Cuba General Information

When you decide to go on a trip it is good to have an idea about the place you are visiting and its people.

When I first decided to travel to Cuba, I had hardly heard about this country.

I didn’t have much information about Cuba and I could feel I just needed to have some cultural background about the place, I think it is important.

Here is some Cuba General Information that will give you at least a general picture of this beautiful island. Have you decided to travel to Cuba? Well, get ready for your next Cuba vacation and if there is anything else you want to know, contact us, we will be happy to help you.

Name of the country - Republic of Cuba (República de Cuba). Often called the "Pearl of the Antilles", or just Cuba.
Capital City – Havana, my favourite.
Other large cities - MatSanzas, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Holguin, Guantánamo, Santa Clara.
Government - Communist state
Head of State - Raúl Castro (2008)
Major industries - Minerals, tobacco, medicine & tourism
Language – Spanish. (English is widely spoken, many people speak French too)
Population (2010) - 11,451,652 million inhabitants. More than 75 % live in urban areas. About 2,198,000 in Havana, 1,023,000 in Santiago de Cuba and 1,021,000 in Holguin. Cuba is the most populated country in the Caribbean. 60% Spanish descent, 22% mixed-race, 11% African descent, 1% Chinese.
Area - 109 886 km2. Widest point 210 kilometers. Narrowest point 32 kilometers. Cuba is considered the seventeenth largest island in the world by land area.
Location - in the Caribbean Sea, at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico. Cuba is 144 kilometers south to the eastern United States and 140 kilometers from the Bahamas, west to the Turks and Caicos Island and Haiti and 210 kilometers to the east of Cancun, Mexico, to the south is the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, only 146 kilometers from Cuba.
Geographic Features – Cuba is mostly covered by plains, except for some important mountain groups scattered along the island: Guaniguanico Range in Pinar del Rio, Guamuaya mountain range (known as Escambray), Cubitas range and Sagua-Baracoa mountain range in the northeast of the island and Sierra Maestra Mountains in the east. Many smaller islands, islets, and cays are also part of Cuba. A shoreline of 5,500 kilometers and more than 280 natural beaches make this Caribbean island unique
Political administrative division - 15 provinces (Pinar del Río, Havana ,Artemisa, Mayabeque, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo), 169 municipalities and the Special Municipality of the Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud).
Highest point - Turquino, in Sierra Maestra, with 1,974 meter.
Longest River – Cauto (370 Km.)
Length - 1 200 km.
Time zone - Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5). Daylight saving time from March to October (GMT-4).
Climate - Subtropical. Average relative humidity: 81%. Dry season (November - April); rainy season (May - October)
National Anthem - Composed by Pedro (Perucho) Figueredo in Bayamo in 1867
Religion - Catholic and Afro-Cuban religions are the most popular. Cuba is a lay country with freedom of religion.

Cuba – National Symbols

Flag - Created in 1849. First hoisted in 1850 in Cardenas, Matanzas. (The equilateral triangle represents Cuba’s desire of liberty, equality and fraternity. The red color of the triangle symbolizes the blood that would be spilled fighting for independence. The star in the middle of the triangle refers to Cuba’s ideal of absolute freedom. The three blue stripes are the three main provinces that were part of the island then (eastern, central and western). The two white strips mean Cuban people’s purity and virtue).
Cuban Flag
Shield – Makes reference to Cuba's geographic position, the golden key, represents Cuba’s location at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico, the island’s hopes for a bright future, its sovereign condition and Cuban’s industrious and unbeatable nature.
Cuban Shield
National tree – TheRoyal Palm (Roystonea Regia) is a symbol of the strength of Cuban people’s character.
National flower - Butterfly Jasmine (Hedychium Coronarium Koenig) a symbol of purity and independence. In the 19th century, women that supported the independence cause, used to wear this flower in their hair as a symbol of their support.
National bird: The Trogan bird, known in Cuba as Tocororo (Priotelus temnurus), an onomatopoeic name associated to its singing, is a native species whose plumage has the same colors of the Cuban flag.

Sports

Baseball is the most popular sport in Cuba and Cuba’s national baseball team is one of the best around the world. Other important sports in Cuba are basketball, volleyball, and athletics. Cuba is also very good in amateur boxing. It is a leader in major amateur boxing international competitions.

There is much more you can learn about Cuba but it would be too much to fit in this page. If there is anything else you want to know, contact us, we will be happy to help you.

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