06-25-12 by Emmanuel Besserve
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.
Capital: Havana
Population: 11,075,244 (July 2011 est.)
Currency: Cuban pesos (CUP)
Language: Spanish
Time zone: UTC-5
Government: Communist state
Chief of State: Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz
Exports:
Imports:
Unemployment rate:
Government Type: Communist state
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 Gen. Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008);
Note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
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
Elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 24 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
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
Land Boundaries:total: 29 km
US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
Note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba
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
Signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Languages: Spanish
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 portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. 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 2,656 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2007.
Source: The world factbook www.cia.gov
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