Cuba




                                 Geography


Location:
     Caribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, 145 km south of Key West
     (Florida)
Map references:
     Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones
     of the World
Area:
total area:
     110,860 sq km
land area:
     110,860 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
     total 29 km, US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
note:
     Guantanamo is leased and as such remains part of Cuba
Coastline:
     3,735 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual
     agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease
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
Natural resources:
     cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica,
     petroleum
Land use:
arable land:
     23%
permanent crops:
     6%
meadows and pastures:
     23%
forest and woodland:
     17%
other:
     31%
Irrigated land:
     8,960 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
     overhunting threatens wildlife populations; deforestation




natural hazards:
     averages one hurricane every other year
international agreements:
     party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
     Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
     Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified -
     Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Note:
     largest country in Caribbean


                                  People


Population:
     11,064,344 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     0.95% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     16.59 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     6.52 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -0.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     10.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     76.89 years
male:
     74.72 years
female:
     79.18 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     1.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Cuban(s)
adjective:
     Cuban
Ethnic divisions:
     mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
Religions:
     nominally Roman Catholic 85% prior to Castro assuming power
Languages:
     Spanish
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     94%
male:
     95%
female:
     93%
Labor force:
     4,620,800 economically active population (1988); 3,578,800 in state
     sector




by occupation:
     services and government 30%, industry 22%, agriculture 20%, commerce
     11%, construction 10%, transportation and communications 7% (June
     1990)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Cuba
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republica de Cuba
local short form:
Digraph:
     CU
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 Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from
     1898 to 1902)
National holiday:
     Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)
Constitution:
     24 February 1976
Legal system:
     based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist
     legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
     16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and 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)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; proposed by the president of the Council of
     State, appointed by the National Assembly
Legislative branch:
     unicameral




National Assembly of People's Power:
     (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) elections last held February
     1993; seats - 589 total, indirectly elected from slates approved by
     special candidacy commissions
Judicial branch:
     People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular)
Political parties and leaders:
     only party - Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first
     secretary
Member of:
     CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMO, INMARSAT,
     INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA
     (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since
     1962), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
     WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Principal Officer Alfonso FRAGA Perez (since August 1992) represented
     by the Cuban Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Washington, DC
chancery:
     2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, US Interests Section, Swiss Embassy,
     Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
     (202) 797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Principal Officer Joseph SULLIVAN
US Interests Section:
     USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada Entre L y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana
mailing address:
     use street address
telephone:
     33-3351 or 33-3543
FAX:
     no service available at this time
note:
     protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland - US Interests Section, Swiss
     Embassy
Flag:
     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


                                  Economy




Overview:
     Cuba's heavily statist economy remains in a severe depression as a
     result of the loss of massive amounts of economic aid from the former
     Soviet Bloc. In 1989-93, GDP declined by about 40% and import
     capability fell by about 80%. Reduced imports of fuel, spare parts,
     and chemicals combined with rainy weather to cut the production of
     sugar - the country's top export - from 7 million tons in 1992 to 4.3
     million tons in 1993, causing a loss of more than $400 million in
     export revenue. The government implemented several measures designed
     to stem the economic decline, e.g., legalizing the use of foreign
     currency by Cuban citizens in August 1993 in an attempt to increase
     remittances of foreign exchange from abroad. Authorities in September
     1993 began permitting self-employment in over 100 mostly service
     occupations. Also in September the government broke up many state
     farms into smaller, more autonomous cooperative units in an attempt to
     increase worker incentives and boost depressed food production levels.
     Fuel shortages persisted throughout 1993; draft animals and bicycles
     continued to replace motor-driven vehicles, and the use of electricity
     by households and factories was cut from already low levels. With the
     help of foreign investment, tourism has been one bright spot in the
     economy, with arrivals and earnings reaching record highs in 1993.
     Government officials have expressed guarded optimism for 1994, as the
     country struggles to achieve sustainable economic growth at a
     much-reduced standard of living.
National product:
     GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $13.7 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     -10% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $1,250 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     NA%
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $12.46 billion
expenditures:
     $14.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Exports:
     $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     sugar, nickel, shellfish, tobacco, medical products, citrus, coffee
partners:
     Russia 28%, Canada 9%, China 5%, Ukraine 5%, Japan 4%, Spain 4% (1993
     est.)
Imports:
     $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals
partners:
     Venezuela 20%, China 9%, Spain 9%, Mexico 7%, Italy 4%, Canada 7%,
     France 8% (1993 est.)
External debt:
     $6.8 billion (convertible currency, July 1989)




Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
     3,889,000 kW
production:
     16.248 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     1,500 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     sugar milling and refining, petroleum refining, food and tobacco
     processing, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals
     (particularly nickel), cement, fertilizers, consumer goods,
     agricultural machinery
Agriculture:
     accounts for 11% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); key
     commercial crops - sugarcane, tobacco, and citrus fruits; other
     products - coffee, rice, potatoes, meat, beans; world's largest sugar
     exporter; not self-sufficient in food (excluding sugar); sector hurt
     by growing shortages of fuels and parts
Illicit drugs:
     transshipment point for cocaine bound for the US
Economic aid:
recipient:
     Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
     (1970-89), $710 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $18.5 billion
Currency:
     1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
     Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (non-convertible, official rate,
     linked to the US dollar)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     12,795 km total; Cuban National Railways operates 5,053 km of
     1.435-meter gauge track, including 151.7 km electrified; in addition,
     sugar plantation lines consist of 7,742 km of 0.914-meter and
     1.435-meter gauge track
Highways:
total:
     26,477 km
paved:
     14,477 km
unpaved:
     gravel or earth 12,000 km (1989)
Inland waterways:
     240 km
Ports:
     Cienfuegos, La Habana, Mariel, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba; 7
     secondary, 35 minor




Merchant marine:
     64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 444,038 GRT/627,741 DWT, bulk 2,
     cargo 36, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 4, oil tanker 10, passenger
     cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 10
note:
     Cuba beneficially owns an additional 34 ships (1,000 GRT and over)
     totaling 529,090 DWT under the registry of Panama, Cyprus, and Malta
Airports:
total:
     187
usable:
     167
with permanent-surface runways:
     73
with runways over 3,659 m:
     3
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     12
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     19
Telecommunications:
     among the world's least developed telephone systems; 229,000
     telephones; telephone density - 20.7 per 1,000 persons; broadcast
     stations - 150 AM, 5 FM, 58 TV; 1,530,000 TVs; 2,140,000 radios; 1
     Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) - including ground forces,
     Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR),
     Territorial Militia Troops (MTT), Youth Labor Army (EJT), and Interior
     Ministry Border Guard Troops
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 3,064,898; females age 15-49 3,088,810; males fit for
     military service 1,907,396; females fit for military service
     1,927,306; males reach military age (17) annually 81,536 (1994 est.);
     females reach military age (17) annually 78,612 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - approx. $600 million, 4% of GSP (gross
     social product) in 1993 was for defense
Note:
     Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba,
     cut off military aid by 1993