1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)
Coastline
3,735 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Disputes
US Naval Base at Guantanamo is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease
Environment
averages one hurricane every other year
Land boundary
29.1 km with US Naval Base at Guantanamo; note--Guantanamo is leased and as such remains part of Cuba
Land use
arable land 23%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and pastures 23%; forest and woodland 17%; other 31%; includes irrigated 10%
Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica
Note
largest country in Caribbean; 145 km south of Florida
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling plains with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast
Total area
110,860 km2; land area: 110,860 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
18 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
Infant mortality rate
12 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
3,578,800 in state sector; services and government 30%, industry 22%, agriculture 20%, commerce 11%, construction 10%, transportation and communications 7% (June 1990); economically active population 4,620,800 (1988)
Language
Spanish
Life expectancy at birth
73 years male, 78 years female (1991)
Literacy
94% (male 95%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Cuban(s); adjective--Cuban
Net migration rate
- 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
Workers Central Union of Cuba (CTC), only labor federation approved by government; 2,910,000 members; the CTC is an umbrella organization composed of 17 member unions
Population
10,732,037 (July 1991), growth rate 1.0% (1991)
Religion
85% nominally Roman Catholic before Castro assumed power
Total fertility rate
1.9 children born/woman (1991)
Government
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
Capital
Havana
Communists
about 600,000 full and candidate members
Constitution
24 February 1976
Diplomatic representation
none; protecting power in the US is Switzerland--Cuban Interests Section; Counselor Jose Antonio ARBESU Fraga; 2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610; US--protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland--US Interests Section; Principal Officer Alan H. FLANIGAN; Calzada entre L y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana (mailing address is USINT, c/o International Purchasing Group, 2052 NW 93rd Avenue, Miami, FL 33172); telephone 329-700
Elections
National Assembly of the People's Power--last held NA December 1986 (next to be held December 1991); results--PCC is the only party; seats--(510 total) PCC 510 (indirectly elected)
Executive branch
president of the Council of State, first vice president of the Council of State, Council of State, president of the Council of Ministers, first vice president of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers
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
Independence
20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902)
Judicial branch
People's Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (became Prime Minister in February 1959 and 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)
Legal system
based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly of the People's Power (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular)
Long-form name
Republic of Cuba
Member of
CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, IFAD, IIB, ILO, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Revolution Day, 1 January (1959)
Political parties and leaders
only party--Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary
Suffrage
universal at age 16
Type
Communist state
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 11% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); 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)
Budget
revenues $12.46 billion; expenditures $14.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Currency
Cuban peso (plural--pesos); 1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos
Economic aid
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $695 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $18.5 billion
Electricity
3,890,000 kW capacity; 16,267 million kWh produced, 1,530 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1--1.0000 (linked to the US dollar)
Exports
$5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--sugar, nickel, shellfish, citrus, tobacco, coffee; partners--USSR 67%, GDR 6%, China 4% (1988)
External debt
$6.8 billion (convertible currency, July 1989)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$20.9 billion, per capita $2,000; real growth rate - 3% (1990 est.)
Imports
$8.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--capital goods, industrial raw materials, food, petroleum; partners--USSR 71%, other Communist countries 15% (1988)
Industrial production
3% (1988); accounts for 45% of GDP
Industries
sugar milling, petroleum refining, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals (particularly nickel), cement, fertilizers, consumer goods, agricultural machinery
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
NA%
Overview
The economy, centrally planned and largely state owned, is highly dependent on the agricultural sector and foreign trade. Sugar provides about 75% of export revenues and over half is exported to the USSR. The economy has stagnated since 1985 under policies that have deemphasized material incentives in the workplace, abolished farmers' informal produce markets, and raised prices of government-supplied goods and services. In 1990 the economy probably fell 3%, largely as a result of declining trade with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Recently the government has been trying to increase trade with Latin America and China. Cuba has had difficulty servicing its foreign debt since 1982. The government currently is encouraging foreign investment in tourist facilities. Other investment priorities include sugar, basic foods, and nickel. The annual $4 billion Soviet subsidy, a main prop to Cuba's threadbare economy, is likely to show a substantial decline over the next few years in view of the USSR's mounting economic problems. Instead of highly subsidized trade, Cuba will be shifting to trade at market prices in convertible currencies. In early 1991, the shortages of fuels, spare parts, and industrial products in general had become so severe as to amount to a deindustrialization process in the eyes of some observers.
Unemployment
6% overall, 10% for women (1989)
Communications
Airports
205 total, 176 usable; 75 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 25 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
59 major transport aircraft
Highways
26,477 km total; 14,477 km paved, 12,000 km gravel and earth surfaced (1989 est.)
Inland waterways
240 km
Merchant marine
87 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 638,462 GRT/925,380 DWT; includes 54 cargo, 9 refrigerated cargo, 2 cargo/training, 12 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 6 bulk; note--Cuba beneficially owns an additional 37 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 512,346 DWT under the registry of Panama, Cyprus, and Malta
Ports
Cienfuegos, Havana, Mariel, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba; 7 secondary, 35 minor
Railroads
14,925 km total; Cuban National Railways operates 5,295 km of 1.435-meter gauge track; 199 km electrified; 9,630 km of sugar plantation lines of 0.914-1.435-meter gauge
Telecommunications
stations--150 AM, 5 FM, 58 TV; 1,530,000 TVs; 2,140,000 radios; 229,000 telephones; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Revolutionary Armed Forces (including Ground Forces, Revolutionary Navy, Air and Air Defense Force), Ministry of Interior Special Troops, Border Guard Troops, Territorial Militia Troops, Youth Labor Army, Civil Defense, National Revolutionary Police
Defense expenditures
$1.2-$1.4 billion, 6% of GNP (1989 est.) _%_
Manpower availability
eligible 15-49, 6,087,253; of the 3,054,158 males 15-49, 1,914,080 are fit for military service; of the 3,033,095 females 15-49, 1,896,449 are fit for military service; 89,194 males and 85,968 females reach military age (17) annually