Who does Cuba belong to? Cuba - country, state, attractions, cultural features, cuisine, shopping. Entertainment and attractions

Cuba is a large island in the Caribbean Sea and has the same name. Island state. Cuba is famous all over the world beautiful beaches north coast, magnificent ancient cities, incomparable and fiery Latin American music and, finally, hand-rolled cigars. This contrast makes the country unique and interesting for tourists to visit.

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Where is Cuba located on the world map

The official name of the state is the Republic of Cuba, the unofficial name is Liberty Island. The capital of Cuba is Havana. In the western hemisphere, it is the only state with a socialist form of government.

Cuba is located on the island of Juventud (the seventh largest in the world) between Northern and South America . All the islands and coral reefs that are located on the map around Cuba belong to the country. There are about 1500 of them. All of them belong to the group of large Antilles.

On the map the country is shown as a narrow strip of land that stretches from west to east and its length is 1250 km. Externally, the island looks like a crocodile, with its head facing the Atlantic and its tail heading towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Cuba is an island, so it is washed from all sides:

• the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast;
• Gulf of Mexico in the northwest;
• Caribbean Sea in the south.

The total area of ​​the state is 114,524 square kilometers. Sierra Maestro Mountains located on the southeastern part of the state map and are the highest point of the state (Turkino Peak - 1973 meters).

Distance from Cuba to Moscow – 9580 km, to – 215 km, to Jamaica – 150 km, to the USA – 185 km, to Haiti – 78 km.

All about Cuba

Cuba is an island state, so the characteristics of nature and weather largely depend on the ocean and sea that wash the country.

Relief

The landscape of Cuba is mostly flat. Mountains and small hills occupy about a third of the island's entire territory. The state has three main mountain systems:

• in the west - the Cordillera de Guaniguanico;
• in the center - Escambray;
• in the east - Sierra Maestro.

In Cuba it is very many small and large caves. The most big cave– Santo Tomas, there are many so-called underground galleries, 25 km long. And there are also hills with steep slopes and flat tops. Areas that are slightly hilly have been developed and settled. The banks are often swampy, low, and even in some places overgrown with mangroves. Sandy beaches are not uncommon in Cuba and, as a rule, they stretch for several kilometers. For example, in the most famous resort of Varadero (Hicacos Peninsula), there is such a sandy beach.

Climate

In Cuba it is magnificent: warm and soft, which is due to geographical location countries. The American state of Florida is separated from Cuba by a small Straits of Florida. Its width is only 150 km. Warm water currents pass through this strait, which are classified as the Gulf Stream.

Thanks to such warm currents, the water temperature on the beaches is winter time does not fall below 22 degrees, in summer – 28–30 degrees. In general, the climate in the country is trade wind-tropical and indicates that there is a clear division into dry and rainy seasons. The rainy season in Cuba lasts from May to October, and the dry and sunny weather is November-April, respectively.

By sea, Cuba is separated from the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) by a short distance. But also around the Republic of Cuba there are such magnificent places as Jamaica, Bahamas And . Cuba is separated from these states by small straits ranging from 80 to 170 km wide.

Population

The country's population is 11.5 million people. Most of the population is descendants of immigrants from Spain, the rest are mestizos, mulattoes, blacks, but also live on the island a large number of Chinese. The indigenous people were completely exterminated during the development and colonization of the island by the Spaniards.

The Spaniards needed more labor, so slaves began to be imported to the island from Africa. More than 1 million slaves were imported over 350 years. For the same reason, the Chinese (120,000 people) were also brought from Asia between 1854 and 1875. Indian slaves were also brought to work on the plantations, but their numbers were small. A constant flow of migrants was represented by European countries (France, England, Germany, Spain).

Very big wave of migration began during and after World War II. The main settlers of that time were Jews. Thus, the Cuban nation has absorbed the characteristics of many peoples of the world.

The majority of believers are:

• 47% are Catholics;
• 4% are Protestants.

The rest are the so-called Santeria. This is a belief based on the cult of African pagans, which is mixed with the Christian cult. The church is not subordinate to the state; the constitution states that every citizen has the right to freedom of religion.

What language is spoken in Cuba? Of course, official language– Spanish. However, the staff in many hotels speaks fluent German, English, and Italian.

State structure

According to the 1992 Constitution, Cuba is socialist republic , in which the Communist Party occupies the main place. The first secretary of the party is the president of the country.

Parliament consists of 609 deputies elected for a term of 5 years. The executive branch is the Council of Ministers and the State Council.

The country is divided into 15 provinces, which in turn are divided into municipalities (168) and the separate municipality of Juventud.

A brief excursion into history

Island discovered by Columbus in 1492, then it was inhabited by Indians. The island was captured in the 16th century by the Spaniards, who exterminated most of the indigenous population and brought slaves from different continents. Slavery continued on the island until 1887.

As a result of the difficult and long confrontation (1868–1878) of the Cuban people against the colonial yoke, the independence of the island of Cuba was proclaimed. But in fact, the country was under the yoke of the United States. The withdrawal of American troops took place in 1901, but even after that the American government more than once resorted to an armed seizure of power in Cuba. In 1934 dictator batista established a pro-American regime in the country.

Under the command of Fidel Castro in 1959 the dictator was overthrown. The USSR provided special economic assistance in the formation of statehood. During this period, the United States imposed an embargo. During the Cold War (the Cuban Missile Crisis), the Soviet Union stationed nuclear warheads in Cuba. In 1975, Cuba was proclaimed an independent socialist state, and Castro became the leader of the country. And he still pursues a policy of blockade of Cuba, thereby causing economic damage to the island.

A long period of Spanish colonization and attempts to take possession of the island by the British and Americans failed to turn Cuba into an overseas country. That's why Cubans proudly mark the island on the map and call it Liberty Island.

The name of the country comes from “Akoba”, which means “land, dry land” in the language of the local Indians.

Cuba area. 110860 km2.

Population of Cuba. 11.39 million people (

Cuba GDP. $77.15 billion (

Location of Cuba. Cuba is a country located on the largest island of West and several nearby islands. In the north it is washed by the Strait of Florida, in the southwest - by the Yucatan Strait, in the east - by the Windward Strait, in the south -.

Administrative division cubes. The state is divided into 14 provinces and the special municipality of Isla Juventud.

Cuban form of government. Republic.

Head of State of Cuba. Chairman of the State Council.

Supreme legislative body of Cuba. National Assembly, which elects the Council of State.

Supreme executive body of Cuba. Council of Ministers.

Major cities in Cuba. Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Holguin, Guantanamo, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas.

Official language of Cuba. Spanish.

Religion of Cuba. 55% are atheists, 40% are atheists, 3% are Protestants.

Ethnic composition of Cuba. 65% are descendants of Europeans, 20% are mulattoes, 12% are Africans, 1% are Chinese.

Fauna of Cuba. Of the mammalian representatives of the animal world, the hutia and the slittooth should be distinguished. lives a huge number bats, almost 300 species of birds, including vulture, quail, finch, macaw, hummingbird. More than 700 species of fish and shellfish live in coastal waters. There are numerous insects, including very dangerous ones - sand flea and the malaria mosquito.

Rivers and lakes of Cuba. The largest is Kauto.

Sights of Cuba. In Havana - National Museum, Colonial Museum, Museum of Anthropology, Moro Castle, Santa Clara Monastery, La Fuerza Fortress, Cathedral Immaculate Conception, City Hall, America's largest zoo; in Santiago de Cuba - Museum natural history; In Cardenas - the Oscar M. de Rojas Museum; in Camagüey there are a large number of churches and mansions from the colonial period. On the shore of the bay is the world's largest aquarium.

Helpful information for tourists

As souvenirs from Cuba, you can bring black coral and jewelry made from it, items made from tortoise shell (especially bracelets and hairpins). Don't forget to buy one or two bottles of unique Cuban rum and real Cuban cigars. When purchasing products made from crocodile skin, ask the seller for an export license, otherwise this souvenir will be confiscated during customs control. A good gift from Cuba would also be a tumbadora or bongo - percussion musical instruments. Another gift is the guayabera, a shirt worn by officials in the tropics. You will probably have to use currency shops, since pesos can only buy books and medicine.

In Cuba, it is customary to pay a tip of 5-15% of the cost of services. The porter and maid at the hotel are given 1 dollar.

Cuba, also known in the world as “Liberty Island”, is located in the northern part Caribbean Sea and is a large-scale island archipelago belonging to the Greater Antilles group. The country is located at the junction between North and South America, its geographical shape slightly reminiscent of a lizard, whose tail is located in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and the body, along with the head, is turned to the side Atlantic Ocean.

Peculiarities

Cuba is considered one of the most picturesque and colorful places on the planet. Majestic mountain ranges The Cordillera de Guaniguanico, Escambray and Sierra Maestra gracefully combine with flat terrain, dense tropical forests and grandiose waterfalls, thus forming the unique landscape of the republic. Around big islands, replete with white sandy beaches, there are numerous coral reefs and small islands that gracefully complement the unique seascapes. Today, Cuba is ruled by the national Communist Party, and executive power is concentrated in the hands of the head of state, who simultaneously serves as the Secretary General, and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. The main goods exported are sugar and nickel. Traditionally, famous Cuban cigars are in great demand in the West.

The general standard of living of the population in the state is quite low, although, as in many other countries of South and Central America, there is a large difference in income between the elite and ordinary citizens. Healthcare and infrastructure are poorly developed, which is seriously affected by the US embargo against the republic. On the other hand, serious attention is paid to education on the island, the level of which is considered one of the highest in Latin America. The main religion in the country is Catholicism. The ethnic composition is extremely diverse. Representatives of almost all continents live in Cuba. The overall percentage of the population is just over 60% white. One of the main factors of dissatisfaction among many islanders towards the current government is the fact that local residents who want to leave their homeland require special permission, which is not so easy to obtain. Since the country has a communist system, many elements of everyday life and features of the government structure here are similar to Soviet models of the second half of the last century, including free milk and the sale of products using cards.

general information

The area of ​​Cuba is almost 111 thousand square meters. km, with a population of about 11 million people. State language is Spanish, but some residents, especially in resort areas, speak fluent English. The national currency is the peso (CUP), and convertible pesos (CUC) are used for settlements with foreigners. 100 CUC = $CUP:USD:100:2. Euros are also accepted, but American dollars, to put it mildly, are not popular. Local time lags behind Moscow by 7 hours in summer and 8 hours in winter. Time zone is UTC−4 in summer and UTC−5 in winter. Mains voltage 110 V at 60 Hz, A, B. Telephone code countries +53. Internetdomain.cu.

A brief excursion into history

Cuba was discovered for Europeans by the famous Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus in the fall of 1492. The colonization of the island progressed in parallel with regular opposition from the local population, represented by the Taino Indians. In the second half of the 19th century, a large-scale war for the independence of Cuba began, which lasted for 10 years, and in 1898, Spain was defeated by the US Army during the Spanish-American confrontation, after which American influence spread here. At the beginning of the 20th century, the country gained long-awaited independence, which subsequently first turned into the dictatorial regime of Gerardo Machado y Morales, and then Fulgencio Batista. In the summer of 1953, the Cuban Revolution broke out, one of the main organizers of which was the future Prime Minister of the country, Fidel Castro. It ended 6 years later with the establishment of the communist regime. Agrarian reforms and widespread social changes soon followed. Those dissatisfied with the new policy were exiled to the United States without the right to return to their homeland. As in the USSR, brutal sanctions were applied to “enemies of the people.” With the rise to power of Fidel's brother, Raul Castro, in 2008, the Cuban people gained more freedom, although in general government system hasn't changed much.

Climate

The island is dominated by a tropical trade wind climate, and the average annual temperature ranges from +25 to +28 degrees. From May to September, Cuba experiences the rainy season, which is characterized by prolonged tropical downpours. From October to April, clear sunny days with high humidity prevail. On the coast, the heat is much easier to bear than in the interior of the island, due to light winds blowing from the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The best time The period for visiting Cuba is considered to be from November to April.

Visa and customs regulations

To travel to Liberty Island, a visa is not required for Russian citizens, but is required for Ukrainian citizens. Customs regulations include some restrictions regarding the export of cultural property, sea shells, any antiquities or precious metals from the country. When purchasing goods made from crocodile skin, you should obtain a license from the seller in order to avoid seizure of the product during customs inspection at the border. It is interesting that no more than 50 Cuban cigars can be exported to Russia, but in this case, Russian customs already acts as a limiter on the freedom of import.

How to get there

The most popular and visited resorts on Liberty Island are, and. The most popular of them is Varadero. It's always noisy, bright and fun there. Magnificent sandy beaches, framed by evergreen palm trees, create a relaxed atmosphere, and numerous hotels, shops, restaurants and entertainment venues make your vacation as comfortable and varied as possible. Holguin and Santa Maria del Mar are not so crowded and are more suitable exclusively for spending time on the beach. In general, the tourist centers of Cuba enjoy great attention from tourists. All beaches are municipal, equipped with appropriate attributes and there is practically no local population on them. Hotels mainly operate on an all-inclusive basis and are located on the first coastline.

For travel lovers, Cuba is amazing world with beautiful nature and architecture, rich history, traditions and culture. The friendliness of the local residents and the bright rays of the sun reflected in the emerald waters of the Caribbean Sea add additional positivity to the unique romantic atmosphere of the island.

Accommodation

A popular tourist destination in Cuba is Varadero, where there are expensive 4-5* hotels with good areas and infrastructure, and the resort also has more economical 3* hotels, but don’t be surprised if you see huge cockroaches there. If you want to truly experience Cuba, it is best to stay in a private house, Casa Particular, it is much cheaper than a hotel and provides local flavor. In general, in Cuba, every city and town has good city hotels with their own charm.

Kitchen

Widespread in Cuba, Creole cuisine includes an abundance of different national culinary products, including dishes of pork, chicken and vegetables, seasoned with an impressive amount of spices. Delicacies include dishes made from crocodile or turtle meat, as well as turtle eggs. True gourmets should definitely try such national drinks as mojito, Cuba libre or daiquiri. Restaurants and cafes are present in resorts and in the capital Havana, while in provincial areas there are only catering establishments and small eateries.

Shopping

In shops, souvenir shops and markets there are numerous souvenirs made of crocodile skin, tortoise shell and black coral. Tourists often purchase Cuban cigars, coffee and rum, as well as T-shirts, dishes and other products with images of the leaders of the national liberation movement, Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara, printed on them.

Precautionary measures

Cuba – safe country, you can safely walk the streets at night. The police are quite efficient and competent. The only thing is that you should always check the change you are given when paying for services, in stores, etc., such cases of cheating are not uncommon. Women are advised to adhere to more restrained rules in clothing so as not to attract undue attention from men.

Cuba(Spanish) Cuba), official name - Republic of Cuba(Spanish) Republic of Cuba), unofficial since 1959 Liberty Island- an island state in the northern Caribbean Sea. The country occupies the territory of the island of the same name as part of the Greater Antilles, Isla Juventud and many small islands. It is separated from Cuba by the Strait of Florida in the north and the Yucatan Strait in the west. The country has been a member of the UN since 1945.

The capital and largest city is .

Etymology

The name "Cuba" has its origins in the now dead languages ​​of the Taino Indians who inhabited the Greater Antilles. The exact meaning of the name is unclear; there is a point of view that it may mean “a place where fertile soil is abundant” ( cubao), or “wonderful place” ( coabana).

There is also a hypothesis that Christopher Columbus named the island after the village of Cuba in the Beja region.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Cuba

Geographical position

Relief of Cuba

Minerals

Cuba ranks third in the world (after New Caledonia and Australia, 2007) in terms of nickel reserves, production of which began in 1943 and increased significantly in the period after the 1959 revolution, when, with the assistance of the USSR, mining equipment was modernized and a mining and processing plant was built.

Cuba has large reserves of cobalt and ranks third in the world in terms of its mining and production volumes.

Also, Cuba has large deposits of copper ores (in the provinces of Oriente and Pinar del Rio), manganese ores (in the province of Oriente), chromites (in the province of Camagüey), kaolins (on the island of Pinos), iron ore, asbestos, rock salt, phosphorites. There are no coal deposits.

In 1984, oil and gas fields were discovered in the west of the country. In 2006, development of an oil and gas field began to the north of the island, off the coast of Florida. According to some sources, oil reserves on the Cuban shelf exceed 5 billion barrels (Havana insists on the figure of 20 billion barrels), and gas reserves - 300 billion m³. Total confirmed oil reserves for 2010 amount to 178.9 million barrels, natural gas - 70.9 billion m³.

Climate

Tropical, trade wind. Average annual temperature is 25.5°C. average temperature the coldest month (January) is 22.5°C and the hottest (August) is 27.8°C. The temperature of surface waters off the coast in winter is 22-24°C, in summer - 28-30°C. The average annual precipitation, usually in the form of showers, is 1400 mm, but dry years often occur.

Cuba has clearly defined two climatic seasons: rainy (May-September) and dry (October-April). The rainy season accounts for 3/4 of the total annual precipitation.

A feature of Cuba's climate is its typical high humidity throughout the year. The combination of high humidity and high temperature has a generally unfavorable effect on people's lives. However, on the coast, the wind from the sea moderates the heat, brings freshness, and in the evenings, coolness. In any place, the winds are characterized by a certain constancy, so you can often see trees whose trunks have a corresponding slope.

Cuba is exposed to tropical cyclones, which originate in the summer-autumn period (June - mid-November) to the east of the Lesser Antilles and in the west of the Caribbean Sea, then moving towards. Cyclones are accompanied by heavy rainfall and strong winds that can cause great damage to the economy and population of the island (see Cuban Hurricane (1910)). The rivers in Cuba are short and shallow. Forests, covering about 10% of the territory, are preserved only in mountainous and swampy areas. Animal world sushi is relatively poor. At the same time, in the waters surrounding Cuba there are valuable commercial fish, shellfish, lobsters, shrimp, and sponges.

Administrative division

Main article: Administrative divisions of Cuba

Cuba is a unitary state. For political and administrative purposes, until 2011, the national territory was divided into 15 provinces and the special municipality of Juventud Island, the provinces were divided into municipalities. On January 1, 2011, the decision to divide the province of Havana into the provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque came into force, and the number of provinces increased to 16. The provinces, in turn, are divided into 169 municipalities.

The representative bodies of the provinces are the provincial assemblies of the people's power, elected by the municipal assemblies of the people's power, the executive bodies of the provinces are the executive committees of the provincial assemblies of the people's power, elected by the provincial assemblies of the people's power.

The representative bodies of municipalities are the municipal assemblies of people's power, elected by the population, the executive bodies of municipalities are the executive committees of the municipal assemblies of people's power, elected by the municipal assemblies of people's power.

Transport

Cuban railway map

On the island of Cuba there is Railway, road network. Sea and air communications have been established with other countries. Cuba's leading airline, Cubana de Aviación, has offices in 32 countries.

Bridge in Cuba connecting the province of Matanzas with the province of Mayabeque

Population

Main article: Cubans

Cuba's demographic curve. FAO data, 2005.

Cubans are a people of mixed origin. By the time the Spaniards arrived here, Cuba was inhabited by tribes of Sibones, Arawak Indians, Guanahanabeys and Indians who migrated from Haiti. But as a result of Spanish colonization, the Indians were mostly exterminated.

Since the Spanish colonists needed a lot of labor, primarily to work on plantations, they began to import slaves from (mainly Yoruba, Ashanti, Ewe, Congo). Over 350 years, the Spaniards imported more than 1 million African slaves, their descendants making up 40% of the population. In addition, Indian slaves from Yucatan were imported in small quantities, and. During the same period, 850,000 “Gallego” migrants arrived, mostly Galicians, Castilians, Navarreans, and Catalans, but not all of them remained to live in Cuba. From the end of the 18th century. a large influx of French from Haiti also arrived here. There was also a fairly intense flow of immigrants from Italy and Britain.

On June 3, 1847, the first 200 Chinese were brought to the island; subsequently, between 1853 and 1874, more than 125,000 Chinese were imported from Asia. “Chinatown” has still been preserved.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many Americans settled in Cuba and created their own colonies on the island of Pinos. There were very strong waves of immigration to Cuba during and after the First and Second World Wars, primarily Jews moving here.

In 1953, the proportion of the white population was 84%, but then decreased, mainly as a result of emigration after the revolution.

Data on the racial composition of Cuba is contradictory. According to official data from the 2002 census, the population of Cuba consists of whites - 65.1% (7,271,926), mulattoes - 24.8% (2,778,923), blacks - 10.1% (1,126,894), 1% - Chinese (113,828). According to the Institute of Cuban Studies at the University of Miami, 68% of Cubans are black or mulatto. Minority rights group International says 51% of the population is mulatto.

According to the census, in September 2012, the total population of Cuba was 11,163,934.

Matanzas

Population aging

According to the British magazine The Economist, Cuba is the only Latin American country whose population is declining. Cuba's population aging is also the highest in the region. According to The Economist, this is due to a sharp decline in the birth rate. Thus, the average number of children per woman decreased from five in 1963 to 1.9 in 1978 and 1.5 between 2004 and 2008. On the other hand, a good level of health care has led to an increase in the number of elderly people. As a result of these processes, in 2008, for the first time in the country's history, the share of the population under 14 years of age became equal to the share of those over 60 years of age - approximately 18% each. According to The Economist, this circumstance threatens the sustainability of Cuba's pension system. The trend towards an aging population is also visible in the example of the country's leadership: the average age of members of the Cuban Politburo is more than 70 years.

Story

Main article: History of Cuba

Until the end of the 16th century, Cuba was inhabited Indian tribes, first Guanahatabey (in the 6th century BC), later Arawak. The Indians were engaged in hunting and farming.

The first European to arrive here was Columbus, who landed in the east of the archipelago in October 1492. In 1511, Diego Velazquez de Cuellar subjugated the indigenous population of the islands, built Fort Baracoa and became the first Spanish governor of Cuba. By 1514, seven settlements had been founded. In 1515, Cuellar moved his headquarters to Santiago de Cuba, which became the first capital of Cuba. Colonization took place in the context of a struggle with the indigenous population of the island - the Taino Indians, who made up 75% of the population. Columbus reported the millionth Indian killed. The population of Cuba in the 15th century was about 1,800,000 people.

• In 1823, the first uprising for independence from Spain was suppressed.
• In 1868, the Ten Years' War for Cuban Independence began; the rebels were supported. Military action has reached highest point in 1872-1873, but then the rebels fought only in the eastern provinces, Camagüey and Oriente. In 1878, a peace agreement was signed that eliminated the most unpleasant legislative acts for the inhabitants of the island.
• In 1895, a detachment of Cuban patriots under the leadership of Jose Marti landed in Cuba. This event became the starting point of a new war with the Spaniards, during which the Cubans achieved control over almost the entire territory of the island, excluding big cities(See Cuban War of Independence).
• In 1898 they started a war with, in which they won (see Spanish-American War). Cuba is becoming dependent on . The constitution stipulated the right to send troops into the country. This clause was repealed in 1934.
• In 1933, as a result of a coup organized by revolutionaries led by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista y Saldivar, dictator Gerardo Machado y Morales was overthrown and a democratic regime was established.
• On March 10, 1952, Fulgencio Batista carried out a coup d'etat and established a personal dictatorship.
• On July 26, 1953, a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro attempted to seize the Moncada barracks. The attempt was unsuccessful, and the participants in the assault ended up in prison, but this event became the starting point of the Cuban Revolution. These events were immediately followed by political repression (see article Repression during Batista's reign). In 1955, the revolutionaries were granted amnesty. December 2, 1956 a new group revolutionaries landed from the Granma yacht in the east of the island and began military operations against the Batista government.
• On January 1, 1959, dictator Batista fled Cuba. At this point, rebel forces occupied the city of Santa Clara in the center of the island and controlled large swathes of terrain to the east, although the capital was not in immediate danger and Batista still had significant military forces at his disposal. In the conditions of the power vacuum that arose as a result of Batista's flight, on January 8, a column of rebels entered Havana, where they were greeted with popular jubilation.

As a result of the victory of the revolution, power in Cuba was given to a left-wing government headed by Fidel Castro, which then leaned towards the path of building socialism. The ruling and only permitted party in the country is the Communist Party of Cuba. The government of Fidel Castro carried out agrarian reform, nationalized industrial assets, and launched broad social reforms. This caused discontent among part of the population and mass emigration occurred, mainly to the United States, where a large diaspora of opponents of Castro and his policies was created. Emigration was also facilitated by the Cuban Act passed by the US Congress in 1966, which guarantees permanent residence to any Cuban who came to the US legally or illegally.

Immediately with the 1959 revolution, political repression began (see repression during the reign of Castro), primarily directed against figures from the overthrown regime of dictator Batista and CIA agents.

• In April 1961, Cuban emigrants, with the active support of the United States, landed armed troops on south coast islands with the goal of organizing a mass protest against the policies of the new government in the future, but the intervention was quickly stopped, and the expected social explosion never happened. Subsequently, emigrant organizations repeatedly organized Act of terrorism and small-scale landings on Cuba, but without much results.

From the early 1960s to the early 1990s, Cuba was an ally of the USSR and actively supported Marxist rebels and Marxist governments in Latin America (Puerto Rico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile), Africa (Ethiopia, Angola) and Asia, and also pursued a policy of providing humanitarian assistance to various countries of the world. In the late 1980s, more than 70 thousand Cubans were abroad as part of military and humanitarian missions. At the same time, the USSR provided it with significant financial, economic and political support, often acting as a coordinator of foreign policy and determining participation in certain armed conflicts.

Castro had a negative attitude towards the policy of Perestroika in the USSR and even banned the distribution of a number of Soviet “pro-Yeltsin” publications in Cuba (“Moscow News”, “Novoe Vremya”, etc.).

After the collapse of the USSR, Cuba's economic situation deteriorated significantly (in 1990-1993, GDP decreased by 33%), and analysts predicted the imminent fall of the Castro government, but by 1994 the situation had largely stabilized, and the economic state of the country is currently assessed by international organizations as quite satisfactory.

On February 19, 2008, through the Granma newspaper, Fidel Castro announced his resignation as President of the State Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban forces. “To my dear fellow citizens, who have given me the immeasurable honor of electing me as a member of Parliament, in which the most important decisions for the fate of the revolution will be taken, I inform you that I do not intend and will not give my consent to take the post of Chairman of the State Council and Commander-in-Chief,” it says in circulation.

On this moment The President of the State Council is Miguel Diaz-Canel.

On November 25, 2016 at 22:29 Cuban time, Fidel Castro died after a long illness.

On April 10, 2019, the country’s new constitution, which was adopted in a constitutional referendum, came into force. It establishes the post of President of the Republic of Cuba, who runs for a term of 5 years with the right to re-election for a second term, and also recognizes the right of citizens to private property and small business.

State structure

According to the form of government, Cuba is a socialist republic of parliamentary type.

The majority of deputies in parliament represent the Communist Party of Cuba.

Executive power is exercised by the Chairman of the Council of State (head of state), who in practice is simultaneously both the General Secretary of the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (head of government) - the second secretary of the Central Committee, respectively.

The government consists of the State Council and the Council of Ministers. The government is formed by the parliament of the republic, called the National Assembly of People's Power. He also appoints the head of the State Council. Thus, the highest body of government in Cuba is the National Assembly.

Administratively, the republic is divided into 16 provinces, which include 169 municipalities. One of the municipalities - Juventud - reports directly to the central authorities, the rest - to local administrative structures.

Legal system

The highest court is the People's Supreme Court, appointed by the National Assembly of the People's Power, the appellate courts are the provincial courts, appointed by the provincial assemblies of the people's power, the courts of first instance are the municipal courts, appointed by the municipal assemblies of the people's power.

Economy

Beach in Cuba near the city of Varadero

Main articles: Economy of Cuba, US sanctions against Cuba And Cuban Peso

Advantages: The tourism industry attracts foreign investors. Export of sugar and nickel. Elite cigars. The banking sector is strengthening. Oil rigs.

Weak sides: Due to the US embargo, lack of access to important markets and investments. Acute shortage of foreign currency. Fluctuations in world prices for sugar and nickel. Complicated trade restrictions discourage investment. Poor infrastructure. Shortage of fuel, fertilizers and spare parts.

In the period after 1960, the economic blockade imposed by the US government caused enormous damage to Cuba's economic development. According to official data from the Cuban government, as of early December 2010, direct damage from the economic blockade amounted to 104 billion US dollars (and taking into account the depreciation of the dollar against gold in the period after 1961, 975 billion US dollars).

According to the British weekly The Economist, the main reason for Cuba's economic problems is low productivity caused by a lack of incentives to work. In an article on the Cuban economy, the magazine writes:

Sugar cane plantations

The American embargo is annoying, but the main problem with the Cuban economy is that Fidel's paternalistic state has removed both the incentives to work and the penalties for idleness. That's why Cubans don't work too hard at their official jobs. People spend their working hours chatting and having long telephone conversations.

Original text (English)

The American embargo is an irritant, but the economy’s central failing is that Fidel’s paternalist state did away with any incentive to work, or any sanction for not doing so. So most Cubans do not work very hard at their official jobs. People stand around chatting or conduct long telephone conversations with their mothers. They also routinely pilfer supplies from their workplace: that is what keeps the informal economy going.

Cuba ranks 4-5 among Latin American countries (ranks higher) and 67 in the world according to the UN classification in terms of Human Development.

There are different points of view regarding the level of development of Cuba before the revolution. According to a number of sources, in terms of GNP per capita, Cuba was ahead even at that time. Robin Blackburn also wrote that Cuba was one of the richest countries in the underdeveloped category. Professor Maurice Halperin, who worked in Cuba immediately after the revolution, objected to the application of the term “underdeveloped” to pre-revolutionary Cuba, which, in his words, caused false associations with truly backward countries, and proposed calling it “moderately developed.” On the other hand, the Groningen Growth and Development Center, having conducted its own retrospective calculations using a special methodology, obtained data stating that Cuba in 1958 was inferior to these countries and a number of Latin American countries.

According to statistics, in 1951 in Cuba there were 122 thousand cars for a population of 5.5 million, that is, 1 car for 41 people. At the same time, according to the authors of the Area Handbook for Cuba, “all this as a fact has no meaning, since there were de facto two Cubas, in one the elite lived beautifully and comfortably, and in the other the most necessary things for life were not available.”

The KTP-1 combine harvester for mechanized harvesting of sugar cane, developed at the Lyubertsy Agricultural Engineering Plant named after. A.V. Ukhtomsky in the second half of the 1970s for work in Cuba and subsequently produced under license in the city of Holguin.

In 1960, a massive nationalization of the private sector was carried out. Currently, Cuba has one of the most nationalized economies in the world. In the second half of the 1960s. the government tried to abandon central planning in favor of sectoral planning. Extensive experiments were carried out with moral incentives for labor and the use of non-monetized compulsory labor. Falling production levels and shirking forced a return to Soviet-style central planning. In the 1970s - 80s. With the help of the countries of the socialist bloc, the basis of the industry is being created in Cuba.

After the collapse of the USSR, there was a reduction in purchases of Cuban sugar and the cessation of economic assistance. For 1989-1993 Cuba's GDP fell by a third. Economic collapse was avoided by opening the country to foreign investment in industry and tourism.

According to the CIA directory, in 2010 real GDP growth was 1.5%.

The main sector of the Cuban economy is the sugar industry. The capacity of Cuba's sugar factories is capable of processing 670 thousand tons of sugar cane per day (production of 9-9.5 million tons of sugar per year). In the past, the industry developed extensively thanks to the support of the CMEA.

The Cuban government is creating free economic zones (FEZ) in order to attract foreign investment. In 1996, a law was adopted on the procedure for the creation and functioning of free economic zones. The validity period of the concession for the right to operate in the SEZ is 50 years. In 1997, three SEZs (Mariel, City and Vahai) began operating.

View of a valley with tobacco plantations, Viñales, Cuba.

Exports ($3.3 billion in 2010) - sugar, nickel, tobacco, seafood, medical products, citrus fruits, coffee. The main export partners are China (26%), Canada (20%), Spain (7%), the Netherlands (5%).

In November 2004, during a visit to Cuba by Chinese President Hu Jintao, an agreement was reached that China would invest $500 million in the Cuban nickel industry. In January 2008, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and the head of the state oil company Petrobras, Jose Sergio Gabrielli, who visited Cuba, announced their intention to invest $500 million in the exploration of Cuban hydrocarbon deposits in the Gulf of Mexico and the construction of a plant for the production of technical oils in Cuba. In May 2010, construction of another large nickel ore mining plant began in Holguin province.

Cuban cigars

Cuba imports ($10.3 billion in 2010) - petroleum products, food, industrial equipment, chemical products. The main import partners are Venezuela (31%), China (15%), Spain (8%), USA (7%).

It plays an important role in Cuba’s foreign trade, which, in exchange for the services of Cuban doctors, teachers and trainers, supplies Havana with cheap oil under the Petrocaribe program (part of the oil is then resold by the Cuban authorities). In 2011, trade turnover between the two countries reached $8.3 billion. At the beginning of 2013, there were 36 Cuban-Venezuelan enterprises in the fields of energy, transport, communications, tourism, agriculture, construction, and the mining industry.

The Cuban banking system consists of the Central Bank of Cuba, 8 commercial banks, 13 non-banking financial institutions, 13 representative offices of foreign banks and 4 representative offices of foreign financial institutions. There are 2 types of currency in Cuba. Citizens of Cuba receive black and white Cuban pesos, foreigners receive colored (convertible) pesos when exchanging currency. Western media reported on currency fraud by the top Cuban leadership and the F. Castro family.

Since 1962, a card system has been in effect in Cuba; products are issued according to the same standards for the entire country. According to Cuban experts, the population currently receives from 40 to 54 percent of the minimum required calories from food distributed on ration cards. Milk is provided free of charge by the state to children under 6 years of age or purchased by the population at the market. Throughout the post-revolutionary years, a black market existed in Cuba. A number of goods, the distribution of which by cards is carried out irregularly or are intended only for beneficiaries, are still purchased on the black market.

In 2008, Cubans were allowed to buy cell phones, computers and DVD players, as well as 19- and 24-inch televisions, electric pressure cookers and electric bicycles, car alarms and microwave ovens (but only with convertible currency).

In 2009, about 100 thousand passenger cars were registered in the country, of which 60 thousand were old American cars that were on the island before the revolution.

The average monthly salary in Cuba as of January 2011 was 300-350 pesos (23-25 ​​pesos per dollar). However, domestic prices for goods produced within the country may differ significantly from the world average. There is a developed system of free services and government benefits. For example, free clothing is provided to workers. There is a system of free medical care and free higher and secondary education.

Reform 2010

In October 2010, the country's government significantly increased the number of permitted types of business activities by adopting legislative and regulatory acts regulating private business.
Cuban President Raul Castro appealed to his fellow citizens to support his radical program of economic change, saying that "the future of the revolution hangs in the balance." According to him, reforms that provide for a significant increase in the role of private entrepreneurship are aimed at saving the socialist system, and not at returning to capitalism. R. Castro noted that the ruling Communist Party must correct its past mistakes and abandon its negative attitude towards small private business.

Private business

At the end of May 2016, the Cuban authorities announced the legalization of private small and medium-sized businesses.

Foreign policy

Main article: Cuban foreign policy

The largest cooperation to date is with Venezuela.

• Sino-Cuban relations.

Venezuela

The basic agreement on cooperation between the two countries was signed under Hugo Chavez in 2000. And already in 2009, 98 thousand Cubans worked in Venezuela. In 2011, an undersea cable was stretched from Venezuela to Cuba, providing the island with the Internet.

EU

In 1993-2003, the European Union provided Cuba with small support of about 145 million euros (including about 90 million euros in humanitarian aid). In 2003, the EU imposed sanctions against Havana, which obligated European countries, as part of a “common position,” to limit government bilateral visits and reduce participation European countries in cultural relations with Cuba, they proposed to intensify contacts with those in opposition to the authorities, invite Cuban dissidents to events at their embassies in Cuba and other countries, etc. The sanctions were partially lifted in 2005, and in 2008 they were completely lifted.

Panama

• August 23, 2004 - President of Panama Mireya Moscoso announced the recall of the Panamanian ambassador from Cuba in response to the warning issued by the Cuban Foreign Ministry on August 22 about its readiness to sever diplomatic relations with Panama if its authorities amnestied the criminals who were preparing an assassination attempt on Fidel Castro. At the same time, the President of Panama noted that the recall of the Panamanian ambassador does not mean a severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
• August 25, 2004 - Cuban Ambassador to Panama Carlos Zamora, at the request of the Panamanian authorities, left for his homeland. Before leaving, he made a statement to the press in which he noted that “Cuba considers it its duty to achieve exemplary punishment for the terrorists” who were preparing the assassination attempt on Fidel Castro. In March 2004, the Supreme Court of Panama sentenced six conspirators detained in Panama in 2000 to prison terms. The new President of Panama, Martin Torrijos, who takes office on September 1, expressed the hope that the Panama-Cuban conflict would be resolved on the basis of mutual “respect and common sense."

Mexico

Bahamas

On October 3, 2011, an agreement was signed between Cuba and the determination maritime border between two states.

USSR/Russia

Fidel Castro with Russian President V.V. Putin, 2000.

From the very beginning of the revolution in Cuba, the attitude of the CPSU leadership towards Liberty Island was ambiguous, in some ways similar to the position regarding the SFRY. First, neither the Castro brothers nor their associates were formally Leninists. Their theoretical basis was limited to the legacy of Marx and Engels. Secondly, among other things, Cuba, in principle, was not part of the military blocs. Highly valuing freedom, Cuba, since the Belgrade Conference (Yugoslavia, September 1-6, 1961), has been one of the most active participants in the Non-Aligned Movement. It joined the CMEA only in 1972.

January 21, 1964 - The USSR and Cuba signed a Long-term Agreement on the supply of sugar to the USSR.

mass media

The only state broadcaster in Cuba and the only broadcaster in Cuba in general is ICRT ( Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión- “Cuban Institute of Radio and Television”), created on May 24, 1962. Includes:

• Radio stations
  • Radio Progreso, launched in 1929, network partners - CMHA, CMIB, CMFC, CMMB, CMKB, CMLA, CMJB, CMAB, CMGB.
  • Radio Reloj, launched in 1947
  • CMBF Radio Musical Nacional, launched 1948
  • Radio Rebelde, launched 1959
  • Radio Havana Cuba, international radio station, launched in 1961
  • Radio Enciclopedia, launched 1962
  • Radio Taíno, launched in 1985
  • Provincial radio stations - Radio Ciudad de La Habana, Radio Metropolitana, Radio COCO, Radio Cadena Habana (all 3 in Havana), Radio Guamá, Radio Artemisa, etc.
• TV channels
  • Cubavisión (before nationalization in 1960 CMQ-TV, Canal 6), launched 1962
  • Tele Rebelde (formerly Canal 2), launched 1982
  • Canal Educativo, launched in 2001
  • Canal Educativo 2, launched in 2004
  • Multivision, launched in 2008
  • provincial TV channels
  • Cubavision International

Previously there were also radio stations CMQ and RHC-Cadena Azul (launched in 1939).

Culture

At the origins of national Cuban literature was Jose Maria Heredia (1803-1839), the author of love, philosophical and civil-patriotic poems. Its popular still in Cuba" Anthem of the Exile"(1825), permeated with bitterness and sorrow for the homeland oppressed by tyrants, ends with the anticipation of its inevitable liberation. The end of the 19th century was marked by the creative legacy of one of the founders of modernism in literature, the patriot, “ apostle"Cuban Revolution by Jose Marti. After the First World War, against the background of growing patriotic sentiments in the 1920-1930s, “ second republican generation"Cuban poets and prose writers, which united a variety of literary movements. In the novel " Sacred spring"A. Carpentier, one of the famous prose writers of this generation, gives a broad picture of revolutionary changes in the world over the decades of the twentieth century.

Independent Cuban painting arose only in late XIX century. In the 1930s, artists who visited Europe became acquainted with modern artistic movements there and brought them to Cuba. Thus, Marcelo Pogolotti used cubism to create images on themes related to the poverty of the Cuban people. The most famous Cuban artist, Wifredo Lam, painted in a surrealist style. Mario Carreno was greatly influenced by the work of Mexican muralists. Jorge Arche is known for his portraits, which are similar in style to the work of other Latin American artists of the 1930s.

In popular culture

Santiago de Cuba

• Guantanamera is a famous Cuban song and the unofficial anthem of Cuba.
• Muslim Magomayev - “Cuba, my love.”
• Flame (group) - “This is us talking.”
• Hasta Siempre, Comandante - "Nathalie Cardon" - "Buena Vista Social Club" - "Panteon Rococo"
• Night snipers - "Cuba".
• Jah Division - "Cubana".
• Forbidden drummers - “Cuba is nearby.”
• Daniele Silvestri - "Cohiba".
• Camila Cabello - "Havana"

• Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea
• Graham Greene. Our man in Havana

• The Godfather 2
• Havana (dir. Sydney Pollack)
• Havana I love you
• I am Cuba (dir. Mikhail Kalatozov)
• Ocean (2008, dir. Mikhail Kosyrev-Nesterov)
• Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights
• Zombie Slayer Dir. Alejandro Bruges.

• Driver 2
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, Soviet Campaign Begins in Cuba, Operation Red Dawn
• The Godfather II
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Corsairs III

Religion

In Cuba, church and state are separated. The country's constitution guarantees the population freedom of religion. The most common religion is Catholic.

Cubans are quite religious. Catholic churches exist throughout the country, with masses celebrated daily and solemn services held on national or local days religious holidays. Members of the Cuban Communist Party are not prohibited from attending churches. There are also 96,000 members of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization in the country.

With the arrival of black slaves on the island, various beliefs of African origin spread. Over time, they formed the main movements that still exist and are popular today. This is La Regla de Ocha Ifa (Spanish) La Regla de Ocha-Ifá) or Santeria (Spanish) Santeria Cubana), Regla Palo Monte (Spanish) Regla Palo Monte) and La Sociedad Secreta Abakuá (Spanish: La Sociedad Secreta Abakuá), as well as other movements that have now disappeared or are on the verge of extinction, for example, La Regla-Yiessa (Spanish: La Regla Iyessa) and La Regla Arara (Spanish) La Regla Arara). As a result of the historical process, a mixture of Catholic dogmas and African cults also formed. For example, the Most Pure Virgin of Mercy from Cobre is considered by Catholics to be the patroness of Cuba. In Santeria she goes by the name Ochun.

In recent years, Protestant churches have begun to appear, especially in the provinces.

On October 19, 2008, the first in Cuba was dedicated in Havana Orthodox church- Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

See also Islam in Cuba

Sport

Sports in Cuba are available to everyone and this mass nature allows them to constantly replenish national teams according to various types sports that brought the small Caribbean island important world and Olympic awards. Cuba is the birthplace of world famous athletes. Among the sports that stand out are baseball, boxing, athletics and volleyball.

As of August 18, 2016, Team Cuba has won the most medals of all time in baseball.

Armed forces

Guard at the mausoleum of Jose Marti

Main article: Cuban Armed Forces

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba ( Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias - FAR) are the main armed formation of Cuba, ensuring its national defense.

According to the constitution, the country's president is the supreme commander in chief and determines the structure of the armed forces.

The Cuban Armed Forces include the following types of troops:

• Ground troops
• Air Force and Air Defense.

mass media

The Liberty Island daily newspaper Granma bears the name of the yacht of the same name, on which a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro landed in Cuba to carry out guerrilla warfare against the Batista regime. The newspaper is the official conductor and popularizer of the policies pursued by the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC). Once a week on English language“Granma Internacional” is published. The Cuban press is also represented by such publications devoted to the problems of economics, tourism, finance, culture, politics, as “Opciones”, “Bohemia”, “Juventud Rebelde”, “Trabajadores”.

Cuban emigration

New Jersey

Mostly, Cubans fled to the United States because President John Kennedy declared that “any Cuban who sets one foot on the shores of the United States is automatically entitled to political asylum in this country.” Now 1.5 million Cubans live just 150 kilometers from Cuba, creating a “little Cuba” here.

In 1965, relatives of Cuban emigrants who had previously left Cuba were allowed to leave the port of Camarioca. In the two months that the port was open, more than 250,000 people left the country.

In 1980, Fidel Castro opened the port of Mariel to everyone who wanted to emigrate from Cuba.

The Migration Act 1976 was amended on 16 October 2012 and came into force on 14 January 2013. If previously a resident of Cuba required a special permit to leave, the so-called. exit visa and to prepare documents for a trip abroad you had to pay about $300), and such categories of citizens as doctors were “not allowed to travel abroad” in principle, then from January 14, 2013, an adult Cuban for a trip abroad only needs a valid passport, an air ticket and (if necessary ) visa of the country of destination. Restrictions on leaving Cuba are left only for famous athletes, “secret carriers,” those under investigation, as well as those whose profession is “vital for the state.” According to press reports, the Cuban government hopes that the citizens who left will subsequently return to their homeland, gaining new skills and bringing money into the country's economy.

In total, from 1959 to January 2013, about 2 million Cuban citizens emigrated from the country, 86% of emigrants live in the United States.

• Symbol of Cuba - flower mariposa(Hedychium coronarium).
• In Cuba, the activities of Masonic lodges have never been prohibited or persecuted. This is the only country of the socialist camp where Freemasonry has been preserved. As of 2009, approximately 28,000 Cubans were members of the Grand Lodge of Cuba.
• In Havana there is a state-owned rock club, Maxim Rock, which is the center of Cuba's informal movement. In order for a local band to receive a share of the profits from concert ticket sales, it must audition with a national rock agency and be approved. The rest of the money raised at the events goes to the budget. The lyrics of Cuban rock musicians should not raise questions among censors: for example, they are prohibited from criticizing the government.

see also

Cuba

Notes

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Literature

• Larin E. A. Cuba of the late 18th - first third of the 19th century / Rep. ed. Dr. History Sciences N. M. Lavrov. Institute of General History of the USSR Academy of Sciences.. - M.: Nauka, 1989. - 272 p. - 1300 copies.

- ISBN 5-02-008962-1. Liberty Island Cuba -, about which, for all its color, we know not so much. Meanwhile, this island is rich in its history, culture and incredible life experiences. Time stopped in Cuba about three decades ago. And you still have the opportunity to see the world of the past.

What is it like, Cuba on the map

In the north of the Caribbean Sea there is a very interesting, original and definitely memorable country, the Republic of Cuba. It covers not only the central island, but also several smaller ones. It is divided into 16 provinces and also includes the municipality of the Islas Juventud. No matter how large Cuba may seem, its population is about 11,300,000 people.

The state is a member of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. The dominant Communist Party directs politics. The flag of Cuba is colored white, blue and red. The three blue stripes symbolize the Spanish parts of Cuba, the two white stripes symbolize independence, the red triangle symbolizes equality, and the star symbolizes freedom.

Cuba covers a total area of ​​110,860 square kilometers and a length of 1,250 kilometers. The state borders the USA, Mexico, Jamaica and the island of Haiti. The climate here is tropical, with temperatures ranging from 22 to 30 degrees Celsius.

Where the name Freedom Island came from is not entirely known. It is assumed that the word "Cuba" came from the Taino Indians, who called the island " great place" And some historians say that Columbus named the island Cuba in honor of the village of the same name in Portugal.

History of Cuba

Cuba went through a difficult path during its formation. These lands have seen many revolutionary actions. The first civil uprising took place back in 1823, when local residents decided to fight for an independent Spain. From 1868 to 1878, fighting took place here during the Ten Years' War for the independence of the Cuban people. This was followed by a number of revolutionary leaders who introduced their own rules and principles of government to Cuba.

The well-known Fidel Castro came here in 1953. It was with his activities that the Cuban Revolution began, which opposed the ruling dictator Batista. When he fled the island, the “leftist” revolutionaries took the leading position. But the optimistic trend did not last long, as repression soon began in Cuba. Castro was afraid of the dangerous influence of the United States, and actively began to cooperate with the Soviet Union.

It was this, the largest state at that time, that supported Cuba materially and financially. But when Perestroika began in the Union, the relationship changed. And Cuba itself has lost its former power. There was little money, not enough jobs. Stability was achieved only in 1994.

The Church in Cuba operates according to its own rules, because everyone here has the right to their own religion. They mainly profess Catholicism. But sometimes there are examples of Protestantism and African cults, which are built on making sacrifices and worshiping various pagan gods.

They say the language here is predominantly Spanish, but you can also hear English and Italian. In some regions, Dutch, German and various local dialects are spoken.

Cuba and its cities

The capital of Cuba, the city of Havana, is tourist center and one of the largest in the country. His total area is almost 727 square kilometers, on which 15 municipalities are located. Havana received capital status in 1902, and at the moment it is the cultural, economic and political center of the country.

There are a lot of museums built in the city, in particular the Colonial, the National, the Jose Marti House Museum and the Museum of the Revolution. You can also see many old restored houses from the 16th-18th centuries. The house-museum of the great writer Ernesto Hemingway, who was impossibly in love with Cuba, is also open.

The second largest city in Cuba by area and importance is Santiago de Cuba. It was built and inhabited at the beginning of the 16th century, and until 1556 it served as the capital of the state. Here, as in the capital, a lot of museums have been opened: ethnographic, municipal, natural history and others.

Tourists come to the south of Cuba to try their hand at recreational diving and see the fortress of San Pedro de la Roca del Morro. By the way, it is in this city that the grave of dictator Fidel Castro is located.

The city of Camagüey was built in the center of Cuba in 1514. Local residents suffered from pirate attacks for several decades, but over time the area has changed. Surrounded picturesque nature, the city is famous for its numerous attractions - the Ignacio Argamonte Museum, Trabajadores and Soledad squares, and, of course, the Casino Campestre park.

How to organize an unforgettable vacation in Cuba

Despite the fact that Cuba is not the richest country, tourists will definitely have something to see here.

The bell towers in the capital Cathedral St. Christoph's, listed building World Heritage humanity UNESCO. It was built from 1767 to the end of the 19th century; the crown of the architectural creation was the frescoes of Giuseppe Perovani. The bells are made of bronze mixed with silver and gold.

Be sure to take a walk along the Prado Boulevard in the capital, this promenade separates the two regions of Havana. Noisy and colorful Cuban weddings take place here, since the Wedding Palace is located on the boulevard. A large Seville hotel was built for tourists, and the old Capitol rises nearby. Walking along the boulevard in the evening, you will certainly see the Bolshoi Theater and Central Park. Walk a little more and you will be on the Malecon embankment.

Scenic and one of the largest parks, the Sierra del Rosario can be seen if you reach the Rosario Ridge. Big park is a protected area with a length of 250 kilometers. This land is home to a tropical forest with more than 800 plant species. At the moment, the park is of particular natural value for UNESCO

And, of course, you can’t come to Cuba without stopping by Hemingway’s house. It was here that the writer lived almost until the end of his life. He was inspired by the unique seascape and fresh salty air. Hemingway arrived in Cuba in 1940, but the house in which he settled was built at the end of the 19th century. Gorgeous views, rum and national flavor inspired the author to write the legendary novel “The Old Man and the Sea.”

In 1961, the writer passed away, and a year later, in tribute to his work, the Cuban authorities made a museum in his house. Everything here is preserved in the form Ernest is used to seeing. Even in the bedroom, on the desktop, they installed an exact copy of the typewriter on which brilliant works were created.

Cuba is something unique

Such another country definitely cannot be found anywhere in the world. And there are plenty of quirks on Liberty Island. Accustomed to prohibitions, repressions and restrictions, Cubans have some other permissions. Surprisingly, the activities of Masonic lodges are still legal here. To this day, there is an organization of Freemasons, including just under 300,000 local residents.

But there are much more prohibitions. For example, one of the strangest rules is the ban on catching and eating lobsters by locals. This product is considered exclusively touristic and is grown or caught by state monopolists. Local residents do not have the right to this product. We are talking not only about lobsters, but also about lobsters. To tell the truth, this rule is, of course, violated. But it still remains within the law and implies imprisonment for several years.

Photography in Cuba is a separate art form. But before you take that coveted photo, make sure it's legal. It is strictly prohibited to photograph administrative and military buildings, cars and any other places. There are quite a lot of KGB officers in all cities, but it’s better not to risk taking photos or videos with them. If you photograph locals or take selfies with them, then first of all, ask permission. You are unlikely to hear a refusal, but if this happens, it is better to immediately erase the photo.

And the most popular entertainment in Havana is the Tropicana show. It features a traditional cabaret with colorful Cuban costumes. The ticket price is 95 Cuban pesos, which includes a pass to the event, a glass of champagne, a can of Coca-Cola and a bottle of rum. Cabaret talks about rich history Cuba from the times of the Indians to the Castro dictators.

Cuba and tourism

What does a tourist do when he gets tired of the sights or when there are a little less than a couple of hours left before the plane? Of course, he goes shopping!

The Caribbean coast is rich in its ocean attractions and beauty. In local souvenir shops you can buy bracelets and figurines made from turtle shells. It will be interesting for musicians to bring bongos, for fashionistas - a guayabera shirt. Well, where would we be without the traditional portraits of Che Guevara, which look at tourists from T-shirts, cups, key rings and other things.

You are unlikely to have to buy groceries, but you won’t be able to do it particularly well either. In Cuba, everything is issued using coupons, and there are supermarkets for tourists. To tell the truth, big shopping centers There are only two in Cuba, and then in the capital.

What to try in Cuba?

Of course, drink a glass of rum and, if your tastes permit, light a fragrant cigar and feel like Al Capone. Buying Rum in any city in Cuba is easier than finding a store without a queue. Rum prices are minimal, but the quality matches the price. If you want to try a good cigar, then check out the Cigar Museum. This way you will learn more about this iconic item and buy a quality product at a relatively low price.

As for restaurants, things are not going too well. There are no big five-star restaurants with arches and waiters in bow-ties in Cuba. And even small cafes with three tables with a thatched roof are called a restaurant here. But the food in all establishments is quite tasty. Seafood cuisine is widespread. The same lobsters and spiny lobsters, which are relatively inexpensive here.

Everything about Cuba for tourists

To visit Cuba you will need. The Embassy of Liberty Island welcomes Ukrainian tourists quite warmly, so the documents will be processed quickly. With such a visa you can stay in the country for up to 30 days, and if the atmosphere of the island drags on for some more time, then the Ukrainian embassy will easily extend the documents.

They will cost you about 500-700 dollars. to Cuba ranges from 25 to 50 thousand hryvnia. The hotel will cost tourist city approximately 1500 - 2600 hryvnia per day. In smaller cities, hotels cost approximately
1000 – 1500 hryvnia per day. You can truly give yourself a gift paradisaic delight and rent a house, villa or cottage on the coast. This luxury will cost 800 – 2200 hryvnia per day.

There is one fact worth knowing about currency. There are two types of pesos in Cuba. The first is designated as CUP, this currency is less colorfully printed and is intended for local residents. For tourists, the peso is designated as CUC. This is the so-called convertible peso, which is related to the regular peso as 1:25, respectively. Interestingly, in any city in Cuba they accept both currencies. But the quirk still exists.

Video - 13 interesting facts about Cuba

Regarding money, it is also important to know that there are no terminals in the local stores. So you should always have cash with you. It is better to withdraw a large amount from ATMs at once, because the commissions there are literally extortionate. Part of the amount should be kept close to you, and part should be left in the hotel or villa safe. And in general, all valuables should be kept with you. Cuba has a fairly high rate of theft.

When taking photos, do not forget that posting pictures on Instagram will not be very easy. There is no Internet on a large scale in Cuba. You can only use it with a card in certain places. Or in the central areas of the city at the main post office. Or in a hotel, of course.

In Cuba it is a separate world that cannot be compared with anything. Temperamental, emotional and to this day not despondent Cubans will happily share their experience with you for old times sake. Ukrainians are common guests in Cuba. Once upon a time, an annual tour to Cuba was organized for the children of Chernobyl. Now everything is getting better, and Cuba is still waiting for our fellow countrymen. All that’s left to do is find out where Cuba is, order a visa, book a hotel and fly to your sunny vacation.