Cuba

Communist stateIndependence 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898)

Cuba as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 72 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalHavana
Area110,860 km2
1992

Every edition of Cuba

Populationas each edition published it
10.85 million July 1992 · 10.62m in 1990
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 1% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 34.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 76.72 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.8 children per woman 1992 · 1.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
11 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 12 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $1,370 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition -15% in 1993

Geography

13 fields
Total area
110,860km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Coastline
3,735km
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
29.1km
US Naval Base at Guantanamo 29.1 kmnote: Guantanamo is leased and as such remains part of Cuba

Land area

110,860 km2

Disputes

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

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

Natural resources

cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica

Land use

  • arable land 23%;
  • permanent crops 6%;
  • meadows and pastures 23%;
  • forest and woodland 17%;
  • other 31%;
  • includes irrigated 10%

Environment

averages one hurricane every other year

Note

largest country in Caribbean; 145 km south of Florida

People

14 fields
Population
10,846,821
(July 1992), growth rate 1.0% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth
17Death
6Net migration
-1

Ethnic divisions

mulatto 51%white 37%black 11%Chinese 1%
Literacy
94%
(male 95%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

11 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth

74 years male, 79 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate

1.8 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality

noun - Cuban(s); adjective - Cuban

Religions

85% nominally Roman Catholic before Castro assumed power

Languages

Spanish

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)

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

Government

Communist state

19 fields

Long-form name

Republic of Cuba

Type

Communist state

Capital

Havana

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

Independence

20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898); administered by the US from 1898 to 1902

Constitution

24 February 1976

National holiday

Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)

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

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly of the People's Power (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular)

Judicial branch

People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular)

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)

Political parties and leaders

only party - Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary

Suffrage

universal at age 16

Elections

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

Communists

about 600,000 full and candidate members

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

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
US:
  • protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland - US Interests Section, Swiss Embassy;
  • Principal Officer Alan H. FLANIGAN;
  • Calzada entre L Y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana (mailing address is USINT, Swiss Embassy, Havana, Calzada Entre L Y M, Vedado);
  • telephone 32-0051, 32-0543

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

Economy

The economy, centrally planned and largely state owned, is highly dependent | on the agricultural sector and foreign trade.

15 fields
External debt
$6.8billion
(convertible currency, July 1989)

Budget

Revenues
$12.46 billionExpenditures
$14.45 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

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.

GNP

$17 billion, per capita $1,580; real growth rate -20% (1991 est.)

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.)

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)

Electricity

3,889,000 kW capacity; 16,272 million kWh produced, 1,516 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

sugar milling, petroleum refining, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals (particularly nickel), cement, fertilizers, consumer goods, agricultural machinery

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)

Economic aid

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $710 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $18.5 billion

Currency

Cuban peso (plural - pesos); 1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (linked to the US dollar)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 77 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 46refrigerated cargo 10cargo/training 1petroleum tanker 11chemical tanker 1liquefied gas 4bulk; 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 477 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 537,464 GRT/755,824 DWT

Airports, 189 total, 167 usable

permanent-surface runways
73runways | over 3,659 m
3runways 2,440-3,659 m
12runways 1,220-2,439 m
18

Networkskm

Highways
26,477 (1989 est.)Railroads
12,947Inland waterways
240
Highways: ; 14,477 km paved, 12,000 km gravel and earth surfaced · Railroads: ; 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

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

Highways

26,477 km total; 14,477 km paved, 12,000 km gravel and earth surfaced (1989 est.)

Ports

Cienfuegos, Havana, Mariel, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba; 7 secondary, 35 minor

Civil air

88 major transport aircraft

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

Defense Forces

3 fields

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

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.2-1.4 billion, 6% of GNP (1989 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Cuba.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cuba/1992.

How to cite ← 1991 edition 1993 edition →