2015 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. Subsequently, the 1901 Platt Amendment to the Cuban constitution authorized the US to intervene in Cuba in the event of instability. 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 authoritarian 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 $4-6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its difficulties. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the US's southern border - is a continuing problem. In FY 2014, the US Coast Guard interdicted 2,111 Cuban nationals at sea, the highest number since FY 2008. Also in FY 2014, 24,289 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the US. As a result of efforts begun in December 2014 by President OBAMA to re-establishment diplomatic relations with the Cuban government, which were severed in January 1961, the United States and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries on 20 July 2015. Over the past decade, there has been growing communication with the Cuban government to address national interests.

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

392.6 cu m/yr (2010)

total

4.42 cu km/yr (22%/14%/65%)

Geographic coordinates

21 30 N, 80 00 W

Geography - note

largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

Irrigated land

8,703 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 28.5 km

note

Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba

total

28.5 km

Land use

arable land 33.8%; permanent crops 3.6%; permanent pasture 22.9%

agricultural land

60.3%

forest

27.3%

other

12.4% (2011 est.)

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

38.12 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

15.96% (male 904,800/female 855,309)

15-24 years

13.29% (male 752,160/female 714,384)

25-54 years

47.16% (male 2,620,536/female 2,581,344)

55-64 years

10.65% (male 562,207/female 612,438)

65 years and over

12.95% (male 639,515/female 788,740) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

9.9 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3.4% (2000)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

74.3% (2010/11)

Death rate

7.72 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

20%

potential support ratio

5% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

43.4%

youth dependency ratio

23.4%

Drinking water source

urban: 96.4% of population

rural: 89.8% of population

total: 94.9% of population

urban: 3.6% of population

rural: 10.2% of population

total: 5.1% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

12.8% of GDP (2010)

Ethnic groups

white 64.1%, mestizo 26.6%, black 9.3% (2012 est.)

Health expenditures

8.8% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.25% (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

100 (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

17,100 (2014 est.)

Hospital bed density

5.3 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

female

4.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

4.97 deaths/1,000 live births

total

4.63 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Spanish (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

80.84 years (2015 est.)

male

76.08 years

total population

78.39 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.8% (2015 est.)

male

99.9%

total population

99.8%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever (2013)

Major urban areas - population

HAVANA (capital) 2.137 million (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

39 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

Median age

female

41.3 years (2015 est.)

male

39.5 years

total

40.4 years

Nationality

adjective

Cuban

noun

Cuban(s)

Net migration rate

-3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

27.2% (2014)

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

Physicians density

6.72 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

11,031,433 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.15% (2015 est.)

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria

note

prior to CASTRO assuming power

Sanitation facility access

urban: 94.4% of population

rural: 89.1% of population

total: 93.2% of population

urban: 5.6% of population

rural: 10.9% of population

total: 6.8% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

14 years (2013)

male

13 years

total

14 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.81 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.47 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

5.6% (2010 est.)

male

6.4%

total

6.1%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.07% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

77.1% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

15 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Artemisa, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lighting

geographic coordinates

23 07 N, 82 21 W

name

Havana

time difference

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

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

yes

citizenship by descent

yes

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

unknown

Constitution

several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 February 1976, effective 24 February 1976; amended 1978, 1992, 2002 (2015)

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Cuba

conventional short form

Cuba

etymology

name derives from the Taino Indian designation for the island "coabana" meaning "great place"

local long form

Republica de Cuba

local short form

Cuba

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jeffrey DELAURENTIS (since 20 July 2015)

embassy

Calzada between L & M Streets, Vedado, Havana

FAX

NA

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[53] (7) 839-4100

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jose Ramon CABANAS Rodriguez (since 20 July 2015)

consulate(s) general

NA

FAX

NA

telephone

[1] (202) 797-8518

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly or the 28-member Council of State, and elected by the assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session

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 Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 24 February 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

election results

Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (PPC) reelected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100%; Miguel DIAZ-CANEL (PPC) Bermudez elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote- 100%

elections/appointments

president and vice presidents indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (no term limit); election last held on 24 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)

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 Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 24 February 2013)

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 law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ACP, ALBA, AOSIS, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC (national committees), 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, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

People's Supreme Court (consists of court president, vice president, 41 professional justices, and NA lay judges; organized into the "Whole," State Council, and criminal, civil, administrative, labor, crimes against the state, and military courts)

judge selection and term of office

professional judges elected by the National Assembly to serve 2.5-year terms; lay judges nominated by workplace collectives and neighborhood associations and elected by municipal or provincial assemblies; lay judges appointed for 5-year terms and serve up to 30 days per year

subordinate courts

People's Provincial Courts; People's Regional Courts; People's Courts

Legal system

civil law system based on Spanish civil code

Legislative branch

description

unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (614 seats; members directly elected by absolute majority in a modified two-round vote; members serve 5-year terms); note - the National Candidature Commission submits a slate of approved candidates who must obtain 50-percent of valid votes to be elected; if not, a byelection may be held or the seat remains vacant

election results

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

elections

last held on 3 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Pedro FIGUEREDO

name

"La Bayamesa" (The Bayamo Song)

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 by 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

National holiday

Triumph of the Revolution (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)

National symbol(s)

royal palm; national colors: red, white, blue

Political parties and leaders

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

Political pressure groups and leaders

Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation

Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White)

National Association of Small Farmers

Patriotic Union of Cuba

other

political dissidents and bloggers

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

expenditures

$1.994 billion (2013 est.)

revenues

$1.879 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.1% of GDP (2013 est.)

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

NA%

Current account balance

$1.996 billion (2014 est.)

-$1.042 billion (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$25.21 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$24.65 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Economy - overview

The government continues to balance the need for loosening its socialist economic system against a desire for firm political control. The government in April 2011 held the first Cuban Communist Party Congress in almost 13 years, during which leaders approved a plan for wide-ranging economic changes. Since then, the Cuban government has slowly and incrementally implemented limited economic reforms, including allowing Cubans to buy electronic appliances and cell phones, stay in hotels, and buy and sell used cars. As the Cuban government has cut state sector jobs as part of the reform process, it has opened up some retail services to "self-employment," leading to the rise of so-called "cuentapropistas" or entrepreneurs. Approximately 476,000 Cuban workers are currently registered as self-employed. Recent moves include permitting the private ownership and sale of real estate and new vehicles, allowing private farmers to sell agricultural goods directly to hotels, allowing the creation of non-agricultural cooperatives, adopting a new foreign investment law, and launching a “Special Development Zone” around the Mariel port. Despite these reforms, the average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting downturn of the 1990s. Since late 2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it supplied nearly 160,000 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. However, in 2013 Venezuela’s economic woes forced an estimated 24% reduction in oil exports to Cuba. This downward trend continued in 2014.

Exchange rates

Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar -

22.7 (2014 est.)

22.7 (2013 est.)

1 (2012 est.)

0.9847 (2011 est.)

0.9259 (2010 est.)

Exports

$5.187 billion (2014 est.)

$5.566 billion (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Venezuela 33.5%, Canada 15.9%, China 9.5%, Netherlands 4.5% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

22.2%

government consumption

32%

household consumption

54.8%

imports of goods and services

-18.4%

investment in fixed capital

9.4%

investment in inventories

0%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

4%

industry

22.4%

services

73.5% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$10,200 (2010 est.)

$10,000 (2009 est.)

$10,000 (2008 est.)

note

data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

1.3% (2014 est.)

2.7% (2013 est.)

3% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$77.15 billion

note

data are in Cuban Pesos at CUP 1 = US$ Official Exchange Rate (2013 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$128.5 billion (2014 est.)

$126.9 billion (2013 est.)

$123.5 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2012 US dollars

Gross national saving

13.2% of GDP (2014 est.)

12.8% of GDP (2013 est.)

13.7% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$14.7 billion (2014 est.)

$14.77 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

Venezuela 38.7%, China 9.8%, Spain 8.4%, Brazil 4.7%, Algeria 4.4% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

-2.9% (2014 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.3% (2014 est.)

6% (2013 est.)

Labor force

5.106 million

note

state sector 72.3%, non-state sector 27.7% (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

18%

industry

10%

services

72% (2013 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

32.1% of GDP (2014 est.)

32% of GDP (2013 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$11.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$11.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Stock of broad money

$24.63 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$24.08 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$4.138 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$NA

Stock of narrow money

$965.2 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$13.72 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

2.4% of GDP (2013 est.)

Unemployment rate

2.7% (2014 est.)

3.3% (2013 est.)

note

these are official rates; unofficial estimates are about double the official figures

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

25.99 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

74,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - imports

160,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - production

50,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

124 million bbl (1 January 2015 est.)

Electricity - consumption

16.2 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

99.3% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0.7% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0.1% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

6.055 million kW (2013 est.)

Electricity - production

19.14 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

1.034 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

1.034 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

170,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

15,080 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

24,640 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

92,660 bbl/day (2012 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 users

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" (2014 est.)

percent of population

27.5%

total

3 million

Radio broadcast stations

AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)

Telephone system

domestic

fixed-line density remains low at 10 per 100 inhabitants; mobile-cellular service expanding but remains only about 10 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; around 1.3 million Cubans owned cell phones in 2011; state communications started service of email to cell phones through nauta.cu accounts; Cuban Government has opened Internet cafes around the island, which are expensive and offer slow-speed connections

international

country code - 53; the ALBA-1 fiber-optic submarine cable links Cuba, Jamaica, and Venezuela; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

11 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

1.26 million

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

23 (2014 est.)

total

2.5 million

Television broadcast stations

58 (1997)

Airports

133 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

16

2,438 to 3,047 m

10

914 to 1,523 m

4

over 3,047 m

7

total

64

under 914 m

27 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

58 (2013)

914 to 1,523 m

11

total

69

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 1, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 1

registered in other countries

5 (Curacao 1, Panama 2, unknown 2) (2010)

total

3

Pipelines

gas 41 km; oil 230 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

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

Railways

narrow gauge

160 km 1.000-m gauge

note

82 km of standard gauge track is not for public use (2014)

standard gauge

8,125 km 1.435-m gauge (105 km electrified)

total

8,285 km

Roadways

paved

29,820 km (includes 639 km of expressways)

total

60,858 km

unpaved

31,038 km (2001)

Waterways

240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2011)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

2,919,107 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

2,998,201

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

2,375,590 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

2,446,131

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

69,108 (2010 est.)

male

72,823

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; the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment has increasingly affected operational capabilities (2013)

Military branches

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 (Defensas Anti-Aereas y Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria, DAAFAR); Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT) (2013)

Military service age and obligation

17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2012)

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)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Cuba is a source country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; child sex trafficking and child sex tourism occur in Cuba, while some Cubans are forced into prostitution in South America and the Caribbean; allegations have been made that some Cubans have been forced or coerced to work at Cuban medical missions abroad; assessing the scope of trafficking within Cuba is difficult because of the lack of information

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; Cuba’s penal code does not criminalize all forms of human trafficking, but the government reported that it is in the process of amending its criminal code to comply with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol, to which it acceded in 2013; the government in 2014 prosecuted and convicted 13 sex traffickers and provided services to the victims in those cases but does not have shelters specifically for trafficking victims; the government did not recognize forced labor as a problem and took no action to address it; state media produced newspaper articles and TV and radio programs to raise public awareness about sex trafficking (2015)