Cuba

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

• air and water pollution;
• biodiversity loss;
• deforestation

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

0-14 years:

20% (male 1,163,741; female 1,102,391)

15-64 years:

69.8% (male 3,949,197; female 3,948,196)

65 years and over:

10.1% (male 528,162; female 617,077) (2004 est.)

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:

0.86 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

noun:

Cuban(s)

adjective:

Cuban

• illicit migration is a continuing problem;
• Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas;
• some 2,500 Cubans took to the Straits of Florida in 2002;
• the US Coast Guard interdicted about 60% of these migrants;
• Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US;
• some 1,500 Cubans arrived overland via the southwest border and direct flights to Miami in 2002

conventional long form:

Republic of Cuba

conventional short form:

Cuba

local long form:

Republica de Cuba

local short form:

Cuba

• 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 Day, 10 December (1898);
• note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration;
• Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)

chief of state:

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); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

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); 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 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008)

election results:

• Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president;
• percent of legislative vote - 100%;
• Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president;
• percent of legislative vote - 100%

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

• none;
• note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer James C. CASON;
• 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) 833-3700;
• protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland

• 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;
• design influenced by the US flag

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

• Cuban pesos per US dollar - 1.0000 (nonconvertible, official rate, for international transactions, pegged to the US dollar);
• convertible peso sold for domestic use at a rate of 27 pesos per US dollar by the Government of Cuba (2002)

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;
• cellular service, initially restricted, was opened to public access in 2003

domestic:

• national fiber-optic system scheduled to be completed by end of 2003;
• 85% of switches digitized by end of 2002 with entire system by end 2003;
• telephone line density remains low;
• cellular service expanding

international:

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

total:

4,226 km

standard gauge:

4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified)

note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2003)

total:

60,858 km

paved:

29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)

unpaved:

31,038 km (1999 est.)

total:

13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 54,818 GRT/81,850 DWT

by type:

bulk 3, cargo 4, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2

registered in other countries:

35 (2004 est.)

males age 15-49:

3,134,622

females age 15-49:

3,075,534 (2004 est.)

males age 15-49:

1,929,370

females age 15-49:

1,888,498 (2004 est.)

males:

83,992

females:

91,901 (2004 est.)

• territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for cocaine and heroin bound for the US and Europe;
• established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999