The Culture, Geography, and People.

World Studies

Area: 42,803 sq. mi. (about the size of Tennessee)

Language: Spanish

Population: 11.2 million (only about 2 million more than Chicago and suburbs)

A Brief History•Prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the island of Cuba was inhabited by native Americans called Arawaks who were primarily farmers and fishermen.

• When Christopher Columbus landed on the island, he named it Cuba and claimed it for Spain.

• Cuba remained an important colony of Spain for sugar, cotton, and tobacco until 1898

• Work on the plantations was done by African slaves

• The United States took over Cuba after the Spanish-American war and in 1902, Cuba became an independent country.

Modern Cuba• In the late 1950’s, Cuba was led by a dictator and was seen as the “Las Vegas of the Caribbean”.

• In 1959, Fidel Castro led a revolution and took over the country. He set up a single party, communist government that is still in power today.

• Today, Cuba is seen as an impoverished, poor nation. There are no freedom of speech laws, the government controls the internet, and most people are not allowed to leave the country.

Economy• Being a communist nation, most people in Cuba work for the government and the government owns most of the farms, land, and companies.

• No Cuban can change jobs without government permission. On average, Cubans make about $16 per month.

• Since the 1990’s, tourism has been Cuba’s largest source of income.

•Agriculture still plays a large role with sugar and tobacco being two of Cuba’s most common products

• Although Cuba is regarded as an “impoverished” nation, they have some of the world’s best doctors and a healthcare system that has been ranked better than that of the U.S.

Sport & Music• Unlike most other Latin American nations,

Cuba’s most popular sport by far is baseball, with a national team that rivals

many MLB teams.

• Native Cuban music styles such as the Salsa, Rumba, and Mambo are widely

popular and internationally known.

Religion• Although for many years, the communist government did not allow the following of religion, today about 25% of Cubans identify as Roman Catholic.

• Over the years, some Catholic traditions had been forgotten but recently, Cubans have adopted old practices from Mexico

• Many Cubans still practice Santería, which is a mix of native Yoruban (African), Caribbean, and Roman Catholic beliefs.

• Santería is composed of beliefs and practices brought over by African slaves hundreds of years before and includes animal sacrifice, sacred drumming, and a trance-like ritual that is used to communicate with their ancestors.

The Embargo• Since the 1960’s, the U.S. has had a trade embargo placed on the

Republic of Cuba.

• This means that the United States refuses to trade any products or currency with the island nation. Most other nations freely deal with

Cuba, but not having the advantage to trade with the U.S. has severely hurt the Cuban economy

• This also means, American citizens and American products are not allowed to enter Cuba.

Subsequently, Cuban products are not allowed within the borders of the U.S.