Match 64 DB Rec# - 7,516 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Cuba
Text :
Cuba
Geography
Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
south of Florida
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
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 Naval Base is leased by the US and thus 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:
pollution of Havana Bay; overhunting threatens wildlife populations;
deforestation
natural hazards:
the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general,
the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are
common
Geography
international agreements:
party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not
ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Marine Life
Conservation
Note:
largest country in Caribbean
People
Population:
10,937,635 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
22% (female 1,191,320; male 1,256,928)
15-64 years:
68% (female 3,732,434; male 3,751,464)
65 years and over:
10% (female 528,104; male 477,385) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.65% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
14.54 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
6.53 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
77.05 years
male:
74.86 years
female:
79.37 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.63 children born/woman (1995 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 15-49 and over can read and write (1981)
total population:
98%
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:
Cuba
local long form:
Republica de Cuba
local short form:
Cuba
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
(next to be held NA); seats - 589 total, elected directly 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, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA
(observer), NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Government
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, Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy,
Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 797-8609, 8610, 8615
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Principal Officer Joseph G. SULLIVAN
US Interests Section:
USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada Entre L Y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana
mailing address:
use street address
telephone:
33-3551 through 3559, 33-3543 through 3547, 33-3700 (operator assistance
required)
FAX:
Telex 512206
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 severely depressed as the result of
its own inefficiencies and the loss of massive amounts of economic aid from
the former Soviet Bloc. Total output in 1994 was only about half the output
of 1989. The fall in output and in imports is reflected in the deterioration
of food supplies, shortages of electricity, inability to get spare parts,
and the replacement of motor-driven vehicles by bicycles and draft animals.
Higher world market prices for sugar and nickel in 1994, however, resulted
in a slight increase in export earnings for the first time in six years,
despite lower production of both commodities. The growth of tourism slowed
in late 1994 as a result of negative publicity surrounding the exodus of
Cubans from the island and other international factors. The government
continued its aggressive search for foreign investment and announced
preliminary agreements to form large joint ventures with Mexican investors
in telecommunications and oil refining. In mid-1994, the National Assembly
began introducing several new taxes and price increases to stem growing
excess liquidity and restore some of the peso's value as a monetary
instrument. In October the government attempted to stimulate food production
by permitting the sale of any surplus production (over state quotas) at
unrestricted prices at designated markets. Similar but much smaller markets
were also introduced for the sale of manufactured goods in December. The
various government measures have influenced a remarkable appreciation of the
black market value of the peso, from more than 100 pesos to the dollar in
September 1994 to 40 pesos to the dollar in early 1995. Policy discussions
continue in the bureaucracy over the proper pace and scope of economic
reform.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power parity - $14 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate:
0.4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,260 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues:
$9.3 billion
expenditures:
$12.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)
Exports:
$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities:
sugar, nickel, shellfish, tobacco, medical products, citrus, coffee
partners:
Russia 15%, Canada 9%, China 8%, Egypt 6%, Spain 5%, Japan 4%, Morocco 4%
(1994 est.)
Imports:
$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities:
petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals
partners:
Spain 17%, Mexico 10%, France 8%, China 8%, Venezuela 7%, Italy 4%, Canada
3%, (1994 est.)
External debt:
$10.8 billion (convertible currency, December 1993)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Economy
Electricity:
capacity:
3,990,000 kW
production:
12 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
1,022 kWh (1993)
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:
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 persistent
shortages of fuels and parts
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
Transportation
Railroads:
total:
12,623 km
standard gauge:
4,881 km 1.435-m gauge (151.7 km electrified)
other:
7,742 km 0.914- and 1.435-m gauge for sugar plantation lines
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, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de
Cuba
Merchant marine:
total:
48 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 278,103 GRT/396,138 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 1, cargo 22, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 10,
passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 9
note:
Cuba beneficially owns an additional 24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
215,703 DWT under the registry of Panama, Cyprus, Malta, and Mauritius
Airports:
total:
181
with paved runways over 3,047 m:
7
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
8
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
13
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
10
with paved runways under 914 m:
106
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m:
1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
36
Communications
Telephone system:
229,000 telephones; 20.7 telephones/1,000 persons; among the world's least
developed telephone systems
local:
NA
intercity:
NA
international:
1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations:
AM 150, FM 5, shortwave 0
radios:
2.14 million
Television:
broadcast stations:
58
televisions:
1.53 million
Defense Forces
Branches:
Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) includes ground forces, Revolutionary Navy
(MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Militia Troops (MTT),
and Youth Labor Army (EJT); Interior Ministry Border Guards (TGF),
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 3,065,751; females age 15-49 3,023,997; males fit for
military service 1,909,901; females fit for military service 1,878,768;
males reach military age (17) annually 72,582; females reach military age
(17) annually 69,361 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - approx. $600 million, 4% of GSP (gross social
product) in 1994 was for defense
Note:
Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off
military aid by 1993
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The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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