Cuba, the second largest island in the West Indies lies at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Cuba is Havana.
It shares its borders with the United States and the Bahamas to the south, Mexico to the east and Caicos Islands and Turks to the west.
Etymology of Cuba:-
The name Cuba is derived from the Taino language in which it means “where the fertile land is abundant” or “great place”.
History of Cuba:-
From 6000 to 8000 years the Taino who were the farmers and Ciboney who were the farmers as well as the hunter gatherers live in the country. The history of Cuba started when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1942 and named the island Isla Juana. After 9 years his son founded the city of Santiago but the population of that city suddenly declined because of the mistreatment, forced labor and infectious disease.
About 400 years Cuba was under the rule of Spanish people and its capital Havana was also catched by the British in 1762. The Cuba was the name as “the always most faithful land” by the Spanish government at the time when the other states of the empire revolted and formed independent states but the country doesn’t utter a word. It is because of the fear of the power of the United States.
At last the US buy the Cuba from Spain. In this way the Cuba got independence from Spain in 1868 but the internal wars are going on for large period and ultimately it was declared as Ten Years Wars. Due to this war the Cuban people again feared that if this war continues like that then again US will not attached to the Spain and once again they have to struggle for it but Calixo Garcia started a new war called the “little war” as a result of which the Spanish people have to leave the country.
On 25 January, 1898 the US battleship Maine which was the largest navy ship arrived in Hvana and on the very next month it exploded and killed 266 people on the guidelines of Spanish. In 1901 when Mc Kinley became the president of the US then Cuba finally declared independent from US also on October 10.
The Mexican government declared a war on Germany and declared it as World War I and broke all the relations with the Cuba. After this war Batista became the president of the country but under his another war broke out which was known as the World War II. This war was declared by Cuba on Japan on 9 December 1941 and after two days on Germany and Italy.
In 1944 Grau San Martin became president after defeating Batista and in 1948 Carlos Prio Socarras ruled the country but under his rule the situation of the country became worst. In 1959 Cuba government was ruled by Fiedel Castro and Batista leaves the country.
Politics and government at Cuba:-
The republic of Cuba was known by the name Socialistic Republic and the constitution by the Socialist Constitution which includes the ideas of Jose Marti and the role of Communist Party of Cuba which is also the leading force of the society and the state. Members of the Communist Party take part in the committees for the defense of the revolution who Co-ordinates with the public projects and act as a guard against the counter-revolutionary activities.
The president of the country is elected by the Assembly. The National Assembly of People’s Power is the country’s national legislative body consisting of 609 members who
are elected by the public referendum. The Supreme Court is the largest court in the country where all the matters are considered.
Geography of Cuba:-
Cuba is located between 23 degree 8 minutes north latitude and 82 degree 23 minutes west longitude. It is surrounded by four main islands namely Colorados, Sabana, Cannareos, and the Jardines de la Reina. The island mostly consists of flat and rolling plains and Pico Real Del Turquino is the highest elevation situated at the southern end at 1975 mts. Hurricanes mostly occurred in the month of September and October.
Nickel and Cobalt are the major economic resources and they are ranked as the second and the fifth largest producers of the country.
Cuba Currency:-
Cuban Peso is the currency which is used by the people of the country.
Cuba Economy:-
To improve the economic system of the country the Cuban government sticks to some rules like capital investment cannot be done without the approval of the government. In every sector either it is of housing, work, better health or university education preference is given to the members of the Communist party and those who are holding high positions in the government.
In 1980 a period came known as the Special Period when the Soviets paid above and below market prices of sugar and oil to Cuba due to which it affects the economy of the country and nearly came to an end. To overcome this situation Cuba has taken several steps which include the self employment in manufacturing sector, encouragement of tourism and legalization of the use of U.S. dollar in business. After that the tourism played a vital role in increasing the economy due to which all the problems regarding the economy removed. At this time the tourism acts as a source of hard money for the country so the Cuban government made the hospitals with unlimited facilities which only treat the foreigners and diplomats.
Demographics of Cuba:-
About 11,177,743 people are residing in the country out of which most of them are whites in color but black and mulattoes are also present. As most of the population is of Spanish so the religion followed by the people is Catholicism. The Roman Catholic
Church is the famous church in the country consisting of 56 nuns, 24 priests and 100 dioceses and these churches only accept the donations from approved sources. Spanish is the official language spoken by the people of the country.
Cuba Culture:-
The culture of Cuba is highly influenced by the Spain and Africa. Cuban cuisine consists of plaintains, moros, Cuban bread, pork with onions, and tropical fruits as their daily diet.
In Cuban literature mostly the poems and novels are famous and in particular the independence and freedom movements illustrated by Jose Marti. Other famous writers like Reinaldo Arenas, Zoe Valdes, and Leonardo Pardura also gained the importance internationally.
In Cuban music the Son is very much popular. Other music’s like Tres and Rumna were also played and wooden drums are used in every type of music. The classical music by the composers like Ernesto Lecuona also hailed the international importance. Rap is the music which is very much popular in the capital of Cuba.
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