Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is a country that includes the island of Cuba as well as Isla de la Juventud and several smaller island groups. It has an area of 110,860 square kilometers. Havana is its capital and largest city, and Spanish is the official language of Cuba. Peso (CUC) is the official currency. One of the world’s greatest public health achievements was made in 2015 in Cuba when it eradicated the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to child.
Cuba was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
Cubans were not allowed to own cell phones until 2008 when the ban was lifted by President Raul Castro’s government.
In 1886, Slavery was abolished in Cuba.
When viewed from the air, the island of Cuba resembles a crocodile. Hence, it is also referred to in Spanish as “El Crocodilo” or “El Caima.”
Cuba has over 250 beaches and 200 bays.
Cuba is roughly the size (in total area) of the U.S. states of Tennessee or Virginia.
The game of dominoes is the national game of Cuba.
Out of the 38,000 miles of roadways in Cuba, half are unpaved.
Cuba is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site with nine sites.
uban cigars are known as the finest cigars in the world. They are handcrafted with homegrown tobacco. Sugar made from sugar cane is their major crop.
Education is compulsory for children from the ages of 6 to 16.
In Cuba and in the Caribbean, the island of Cuba is the second-most populous after Hispaniola.
The Latin America Medical School located in Havana is the largest medical school in the world.
At a distance of 48 miles to the east, Haiti is the nearest neighboring country of Cuba. Jamaica is 87 miles to the south.
Americans still need government authorization in order to visit Cuba.
Cuba has the highest doctor-to-patient ratio in the world. Due to this fact, many Cuban doctors are sent to countries where medical aid is required.
The world’s oldest fish called Manjuari and the smallest bird known as The Bee Hummingbird can be found only in Cuba.
Bacardi rum was originally manufactured in Cuba. However, production moved to Puerto Rico after Fidel Castro overtook Cuba.
Cuba is one of the countries where Coca-Cola is forbidden to sell.
The world’s smallest frog (the Mount Iberia frog) and smallest hummingbird (the bee hummingbird) are found in Cuba.
Cubans could not buy their own computers until 2008.
Cuba is the 17th largest island in the world.
The country’s total nominal GDP is $68.7 billion which gives it the 63rd largest economy in the world.
Pope John Paul II visited Cuba in January 1998.
Internet access in Cuba is still restricted by the government. It is only allowed to doctors, academics, engineers or government workers to have an Internet connection.
The communist party is the only legal party in the country.
Cuba has a 99.8% literacy rate, which is one of the highest in the world.
“The Old Man and the Sea,” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” were written by the famous writer Ernest Hemingway while he lived in Cuba.
Cuba’s main export include coffee, fish, medical products and citrus fruits.
Almost 100,000 barrels of oil are received by Cuba from Venezuela every day.
The Bolero, Mambo and Cha Cha dance form was invented in this country.
Americans visiting the island can bring home a total of $100 worth of cigars and rum.
Cubans burn dolls on New Year’s Eve in order to symbolize forgetting bad times and looking forward to good times.
The number of daily newspapers published in Cuba dropped from 58 in the 1950s to 20 in more recent times.
Christmas was not an official holiday in Cuba until 1997.
Pico Turquino is the highest point (1,974 m (6,476 ft)) in Cuba.
It is illegal to take photos of military personnel, police officers, or airport personnel in Cuba.
Cuba is one of the first countries to ban the sale of incandescent lighting.
Sexual reassignment surgeries were made legal in Cuba in 2007.
The Cauto River is the longest river in Cuba. It flows for 230 miles.
Cuba is the first Communist country in the Western Hemisphere.
The first Spanish settlement on Cuba was Baracoa which was founded by Diego Velazquez de Cuellar in 1511.
Cuba is the 16th most populous island in the world.
Cuba was the Spanish empire’s most-important source of raw sugar in the 18th century.
Cuba gained its independence from the United States in 1902.
On October 16, 1953, the dictator (Fidel Castro) of Cuba was sentenced to prison for a term of 15 years.
Baseball is the most popular sport in the country.
Cuba has nine properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Seven of these are cultural while two are natural.
There are over 250 museums in Cuba.
Between 1959 and 2011, sale of property in Cuba was banned.
The Cauto River is the longest river in Cuba.
The first-ever public Wi-Fi hotspots were opened in Cuba in 2015.
