Cuba

§1. Cuba Introduction

Background:
  Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held
  the country together since. 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 3,000 Cubans took to the Straits of Florida in
  2000; the US Coast Guard interdicted only about 35% of these.

§2. Cuba Geography

Location:
  Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
  south of Florida

Geographic coordinates:
  21 30 N, 80 00 W

Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
  total: 110,860 kmē
  land: 110,860 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:
  total: 29 km border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
  note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of
    Cuba

Coastline:
  3,735 km

Maritime claims:
  exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM

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

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m

Natural resources:
  cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica,
  petroleum, arable land

Land use:
  arable land: 24%
  permanent crops: 7%
  permanent pastures: 27%
  forests and woodland: 24%
  other: 18% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  9,100 kmē (1993 est.)

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:
  pollution of Havana Bay; overhunting threatens wildlife populations;
  deforestation

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
    Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
    the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
  signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate
    Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
  largest country in Caribbean

§3. Cuba People

Population:
  11,184,023 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 20.99% (male 1,205,159; female 1,142,070)
  15-64 years: 69.14% (male 3,876,432; female 3,855,878)
  65 years and over: 9.87% (male 511,589; female 592,895) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.37% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  12.36 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  7.33 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
  total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  7.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 76.41 years male: 74.02 years
  female: 78.94 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.6 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.03% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  1,950 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  120 (1999 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Cuban(s)
  adjective: Cuban

Ethnic groups:
  mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%

Religions:
  nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants,
  Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented

Languages:
  Spanish

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 95.7%
  male: 96.2%
  female: 95.3% (1995 est.)

People - note:
  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 3,000 Cubans took to the Straits of
  Florida in 2000; the US Coast Guard interdicted about 35% of these
  migrants; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US; some 2,400
  Cubans arrived overland via the southwest border and direct flights to
  Miami

§4. Cuba Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
  conventional short form: Cuba
  local long form: Republica de Cuba
  local short form: Cuba

Government 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 US)

National holiday:
  Independence Day, 10 October (1868); note - 10 October 1868 is the date of
  independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US
  administration

Constitution:
  24 February 1976, amended July 1992

Legal system:
  based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal
  theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
  16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  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, appointed by the National Assembly; note - there is also a Council
    of State whose members are elected by the National Assembly
  elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly;
    election last held 24 February 1998 (next election unscheduled)
  election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of
    legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent
    of legislative vote - 100%

Legislative branch:
  unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del
  Poder Popular (601 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special
  candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms)
  elections: last held 11 January 1998 (next to be held in 2003)
  election results: percent of vote - PCC 94.39%; seats - PCC 601

Judicial branch:
  People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice
  president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
  only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first
  secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO,
  Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
  ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962),
  OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
  WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by
    Principal Officer Fernando REMIREZ DE ESTENOZ; address: Cuban Interests
    Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009;
    telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed
    by Principal Officer Vicki HUDDLESTON; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy,
    Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado Seccion, Havana; telephone:
    33-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: 33-3700;
    protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland

Flag description:
  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

§5. Cuba Economy

Economy - overview:
  The government, the primary player in the economy, 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 prioritizing of political control makes extensive reforms
  unlikely. Living standards for the average Cuban, without access to
  dollars, remain at a depressed level compared with 1990. The liberalized
  farmers' markets introduced in 1994, sell above-quota production at market
  prices, expand legal consumption alternatives, and reduce black market
  prices. Income taxes and increased regulations introduced since 1996 have
  sharply reduced the number of legally self-employed from a high of 208,000
  in January 1996. Havana announced in 1995 that GDP declined by 35% during
  1989-93 as a result of lost Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The
  slide in GDP came to a halt in 1994 when Cuba reported growth in GDP of
  0.7%. Cuba reported that GDP increased by 2.5% in 1995 and 7.8% in 1996,
  before slowing down in 1997 and 1998 to 2.5% and 1.2% respectively. Growth
  recovered with a 6.2% increase in GDP in 1999 and a 5.6% increase in 2000.
  Much of Cuba's recovery can be attributed to tourism revenues and foreign
  investment. Growth in 2001 should continue at the same level as the
  government balances the need for economic loosening against its concern for
  firm political control.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $19.2 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  5.6% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 7% industry: 37%
  services: 56% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  0.3% (1999 est.)

Labor force:
  4.3 million (2000 est.)
  note: state sector 75%, non-state sector 25% (1998)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 25%, industry 24%, services 51% (1998)

Unemployment rate:
  5.5% (2000 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $13.5 billion
  expenditures: $14.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000
    est.)

Industries:
  sugar, petroleum, tobacco, chemicals, construction, services, nickel,
  steel, cement, agricultural machinery

Industrial production growth rate:
  5% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
  14.358 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 94.2% hydro: 0.7%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 5.1% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  13.353 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock

Exports:
  $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee

Exports - partners:
  Russia 23%, Netherlands 23%, Canada 13% (1999)

Imports:
  $3.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals, semifinished goods, transport
  equipment, consumer goods

Imports - partners:
  Spain 18%, Venezuela 13%, Canada 8% (1999)

Debt - external:
  $11.1 billion (convertible currency, 1999); another $15 billion -$20
  billion owed to Russia (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $68.2 million (1997 est.)

Currency:
  Cuban peso (CUP)

Currency code:
  CUP

Exchange rates:
  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 1.00 US dollar per 22 pesos by the Government
  of Cuba (January 2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Cuba Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  473,031 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  2,994 (1997)

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, Soviet-built); both analog and digital mobile
    cellular service established
  international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean
    region)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
  3.9 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  58 (1997)

Televisions:
  2.64 million (1997)

Internet country code:
  .cu

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  4 (2001)

Internet users:
  60,000 (2000)

§7. Cuba Transportation

Railways:
  total: 11,969 km
  standard gauge: 4,807 km 1.435-m gauge (147 km electrified)
  note: in addition to the 4,807 km of standard gauge track in public use,
    7,162 km of track is in private use by sugar plantations; about 90% of
    the private use track is standard gauge and the rest is narrow gauge
    (2000)

Highways:
  total: 60,858 km
  paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)
  unpaved: 31,038 km (1997)

Waterways:
  240 km

Ports and harbors:
  Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de
  Cuba

Merchant marine:
  total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,821 GRT/78,062 DWT
  ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 7, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1,
    refrigerated cargo 5 (2000 est.)

Airports:
  171 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 77 over 3,047 m: 7
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
  914 to 1,523 m: 10
  under 914 m: 35 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 94 914 to 1,523 m: 31
  under 914 m: 63 (2000 est.)

§8. Cuba Military

Military branches:
  Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) includes ground forces, Revolutionary Navy
  (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Troops Militia
  (MTT), and Youth Labor Army (EJT); the Border Guard (TGF) is controlled by
  the Interior Ministry

Military manpower - military age:
  17 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 3,090,633 females age 15-49: 3,029,274 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 1,911,160 females age 15-49: 1,867,958 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 79,562 females: 85,650 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  roughly 4% (FY95 est.)

Military - note:
  Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut
  off almost all military aid by 1993

§9. Cuba 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
  bound for the US and Europe; established the death penalty for certain
  drug-related crimes in 1999
