Cuba
Republic of CubaRepublica de Cuba
communist stateIndependence 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898
Cuba as the 2021 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 169 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 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 Spain in 1898 and, following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic 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. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office on 19 April 2018. DIAZ-CANEL was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party on 19 April 2021 following the resignation of Raul CASTRO.
The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4-6 billion annually. Cuba traditionally and consistently portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its difficulties. As a result of efforts begun in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Cuban Government, which were severed in January 1961, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries in July 2015. The embargo remains in place, and the relationship between the US and Cuba remains tense.
Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the US via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. On 12 January 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy – by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay. Illicit Cuban migration by sea has since dropped significantly, but land border crossings continue. In FY 2018, the US Coast Guard interdicted 312 Cuban nationals at sea. Also in FY 2018, 7,249 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the US.
Geography
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida
17 fieldsLand useshare of 110,860 sq km
Location
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida
Climate
- tropical;
- moderated by trade winds;
- dry season (November to April);
- rainy season (May to October)
Natural resources
cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land
Population distribution
large population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana
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
People and Society
36 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2020 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2021 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2012 est.)
Languages
Spanish (official); major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Christian 58.9%, folk religion 17.6%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, Muslim <1%, other <1%, none 23.2% (2020 est.)
note: folk religions include religions of African origin, spiritualism, and others intermingled with Catholicism or Protestantism; data is estimative because no authoritative source on religious affiliation exists in Cuba
Population distribution
large population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.08 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.95 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.83 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- intermediate (2020)
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
- vectorborne diseases:
- dengue fever
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 overland via the southwest border;
- the number of Cubans migrating to the US surged after the announcement of normalization of US-Cuban relations in late December 2014 but has decreased since the end of the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy on 12 January 2017
Environment
12 fieldsLand use(2018 est.)
Environment - current issues
- soil degradation and desertification (brought on by poor farming techniques and natural disasters) are the main environmental problems;
- biodiversity loss;
- deforestation;
- air and water pollution
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- Marine Life Conservation
Air pollutants
- particulate matter emissions:
- 18.37 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
- carbon dioxide emissions:
- 28.28 megatons (2016 est.)
- methane emissions:
- 9.3 megatons (2020 est.)
Climate
- tropical;
- moderated by trade winds;
- dry season (November to April);
- rainy season (May to October)
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 77.3% of total population (2021)
- rate of urbanization:
- 0.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- intermediate (2020)
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
- vectorborne diseases:
- dengue fever
Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually:
- 2,692,692 tons (2007 est.)
- municipal solid waste recycled annually:
- 255,536 tons (2015 est.)
- percent of municipal solid waste recycled:
- 9.5% (2015 est.)
Total water withdrawal
- municipal:
- 1.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
- industrial:
- 740 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
- agricultural:
- 4.519 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Government
Communist state; President Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 10 October 2019); Prime Minister Manuel MARRERO Cruz (since 21 December 2019)
21 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Cuba
- conventional short form:
- Cuba
- local long form:
- Republica de Cuba
- local short form:
- Cuba
- etymology:
- name derives from the Taino Indian designation for the island "coabana" meaning "great place"
Capital
- name:
- Havana
- geographic coordinates:
- 23 07 N, 82 21 W
- time difference:
- UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- 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
- etymology:
- the sites of Spanish colonial cities often retained their original Taino names;
- Habana, the Spanish name for the city, may be based on the name of a local Taino chief, HABAGUANEX
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
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
Constitution
- history:
- several previous; latest drafted 14 July 2018, approved by the National Assembly 22 December 2018, approved by referendum 24 February 2019
- amendments:
- proposed by the National Assembly of People’s Power;
- passage requires approval of at least two-thirds majority of the National Assembly membership;
- amendments to constitutional articles on the authorities of the National Assembly, Council of State, or any rights and duties in the constitution also require approval in a referendum;
- constitutional articles on the Cuban political, social, and economic system cannot be amended
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth:
- yes
- citizenship by descent only:
- yes
- dual citizenship recognized:
- no
- residency requirement for naturalization:
- unknown
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 10 October 2019);
- Vice President Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (since 10 October 2019);
- note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Manuel MARRERO Cruz (since 21 December 2019);
- Deputy Prime Ministers Ramiro VALDES Menendez, Roberto MORALES Ojeda, Ines Maria CHAPMAN Waugh, Jorge Luis TAPIA Fonseca, Alejandro GIL Fernandez, Ricardo CABRISAS Ruiz (since 21 December 2019)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers proposed by the president and appointed by the National Assembly;
- it is subordinate to the 21-member Council of State, which is elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session
- elections/appointments:
- president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (may be reelected for another 5-year term);
- election last held on 10 October 2019 (next to be held in 2024)
- election results:
- ;
- Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (PCC) elected president;
- percent of National Assembly vote - 98.8%;
- Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (PCC) elected vice president;
- percent of National Assembly vote - 98.1%
- note - on 19 April 2018, DIAZ-CANEL succeeded Raul CASTRO as president of the Council of State;
- on 10 October 2019 he was elected to the newly created position of President of the Republic, which replaced the position of President of the Council of State
Legislative branch
- description:
- unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (605 seats; (586 seats filled in 2021); members directly elected by absolute majority vote; members serve 5-year terms);
- note 1 - the National Candidature Commission submits a slate of approved candidates;
- to be elected, candidates must receive more than 50% of valid votes otherwise the seat remains vacant or the Council of State can declare another election;
- note 2 - in July 2019, the National Assembly passed a law which reduces the number of members from 605 to 474, effective with the 2023 general election
- elections:
- last held on 11 March 2018 (next to be held in early 2023)
- election results:
- Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed;
- composition (as of June 2021) - men 273, women 313, percent of women 53.4%
Judicial branch
- highest courts:
- People's Supreme Court (consists of court president, vice president, 41 professional justices, and NA lay judges);
- organization includes the State Council, criminal, civil, administrative, labor, crimes against the state, and military courts)
- judge selection and term of office:
- professional judges elected by the National Assembly are not subject to a specific term;
- 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
International organization participation
ACP, ALBA, AOSIS, CELAC, EAEU (observer), 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
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lianys TORRES RIVERA (since 14 January 2021)
- chancery:
- 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 797-8515 through 8518
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 797-8521
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; http://misiones.minrex.gob.cu/en/usa
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Timothy ZUNIGA-BROWN (since 31 July 2020)
- embassy:
- Calzada between L & M Streets, Vedado, Havana
- mailing address:
- 3200 Havana Place, Washington DC 20521-3200
- telephone:
- [53] (7) 839-4100
- FAX:
- [53] (7) 839-4247
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://cu.usembassy.gov/
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
National anthem
- name:
- "La Bayamesa" (The Bayamo Song)
- lyrics/music:
- Pedro FIGUEREDO
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
Economy
The government continues to balance the need for loosening its socialist economic system against a desire for firm political control.
32 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2017 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)
Budget(2017 est.)
Economic overview
The government continues to balance the need for loosening its socialist economic system against a desire for firm political control. In April 2011, the government 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 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. The government has cut state sector jobs as part of the reform process, and it has opened up some retail services to "self-employment," leading to the rise of so-called "cuentapropistas" or entrepreneurs. More than 500,000 Cuban workers are currently registered as self-employed.
The Cuban regime has updated its economic model to 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.
Since 2016, Cuba has attributed slowed economic growth in part to problems with petroleum product deliveries from Venezuela. Since late 2000, Venezuela provided petroleum products to Cuba on preferential terms, supplying at times nearly 100,000 barrels per day. Cuba paid for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including some 30,000 medical professionals.
Agricultural products
sugar cane, cassava, vegetables, plantains, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, milk, pumpkins, mangoes/guavas, rice
Industries
petroleum, nickel, cobalt, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, construction, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, sugar
Unemployment rate
2.6% (2017 est.) · 2.4% (2016 est.) note: data are official rates; unofficial estimates are about double
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$11.35 billion (31 December 2017 est.) · $12.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Exchange rates
Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar - 1 (2017 est.) · 1 (2016 est.) · 1 (2015 est.) · 1 (2014 est.) · 22.7 (2013 est.)
Energy
23 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2020)
Installed generating capacity, 6.998 million kW(2016 est.)
Communications
7 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2020–21 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- general assessment:
- Internet availability has increased substantially over the past few years, but only about 64 percent of Cubans have Internet access, and even fewer Cubans--about 60 percent of the population--have access to cell phone service;
- in 2021 the Cuban Government passed a decree that strengthened its authority to censor Internet and telephonic communications;
- state control of the telecom sector hinders development;
- Cuba has the lowest mobile phone and Internet penetration rates in the region;
- fixed-line density is also very low;
- thaw of US-Cuba relations encouraged access to services, such as Wi-Fi hotspots;
- access to sites is controlled and censored;
- DSL and Internet are available in Havana, though costs are too high for most Cubans;
- international investment and agreement to improve Internet access through cost-free and direct connection between networks (2021)
- domestic:
- fixed-line density remains low at about 13 per 100 inhabitants; mobile-cellular service is expanding to about 53 per 100 persons (2019)
- international:
- country code - 53;
- the ALBA-1, GTMO-1, and GTMO-PR fiber-optic submarine cables link Cuba, Jamaica, and Venezuela;
- satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) (2019)
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production;
many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes;
the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
Broadcast media
- government owns and controls all broadcast media:
- five national TV channels (Cubavision, Tele Rebelde, Multivision, Educational Channel 1 and 2), two international channels (Cubavision Internacional and Caribe), 16 regional TV stations, 6 national radio networks, and multiple regional stations;
- the Cuban Government beams over the Radio-TV Marti signal;
- although private ownership of electronic media is prohibited, several online independent news sites exist;
- those that are not openly critical of the government are often tolerated;
- the others are blocked by the government;
- there are no independent TV channels, but several outlets have created strong audiovisual content (El Toque, for example);
- a community of young Youtubers is also growing, mostly with channels about sports, technology and fashion;
- Christian denominations are creating original video content to distribute via social media (2019)
Internet users
- total:
- 7.7 million (2021 est.)
- percent of population:
- 67.97% (2019 est.)
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"
Transportation
11 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
National air transport system
- number of registered air carriers:
- 4 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 18
- annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:
- 560,754 (2018)
- annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:
- 17.76 million mt-km (2018)
Railways
- total:
- 8,125 km (2017)
- standard gauge:
- 8,195 km 1.435-m gauge (124 km electrified) (2017)
- narrow gauge:
- 172 km 1.000-m gauge (2017)
note: As of 2013, 70 km of standard gauge and 12 km of narrow gauge track were not for public use
Ports and terminals
major seaport(s): Antilla, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Nuevitas Bay, Santiago de Cuba
Military and Security
6 fieldsPersonnel strengthsone square, 1,000 people · (2021)
Military and security forces
- Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR): Revolutionary Army (Ejercito Revolucionario, ER), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR, includes Marine Corps), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (Defensas Anti-Aereas y Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria, DAAFAR);
- Paramilitary forces: Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT), Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT), Civil Defense Force;
- Ministry of Interior: Border Guards, State Security (2021)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the Cuban military inventory is comprised of ageing Russian and Soviet-era equipment;
- the last recorded arms delivery to Cuba was by Russia in 2004;
- in 2019, Russia approved a loan for approximately $43-50 million for Cuba's purchase of spare parts and armored vehicles (2021)
Military service age and obligation
17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation for males, optional for females (2021)
Military - note
the FAR has a large role in the Cuban economy through several military owned and operated conglomerates, including such sectors as banking, hotels, industry, retail, and tourism (2021)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - 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
Trafficking in persons
- current situation:
- human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Cuba and Cubans abroad;
- individuals are forced or coerced into participating and threatened to stay in labor export programs, most notably foreign medical missions;
- sex trafficking and sex tourism occur within Cuba;
- traffickers exploit Cubans in sex trafficking and forced labor in South America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, and the US;
- foreigners from Africa and Asia are subject to sex trafficking and forced labor in Cuba to pay off travel debts;
- the government uses high school students in some rural areas to harvest crops without pay, claiming that the work is voluntary
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 — Cuba does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
- the government made some efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict sex traffickers and sex tourists and identified and provided assistance to some victims;
- however, no efforts were made to address forced labor;
- there was a government policy or pattern to profit from labor export programs with strong indications of forced labor, particularly in foreign medical missions;
- authorities did not protect potential trafficking victims, leaving them at risk of being detained or charged for crimes their traffickers forced them to commit (2020)
Illicit drugs
- Cuba is not a major consumer, producer, or transit point of illicit drugs;
- strict policing on smuggling, production and consumption;
- prescription drug abuse is increasing
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Cuba.” The World Factbook 2021. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cuba/2021.