2010 Edition

Background

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source if its difficulties. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 982 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2009.

Area

land

109,820 sq km

total

110,860 sq km

water

1,040 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Climate

tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)

Coastline

3,735 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Pico Turquino 2,005 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation

Environment - international agreements

party to

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

728 cu m/yr (2000)

total

8.2 cu km/yr (19%/12%/69%)

Geographic coordinates

21 30 N, 80 00 W

Geography - note

largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

Irrigated land

8,700 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba

total

29 km

Land use

arable land

27.63%

other

65.83% (2005)

permanent crops

6.54%

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common

Natural resources

cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast

Total renewable water resources

38.1 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 18.3% (male 1,077,745/female 1,020,393) 15-64 years: 70.4% (male 4,035,691/female 4,030,103) 65 years and over: 11.2% (male 584,478/female 703,242) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

11.02 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

7.29 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

13.6% of GDP (2008)

Ethnic groups

white 65.1%, mulatto and mestizo 24.8%, black 10.1% (2002 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 100 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

6,200 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

5 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

6.39 deaths/1,000 live births

total

5.72 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Spanish (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

80.05 years (2010 est.)

male

75.36 years

total population

77.64 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.8% (2002 census)

male

99.8%

total population

99.8%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever (2009)

Median age

female

38.6 years (2010 est.)

male

37.1 years

total

37.8 years

Nationality

adjective

Cuban

noun

Cuban(s)

Net migration rate

-1.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

People - note

illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border

Population

11,477,459 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

0.217% (2010 est.)

Religions

nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

19 years (2009)

male

16 years

total

18 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population

0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.61 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

76% of total population (2008)

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

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

23 07 N, 82 21 W

name

Havana

time difference

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Cuba

conventional short form

Cuba

local long form

Republica de Cuba

local short form

Cuba

Diplomatic representation from the US

none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Chief of Mission Jonathan D. FARRAR; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-1653; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland

Diplomatic representation in the US

none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Jorge BOLANOS Suarez; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by the assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%

elections

president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held on 24 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013)

head of government

President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008)

Flag description

five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; the blue

bands refer to the three old divisions of the island

central, occidental, and oriental; the white bands describe the purity of the independence ideal; the triangle symbolizes liberty, equality, and fraternity, while the red color stands for the blood shed in the independence struggle; the white star, called La Estrella Solitaria (the Lone Star) lights the way to freedom and was taken from the flag of Texas note: design similar to the Puerto Rican flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed

Government type

Communist state

Independence

20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence

International organization participation

ACP, AOSIS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice presidents, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly)

Legal system

based on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legal concepts with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (number of seats in the National Assembly is based on population; 614 seats; members elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms)

election results

Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed

elections

last held on 20 January 2008 (next to be held in January 2013)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Pedro FIGUEREDO note: adopted 1940; Pedro FIGUEREDO first performed "La Bayamesa" in 1868 during the Ten Years War against the Spanish; a leading figure in the uprising, FIGUEREDO was captured in 1870 and executed in front of a firing squad; just prior to the fusillade he is reputed to have shouted, "Morir por la Patria es vivir" (To die for the country is to live), a line from the anthem

name

"La Bayamesa" (The Bayamo Song)

National holiday

Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January (1959)

Political parties and leaders

Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Human Rights Watch; National Association of Small Farmers

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

NA%

Current account balance

-$87 million (2010 est.) $539 million (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$19.75 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $19.42 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Economy - overview

The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. The government announced it would eliminate 500,000 state jobs by March 2011 and has expanded opportunities for self-employment. President CASTRO said such changes were needed to update the economic model to ensure the survival of socialism. It has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. Since late 2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it currently supplies about 100,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela including some 30,000 medical professionals.

Electricity - consumption

13.93 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

16.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar - 0.9259 (2010), 0.9259 (2009), 0.9259 (2008), 0.9259 (2007), 0.9231 (2006)

Exports

$3.311 billion (2010 est.) $2.879 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee

Exports - partners

China 25.68%, Canada 20.31%, Spain 6.79%, Netherlands 4.53% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

4.2%

industry

22.7%

services

72.9% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$9,900 (2010 est.) $9,800 (2009 est.) $9,700 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

1.5% (2010 est.) 1.4% (2009 est.) 4.1% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$57.49 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$114.1 billion (2010 est.) $112.4 billion (2009 est.) $110.8 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$10.25 billion (2010 est.) $8.91 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

Venezuela 30.51%, China 15.48%, Spain 8.3%, US 6.87% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

0.8% (2010 est.)

Industries

sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.7% (2010 est.) -0.5% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

10.5% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

5.164 million note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

20%

industry

19.4%

services

60.6% (2005)

Natural gas - consumption

400 million cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

400 million cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

169,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

104,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

48,340 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

178.9 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

34.4% of GDP (2010 est.) 34.7% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$4.847 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $4.647 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$35.92 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $35.61 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$4.138 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$NA

Stock of narrow money

$11.57 billion (31 December 2010 est) $11.74 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

2% (2010 est.) 1.7% (2009 est.)

Broadcast media

government owns and controls all broadcast media with private ownership of electronic media prohibited; government operates 4 national TV networks and many local TV stations; government operates 6 national radio networks, an international station, and many local radio stations; Radio-TV Marti is beamed from the US (2007)

Internet country code

.cu

Internet hosts

3,025 (2010)

Internet users

1.606 million note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet" (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

fixed-line density remains low at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; mobile-cellular service expanding but remains less than 5 per 100 persons

general assessment

greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of switches digitized by end of 2006; mobile-cellular telephone service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos, which effectively limits subscribership

international

country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

1.168 million (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

443,000 (2009)

Airports

136 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

65 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 27 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

71 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 58 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 2, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 2

registered in other countries

6 (Cyprus 1, former Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 4) (2010)

total

5

Pipelines

gas 41 km; oil 230 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Antilla, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Nuevitas Bay, Santiago de Cuba, Tanamo

Railways

narrow gauge

276 km 1.000-gauge note: 4,533 km of the track is used by sugar plantations; 4,257 km is standard gauge; 276 km is narrow gauge (2006)

standard gauge

8,322 km 1.435-m gauge (176 km electrified)

total

8,598 km

Roadways

paved

29,820 km (includes 638 km of expressway)

total

60,858 km

unpaved

31,038 km (2000)

Waterways

240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2010)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 3,078,049 females age 16-49: 3,004,713 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 2,516,543 females age 16-49: 2,450,902 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

70,445 (2010 est.)

male

74,084

Military - note

the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban military of its major economic and logistic support and had a significant impact on the state of Cuban equipment; the army remains well trained and professional in nature; while the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment has increasingly affected operational capabilities, Cuba remains able to offer considerable resistance to any regional power (2010)

Military expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation

17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2006)

Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR)

Revolutionary Army (Ejercito Revolucionario, ER, includes Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT)); Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR, includes Marine Corps); Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT) (2010)

Disputes - international

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease

Illicit drugs

territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 (2008) page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Cuba is principally a source country for children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically commercial sexual exploitation within the country; the scope of trafficking within Cuba is difficult to gauge due to the closed nature of the government and sparse non-governmental or independent reporting

tier rating

Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; in a positive step, the Government of Cuba shared information about human trafficking and its efforts to address the issue; the government did not prohibit all forms of trafficking during the reporting period, nor did it provide specific evidence that it prosecuted and punished trafficking offenders, protected victims of all forms of trafficking, or implemented victim protection policies or programs to prevent human trafficking (2010)