Cuba
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| Capital | Havana |
| Government | Communist state |
| Currency | Cuban peso (CUP) |
| Area | total: 110,860 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 110,860 sq km |
| Population | 11,224,321 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Spanish |
| Religion | nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented |
Cuba is a Caribbean island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies 150 km south of Key West, Florida between the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas, to the west of Haiti.
Before the 1959 communist revolution, Cuba was a popular tourist destination for United States citizens. Since the revolution, Cuba has been shunned by the United States and travel between the two neighbors has to be via a third country. These restrictions mean that much of Cuba's tourist and general infrastructure has been virtually frozen in the state it was in in the late 1950's as Cubans have been forced to make do.
However the charms that attracted tourists to Cuba up to the 1950's have not gone away. If anything, the time of isolation has made Cuba an even more interesting and challenging destination to visit for the adventurous traveller.
| Table of contents |
Regions
Western Cuba
- Pinar del Rio
- Havana (province) (La Habana)
- Havana (city) (Ciudad de la Habana)
- Isla de la Juventud (special municipality)
Central Cuba
Eastern Cuba
Cities
- Havana - capital, decay and nightlife
- Trinidad de Cuba World Heritage Site
- Santiago de Cuba - party capital
- Maria Gorda
Other destinations
- Isla de la Juventud
- Cayo Coco - beach resort
- Cayo Largo - small island, has good nudist facilities
- Varadero - nice beach resort
- Valley de Vinales- nice scenery
Understand
Get in
Visa and legal issues
A tourist visa (Visada Tarjeta del Turista) is necessary for travellers from most nations. This visa costs about USD 25. If your travel agent cannot provide this you should contact the closest Cuban Consulate (http://www.dtcuba.com/eng/buscar_embajadas.asp?action=get&codclas=6&clas=Cuban%20Consulates) or Embassy (http://www.dtcuba.com/eng/buscar_embajadas.asp?action=get&codclas=2&clas=Cuban%20Embassies%20abroad). You will need a passport valid at least six months passed the end of your planned return. The tourist visa is usually valid for 30 days and can be extended for another 30 days at any immigration office in Cuba.
On arrival you must have a legal housing booking for at least three days. Otherwise you risk immigration to make a reservation for you and the price or the accommodations might not suit you.
Beware to check out the Cuban customs (http://www.aduana.islagrande.cu/mapa3.htm) regulations.
Warning for US travellers
For political reasons travelling to Cuba from the United States of America, one of its nearest neighbors, is not currently possible. Many US citizens travel by way of Canada or Mexico.
American citizens should be aware that it is illegal to visit Cuba without a license. Licenses are only granted to journalists, people visiting relatives, and a few other reasons (http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cuba.html). If the US government finds out about your visit, you may be subject to fines or even criminal prosecution at the whim of the United States government.
By plane
By boat
There is no regular ferries or boats to Cuba from foreign ports. Yachters are expected to anchor at the public marinas (http://www.dtcuba.com/eng/buscar_nauticas.asp).
Get around
Probably the best way to get around on Cuba is on the Viazul buses [1] (http://www.viazul.cu). These are incredibly well-staffed and luxurious buses with toilets which the attendent dutifully bleaches. Big comfy seats, and lots of legroom. Halfway through a six-hour journey to Trinidad from Havana, the attendant comes down the aisle offering candies on a tray.
Talk
The official language of Cuba is Spanish. The Spanish spoken in Cuba is only slightly different from that spoken in Spain. See also: Spanish phrasebook
Buy
Eat
The food in Cuba is notorious for being bland, however, this really depends on the hotel. One hotel which seems to have pretty good food reviews is Iberostar Tainos in Varadero. Cubans eat mainly only pork and chicken. Beef, fish, lobster, turtle, (ie. anything else) are illegal to sell outside of state owned hotels and restaurants. If you eat in a 'paladares' which are privately owned restaurants and you have turtle, you are not only eating endangered animals, you're eating illegal food. Even the jail sentence for a cuban killing a cow is very strict.
Drink
Cuban national cocktails include the Cuba Libre (rum and coke) and the Mojito (rum, lime, sugar, mint leaves and ice). Cristal is a light beer and is not available in dollar stores where cubans shop. Cubans prefer the Bucanero Fuerte, which at 5.5% alcohol is a strong (hence fuerte) darker beer.
Sleep
If you want to experience something of the real life of Cubans the best places to stay are in Casas Particulares (guest houses). They are cheaper than hotels and the food is invariably better than you would get in a hotel. Staying in someone's house, you may be shown family photos, and enjoy a more intimate and enlightening experience.
Learn
The University of Havana offers short courses on Spanish, in addition to longer programs.
Work
Stay safe
Cuba is a very safe country. Strict and prominent policing, combined with neighborhood watch style programmes keep the streets even in Havana safer than you'd expect.
Stay healthy
Respect
Contact
External links
- Office of Tourism (http://www.dtcuba.com/eng/)
- Customs (http://www.aduana.islagrande.cu/mapa3.htm)
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CIA Factbook information
The remainder of this article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Imakoopedia country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and integrate it into the article above.
Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the country together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Havana portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, or falsified visas - is a continuing problem. Some 2,600 Cubans attempted the crossing of the Straits of Florida in 2001; the US Coast Guard apprehended only about 35% of the individuals.
Geography
- 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 hazards
- the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common
- Environment - current issues
- air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation
Economy
- Economy - overview
- The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a concern for firm political control. It has undertaken limited reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase enterprise efficiency, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services, but is unlikely to implement extensive changes. A major feature of the economy is the dichotomy between relatively efficient export enclaves and inefficient domestic sectors. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the severe economic depression of the early 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. High oil prices, recessions in key export markets, and damage from Hurricane Michelle hampered growth in 2001. Cuba paid high prices for oil imports in the face of slumping prices in the key sugar and nickel industries and suffered a slowdown in tourist arrivals following September 11. The government aimed for 3% growth in 2002, but growth was held back by hurricanes, depressed tourism, and faltering world economic conditions, including low world sugar prices and a shortage of external financing.
Communications
- Telephone system
- general assessment: NA
domestic: principal trunk system, end to end of country, is coaxial cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la Juventud; 2 microwave radio relay installations (one is old, US-built; the other newer, built during the period of Soviet support); both analog and digital mobile cellular service established
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Transnational Issues
- Disputes - international
- US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease
- Illicit drugs
- 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
