International airport(s) José Martí International Airport
Official language(s) Spanish
Currency Cuban peso
Time UTC -5
Region Caribbean
GeographyClimateEconomyCulture
Cuba consists of an archipelago of islands located in the northern Caribbean Sea. Cuba is the main island, surrounded by four smaller island groups: the Colorados, the Sabana-Camagüey, the Jardines de la Reina and the Canarreos. The main island is 1 250 km long. It is the largest island in the Caribbean and 17th largest island in the world measured by land area. The Sierra Maestra mountains are located in the southeast on the main island with the highest point, “Pico Turquino” reaching 1 974 m. All in all, the country consists of more than 1 600 islands, islets and cays. The second largest individual island is the Isla de la Juventud (the Isle of Youth), which is part of the Canarreos archipelago. Havana is the largest city of Cuba and its capital. Other large cities include Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey.
Cuba has a tropical climate with a rainy season in summer. Cuba is highly vulnerable to climate variability, with rainwater its only water resource. Therefore, rain also has an important impact on agricultural activity. Average monthly temperatures range from 23 to 28 °C. The annual average rainfall is 1 376 mm. Although Cuba does not have annual hurricanes, September and October are prone to heavy rains. Monthly rainfall exceeds 150 mm from May to October. These are also the warmest months of the year. -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-
Travel and tourism are important for Cuba. In 2018, over 4.7 million tourists visited Cuba -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-. With few natural or mineral resources and water shortages, exacerbated by cycles of sustained drought, agriculture is mostly subsistence-level. According to the FAO -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-, over 28 per cent of the territory is classified as arable land. The soil is highly fertile, but agriculture is highly dependent on precipitation. The main crops grown include among others sugarcane, tobacco, rice, citrus fruits and potatoes. Sugar, beverages and tobacco are important export products, and the main export destinations include China, Canada and Venezuela -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-.
In 2019, agriculture accounted for about 18 per cent of employment in Cuba; roughly 24 per cent for men and 7 per cent for women. In total, two in three Cubans worked in services, four in five among women. Industry employed 10 per cent of women and 20 per cent of men. -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —- The Cuban economy is dominated by state-run enterprises and most people are employed by the state. Cuba is classified as an upper middle income country -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —- and GDP reached US$9 295 per capita in 2019 -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-.
Music is an important part of Cuban culture and brings together influences from both Spanish and African music. The traditional music of Cuba includes cha-cha-cha, charanga, danzon, mambo, and rumba, among others. Salsa evolved from these rhythms.
In addition to music, Cuba is well known for its handmade cigars. The country produces several million cigars per year, and the International Havana Cigar Festival brings many tourists to the country
Pork is the meat of choice for traditional feasts and is often served with rice and beans. Black beans are a common ingredient and in several types of dishes. Rice with black beans is called arroz congri. Cuban cuisine uses tomatoes, cassava, lettuce, and, when afforded, chicken, beef, pork and eggs. Cuban coffee is famous, but most of its coffee is exported and Cubans themselves consume imported coffee, often from Africa.
Baseball is the most popular sport in Cuba, though other sports also play an important role in Cuban society. In the warm local climate, Cubans often wear cool and relaxed clothing with a tradition of simplicity. Guayabera is the most famous traditional clothing worn by men as a classic linen or cotton shirt, usually in white, and women wear Guayabera dresses.
Land areakm2
Arable land%
Forest area%
Coastline lengthkm
Exclusive economic zonekm2
Nearest neighbourkm
Economic trendsMaritime transportPopulationInternational tradeEnvironmentInformation and communications technology
Gross domestic product US dollars at constant prices (2015) in millions
GDP per capita
2019
US$
Productive Capacity Index
2018
Economic and environmental vulnerability index
2019
Consumer Price Index growth
2019
%
Unemployment rate
Total % Female %, Male %
Main economic sectors, 2019 Percentage of GDP
Tourist arrivals Thousands of tourists, percentage of GDP
External financial resources Percentage of GDP
Public debt as % of GDP
2018
%
Fleet size Number of ships
Ship type
2011
2019
Total fleet
1 407
1 407
Oil tankers
264
266
Bulk carriers
311
333
General cargo
161
77
Container ships
52
49
Other types of ships
619
682
Port performance Ranked by 2019 data within SIDS group
Indicators
2019
SIDS Ranking
Number of port calls
1 933
10
Median time in port (days)
2.5
3
Average age of vessels
17
14
Average size (GT) of vessels
16 520
19
Container port throuput
2019
TEU
Bilateral connectivity index, 2019 Top 5 partners
Liner shipping connectivity index Maximum China Q1 2006=100
Total population Thousands of people, share of urban population
Population development indicators
Indicators
Period
Value
Poverty headcount (% of population)
..
..
Human development index
2018
0.8
Human assets index
2020
98
Adult literacy rate (15+ years, both sexes %)
..
..
Gender inequality index
2019
0.3
Life expectancy at birth
years
Population density
2019
persons per km2
Dependency ratio
2019
Child: Old-age:
Age structure by gender, 2019 Percentage of total population
Merchandise and services trade US dollars in millions
Indicators
2005
2010
2015
2019
2019 (% of GDP)
Merchandise exports
2 319
4 914
3 350
2 062
2
Merchandise imports
8 084
11 496
11 702
9 901
9.4
Services exports
7 075
10 546
11 369
0
0
Services imports
1 015
1 923
2 035
0
0
Trade openness Goods and services
% of GDP
Export concentration index
2019
Food import dependency Average 2015-2019
Top 5 partners in merchandise trade, 2019 Exports in millions US dollars
Merchandise exports by product group, 2019
Services exports by category, 2019
CO2 emissions per capita Kg per capita
CO2 emissions per GDP Kg per 2010 US$ of GDP
Renewable energy share in total energy consumption, 2017 Percentage of total energy consumption
Material footprint per capita
2016
kg
Terrestrial protected area
2018
%
Marine protected area
2018
%
Disasters indicators
Data not available
Trade in ICT goods
Exports: % Imports: %
Trade in ICT services
Exports: % Imports: %
Share of internet users
%
Fixed broadband vs Mobile broadband subscriptions Number of subscriptions per 100 people
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