Cuba

Communist stateIndependence 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898

Cuba as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 120 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalHavana
LocationCaribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, 145 km south of Key West
1994

Every edition of Cuba

Populationas each edition published it
11.06 million July 1994 est. · 10.62m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.95% 1994 est. · 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
1.83 children per woman 1994 est. · 1.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
10.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 12 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,250 1993 est. · $1,370 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-10% 1993 est. · -15% in 1993

Geography

Caribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, 145 km south of Key West | (Florida)

24 fields
Coastline
3,735km
Land boundaries
29km
total · US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
Irrigated land
8,960sq km
(1989)

Location

Caribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, 145 km south of Key West (Florida)

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

110,860 sq km

land area

110,860 sq km

comparative area

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

note

Guantanamo is leased and as such remains part of Cuba

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

International disputes

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 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, petroleum

arable land

23%

permanent crops

6%

meadows and pastures

23%

forest and woodland

17%

other

31%

current issues

overhunting threatens wildlife populations; deforestation

natural hazards

averages one hurricane every other year

international agreements

  • party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
  • signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Note

largest country in Caribbean

People

21 fields
Population
11,064,344
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 0.95% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
16.59Death
6.52Net migration
-0.54

Ethnic divisions

mulatto 51%white 37%black 11%Chinese 1%
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

10.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

76.89 years

male

74.72 years

female

79.18 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Cuban(s)

adjective

Cuban

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 85% prior to Castro assuming power

Languages

Spanish

total population

94%

male

95%

female

93%

Labor force

4,620,800 economically active population (1988); 3,578,800 in state sector

by occupation

services and government 30%, industry 22%, agriculture 20%, commerce 11%, construction 10%, transportation and communications 7% (June 1990)

Government

Communist state

30 fields

conventional long form

Republic of Cuba

conventional short form

Cuba

local long form

Republica de Cuba

local short form

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)

National holiday

Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)

Constitution

24 February 1976

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

chief of state and head of government

President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (Prime Minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; 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)

cabinet

Council of Ministers; proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly

National Assembly of People's Power

  • (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) elections last held February 1993;
  • seats - 589 total, indirectly elected from slates approved by special candidacy commissions

Judicial branch

People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular)

Political parties and leaders

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

Member of

CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Principal Officer Alfonso FRAGA Perez (since August 1992) represented by the Cuban Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Washington, DC

chancery

2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, US Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, Washington, DC 20009

telephone

(202) 797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610

chief of mission

Principal Officer Joseph SULLIVAN

US Interests Section

USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada Entre L y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana

mailing address

use street address

telephone

33-3351 or 33-3543

FAX

no service available at this time

note

protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland - US Interests Section, Swiss Embassy

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

Cuba's heavily statist economy remains in a severe depression as a | result of the loss of massive amounts of economic aid from the former | Soviet Bloc.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,250
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
-10%
(1993 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate NA%
External debt
$6.8billion
(convertible currency, July 1989)

Overview

Cuba's heavily statist economy remains in a severe depression as a result of the loss of massive amounts of economic aid from the former Soviet Bloc. In 1989-93, GDP declined by about 40% and import capability fell by about 80%. Reduced imports of fuel, spare parts, and chemicals combined with rainy weather to cut the production of sugar - the country's top export - from 7 million tons in 1992 to 4.3 million tons in 1993, causing a loss of more than $400 million in export revenue.

The government implemented several measures designed to stem the economic decline, e.g., legalizing the use of foreign currency by Cuban citizens in August 1993 in an attempt to increase remittances of foreign exchange from abroad. Authorities in September 1993 began permitting self-employment in over 100 mostly service occupations.

Also in September the government broke up many state farms into smaller, more autonomous cooperative units in an attempt to increase worker incentives and boost depressed food production levels. Fuel shortages persisted throughout 1993; draft animals and bicycles continued to replace motor-driven vehicles, and the use of electricity by households and factories was cut from already low levels.

With the help of foreign investment, tourism has been one bright spot in the economy, with arrivals and earnings reaching record highs in 1993. Government officials have expressed guarded optimism for 1994, as the country struggles to achieve sustainable economic growth at a much-reduced standard of living.

National product

GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $13.7 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$12.46 billion

expenditures

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

Exports

$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

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

partners

Russia 28%, Canada 9%, China 5%, Ukraine 5%, Japan 4%, Spain 4% (1993 est.)

Imports

$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)

commodities

petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals

partners

Venezuela 20%, China 9%, Spain 9%, Mexico 7%, Italy 4%, Canada 7%, France 8% (1993 est.)

capacity

3,889,000 kW

production

16.248 billion kWh

consumption per capita

1,500 kWh (1992)

Industries

sugar milling and refining, 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);
  • sector hurt by growing shortages of fuels and parts

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine bound for the US

recipient

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

Currency

1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (non-convertible, official rate, linked to the US dollar)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

15 fields

Railroads

  • 12,795 km total;
  • Cuban National Railways operates 5,053 km of 1.435-meter gauge track, including 151.7 km electrified;
  • in addition, sugar plantation lines consist of 7,742 km of 0.914-meter and 1.435-meter gauge track

total

26,477 km

paved

14,477 km

unpaved

gravel or earth 12,000 km (1989)

Ports

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

Merchant marine

64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 444,038 GRT/627,741 DWT, bulk 2, cargo 36, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 4, oil tanker 10, passenger cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 10

note

Cuba beneficially owns an additional 34 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 529,090 DWT under the registry of Panama, Cyprus, and Malta

total

187

usable

167

with permanent-surface runways

73

with runways over 3,659 m

3

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

12

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

19

Telecommunications

  • among the world's least developed telephone systems;
  • 229,000 telephones;
  • telephone density - 20.7 per 1,000 persons;
  • broadcast stations - 150 AM, 5 FM, 58 TV;
  • 1,530,000 TVs;
  • 2,140,000 radios;
  • 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

4 fields

Branches

Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) - including ground forces, Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Militia Troops (MTT), Youth Labor Army (EJT), and Interior Ministry Border Guard Troops

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 3,064,898;
  • females age 15-49 3,088,810;
  • males fit for military service 1,907,396;
  • females fit for military service 1,927,306;
  • males reach military age (17) annually 81,536 (1994 est.);
  • females reach military age (17) annually 78,612 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - approx. $600 million, 4% of GSP (gross social product) in 1993 was for defense

Note

Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off military aid by 1993

Central Intelligence Agency. “Cuba.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cuba/1994.

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