- GMT-5
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Area:
total area: 110,860 sq km
land area: 110,860 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: total 29 km, US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part
of Cuba
Coastline: 3,735 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to
US and only mutual agreement or US 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
Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt,
timber, silica, petroleum
Land use:
arable land: 23%
permanent crops: 6%
meadows and pastures: 23%
forest and woodland: 17%
other: 31%
Irrigated land: 8,960 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: pollution of Havana Bay; overhunting threatens
wildlife populations; deforestation
natural hazards: the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August
to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every
other year); droughts are common
international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified -
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Marine Life
Conservation
Note: largest country in Caribbean
@Cuba:People
Population: 10,937,635 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (female 1,191,320; male 1,256,928)
15-64 years: 68% (female 3,732,434; male 3,751,464)
65 years and over: 10% (female 528,104; male 477,385) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.65% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 14.54 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 6.53 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.05 years
male: 74.86 years
female: 79.37 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.63 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Cuban(s)
adjective: Cuban
Ethnic divisions: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 85% prior to Castro assuming power
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: age 15-49 and over can read and write (1981)
total population: 98%
Labor force: 4,620,800 economically active population (1988);
3,578,800 in state sector
by occupation: services and government 30%, industry 22%, agriculture
20%, commerce 11%, construction 10%, transportation and communications
7% (June 1990)
@Cuba:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba
local short form: Cuba
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 US 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:
chief of state and 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, appointed by the National Assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly of People's Power: (Asamblea Nacional del Poder
Popular) elections last held February 1993 (next to be held NA); seats
- 589 total, elected directly from slates approved by special
candidacy commissions
Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular)
Political parties and leaders: only party - Cuban Communist Party
(PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary
Member of: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, 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, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Principal Officer Alfonso FRAGA PEREZ (since August
1992) represented by the Cuban Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy
in Washington, DC
chancery: 2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, Cuban Interests Section, Swiss
Embassy, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 797-8609, 8610, 8615
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Principal Officer Joseph G. SULLIVAN
US Interests Section: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada Entre L Y M,
Vedado Seccion, Havana
mailing address: use street address
telephone: 33-3551 through 3559, 33-3543 through 3547, 33-3700
(operator assistance required)
FAX: Telex 512206
note: protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland - US Interests Section,
Swiss Embassy
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: Cuba's heavily statist economy remains severely depressed as
the result of its own inefficiencies and the loss of massive amounts
of economic aid from the former Soviet Bloc. Total output in 1994 was
only about half the output of 1989. The fall in output and in imports
is reflected in the deterioration of food supplies, shortages of
electricity, inability to get spare parts, and the replacement of
motor-driven vehicles by bicycles and draft animals. Higher world
market prices for sugar and nickel in 1994, however, resulted in a
slight increase in export earnings for the first time in six years,
despite lower production of both commodities. The growth of tourism
slowed in late 1994 as a result of negative publicity surrounding the
exodus of Cubans from the island and other international factors. The
government continued its aggressive search for foreign investment and
announced preliminary agreements to form large joint ventures with
Mexican investors in telecommunications and oil refining. In mid-1994,
the National Assembly began introducing several new taxes and price
increases to stem growing excess liquidity and restore some of the
peso's value as a monetary instrument. In October the government
attempted to stimulate food production by permitting the sale of any
surplus production (over state quotas) at unrestricted prices at
designated markets. Similar but much smaller markets were also
introduced for the sale of manufactured goods in December. The various
government measures have influenced a remarkable appreciation of the
black market value of the peso, from more than 100 pesos to the dollar
in September 1994 to 40 pesos to the dollar in early 1995. Policy
discussions continue in the bureaucracy over the proper pace and scope
of economic reform.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $14 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 0.4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,260 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $9.3 billion
expenditures: $12.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1994 est.)
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: sugar, nickel, shellfish, tobacco, medical products,
citrus, coffee
partners: Russia 15%, Canada 9%, China 8%, Egypt 6%, Spain 5%, Japan
4%, Morocco 4% (1994 est.)
Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals
partners: Spain 17%, Mexico 10%, France 8%, China 8%, Venezuela 7%,
Italy 4%, Canada 3%, (1994 est.)
External debt: $10.8 billion (convertible currency, December 1993)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 3,990,000 kW
production: 12 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 1,022 kWh (1993)
Industries: sugar milling and refining, petroleum refining, food and
tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products,
metals (particularly nickel), cement, fertilizers, consumer goods,
agricultural machinery
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:
recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $710 million; Communist countries (1970-89),
$18.5 billion
Currency: 1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (non-convertible,
official rate, linked to the US dollar)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Cuba:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 12,623 km
standard gauge: 4,881 km 1.435-m gauge (151.7 km electrified)
other: 7,742 km 0.914- and 1.435-m gauge for sugar plantation lines
Highways:
total: 26,477 km
paved: 14,477 km
unpaved: gravel or earth 12,000 km (1989)
Inland waterways: 240 km
Ports: Cienfuegos, La Habana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas,
Santiago de Cuba
Merchant marine:
total: 48 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 278,103 GRT/396,138 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 22, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas
tanker 4, oil tanker 10, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 9
note: Cuba beneficially owns an additional 24 ships (1,000 GRT or
over) totaling 215,703 DWT under the registry of Panama, Cyprus,
Malta, and Mauritius
Airports:
total: 181
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 7
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 10
with paved runways under 914 m: 106
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 36
@Cuba:Communications
Telephone system: 229,000 telephones; 20.7 telephones/1,000 persons;
among the world's least developed telephone systems
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 150, FM 5, shortwave 0
radios: 2.14 million
Television:
broadcast stations: 58
televisions: 1.53 million
@Cuba: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 3,065,751; females age 15-49
3,023,997; males fit for military service 1,909,901; females fit for
military service 1,878,768; males reach military age (17) annually
72,582; females reach military age (17) annually 69,361 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - 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 military aid by 1993
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