1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (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
Exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Land area
110,860 km2
Land boundaries
29.1 km; US Naval Base at Guantanamo 29.1 km 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%
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
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
110,860 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
17 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
Infant mortality rate
11 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
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)
Languages
Spanish
Life expectancy at birth
74 years male, 79 years female (1992)
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 (1992)
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
10,846,821 (July 1992), growth rate 1.0% (1992)
Religions
85% nominally Roman Catholic before Castro assumed power
Total fertility rate
1.8 children born/woman (1992)
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
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)
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; position vacant since March 1992; 2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610
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 (Tribunal Supremo Popular)
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, ILO, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National Assembly of the People's Power
last held December 1986 (next to be held before December 1992); results - PCC is the only party; seats - (510 total) indirectly elected
National holiday
Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)
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 (1970-89), $710 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $18.5 billion
Electricity
3,889,000 kW capacity; 16,272 million kWh produced, 1,516 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (linked to the US dollar)
Exports
$3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: sugar, nickel, medical products, shellfish, citrus, tobacco, coffee partners: former USSR 63%, China 6%, Canada 4%, Japan 4% (1991 est.)
External debt
$6.8 billion (convertible currency, July 1989)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$17 billion, per capita $1,580; real growth rate -20% (1991 est.)
Imports
$3.7 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: petroleum, capital goods, industrial raw materials, food partners: former USSR 47%, Spain 8%, China 6%, Argentina 5%, Italy 4%, Mexico 3% (1991 est.)
Industrial production
growth rate 0%; accounts for 45% of GDP (1989)
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 provided about two-thirds of export revenues in 1991, and over half was exported to the former Soviet republics. 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 5% largely as a result of declining trade with the former 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 and in industrial plants idled by falling imports from the former Soviet Union. Other investment priorities include sugar, basic foods, and nickel. The annual Soviet subsidy dropped from $4 billion in 1990 to about $1 billion in 1991 because of a lower price paid for Cuban sugar and a sharp decline in Soviet exports to Cuba. The former Soviet republics have indicated they will no longer extend aid to Cuba beginning in 1992. Instead of highly subsidized trade, Cuba has been shifting to trade at market prices in convertible currencies. Because of increasingly severe shortages of fuels, industrial raw materials, and spare parts, aggregate output dropped by one-fifth in 1991.
Communications
Airports
189 total, 167 usable; 73 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 18 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
88 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
77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 537,464 GRT/755,824 DWT; includes 46 cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo, 1 cargo/training, 11 petroleum tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 4 bulk; note - Cuba beneficially owns an additional 45 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 574,047 DWT under the registry of Panama, Cyprus, and Malta
Ports
Cienfuegos, Havana, Mariel, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba; 7 secondary, 35 minor
Railroads
12,947 km total; Cuban National Railways operates 5,053 km of 1.435-meter gauge track; 151.7 km electrified; 7,742 km of sugar plantation lines of 0.914-m and 1.435-m gauge
Telecommunications
broadcast 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 (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force[DAAFR]), Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense Special Troops, Border Guard Troops, Territorial Militia Troops, Youth Labor Army, Civil Defense, National Revolutionary Police
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $1.2-1.4 billion, 6% of GNP (1989 est.)
Manpower availability
eligible 15-49, 6,130,641; of the 3,076,276 males 15-49, 1,925,648 are fit for military service; of the 3,054,365 females 15-49, 1,907,281 are fit for military service; 97,973 males and 94,514 females reach military age (17) annually