Cuba – country information

Country name	Cuba
Official name	Republic of Cuba
Capital	Havana
Continent	North America
Area	110,861 km2
Population	11,167,325 (2012)
Foundation of a state	5/20/1902
The highest mountains	Pico Turquino 1994 m
Longest rivers	Car 250 km
State system	a socialist republic with a one political party system and a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	La Habana (Capital) 2,200,000, Santiago de Guantánamo 215,000, Santa Clara 200,000
Official language	Spanish
Ethnicity/National Composition	whites 66%, mixed race 22%, blacks 12%
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholics 40%, no religion 50%, atheists 6%, Protestants 3%
Currency	1 Cuban peso (CUP) = centavos
Average life expectancy of the population	77.41 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 15.5%, mining 4%, construction 7%, services 31.5%

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Cuba is the largest island nation in the Caribbean Sea about 180 km south of Florida. It is 1,275 km long and around 100 km wide.

Country data

Location: Caribbean

Time zone: CET – 5 (during summer time CET – 6)

Total area: 110,860 km²

Land area: 109,820 km²

Water area: 1,040 km²

Length of the state border: 29 km

Bordering countries apply to: USA: 29 km (through the US base on Guantanamo Bay)

Coastline: 3,735 km

Capital: Havana

Provinces: 15
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

Electric current: 110 V / 60 Hz

Telephone code: 00 53 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m

Population

Population: approx. 11 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: -0.1% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 99

Life expectancy: 76 (male), 81 (female)

Official language: Spanish

Religions:

• 85% Roman Catholic
• 15% other

Climate

It is very hot all year round. However, it is bearable because of the winds constantly blowing from the sea.

In summer the temperature is around 28 ° C and there is occasional rainfall.

Even during winter it is still very warm with daytime temperatures around 20 ° C. However, rain rarely falls.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Cuban Peso (CUP)

Classification: 1 Peso = 100 Centavos

ATMs: are not available.

International credit cards: These are rarely accepted by larger hotels and shops (e.g. MasterCard, Visa). American exhibitors are not accepted.

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. A declaration is required from an amount of around 5,000 US dollars. The export is limited to the amount of the declared import.

The local currency may not be imported or exported.

Every currency exchange is converted into currency certificates. You should therefore only change the amounts actually required.

You should keep all bills of exchange, otherwise you will not be able to exchange the money that has not been used. Exchanging money on the black market is severely punished.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 2 liters of alcoholic beverages

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

There is an import ban for:

• All kinds of meat products
• fruit
• vegetables
• milk
• all kinds of pornographic newspapers

Many everyday items are not always available in Cuba. You should therefore bring everything you need with you when you arrive. You should particularly value a good first-aid kit.

Travel advice

In Cuba there is no freedom of expression and civil rights as we are used to. You should therefore refrain from political activities (including discussions about them) of any kind.

Behavioral advice

Identification papers must always be carried. If you cannot identify yourself, you will usually be arrested for several hours.

You should also avoid staying in restricted military areas and buildings. You must react immediately to orders from the security personnel, otherwise the weapon will be used quickly.

At the airport, you should take special care of your luggage, as the theft rate has risen sharply. You should carry valuables with you in hand luggage.

Economy

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s main economic partner no longer exists. Cuba’s industry was weakened considerably as a result.

Sugar is the country’s most important export product and makes up a very large part of its exports.

Many reforms have been carried out in recent years. Many areas went from a state-controlled socialist planned economy to small individual companies.

Industries: chemistry, oil production, wood processing, agriculture, tobacco production, textile processing, sugar production

Natural resources: iron ore, petroleum, wood, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, agricultural land, salt, silicon

Land use:

• Usable land: 24%
• Grain cultivation: 7%
• Pasture area: 27%
• Forests: 24%
• other: 18%

Plants

Most of the forest areas have been cleared to gain agricultural land.

Mahogany trees, mangroves, cedars and some palm species are still quite common.

Animals

The species-rich fauna includes many animals on land, in the air and in the sea around Cuba.

The Cuba Trogon, a species of bird found only in Cuba, is the national bird. There are also many other bird species.

Many small insects and reptiles in particular have found an ideal habitat in the humid and warm climate.