Cuba(Lane)

**República de Cuba** = = = =__ **General Information ** __= > ====** Agriculture: //Products//--sugar, citrus and tropical fruits, tobacco, coffee, rice, beans, meat, vegetables. Industry: //Types//--sugar and food processing, oil refining, cement, electric power, light consumer and industrial products, pharmaceutical and biotech products. //Exports// (2009)--$2.88 billion f.o.b.: nickel/cobalt, oil and oil derivatives, pharmaceutical and biotech products, sugar and its byproducts, tobacco, seafood, citrus, tropical fruits, coffee. **==== Information acquired from "[]"
 * **__Capital City__: La Havana(Habana) **
 * **__Population__: 11.2 million people, 76% in cities, 24% rural **
 * **__Demographics__: Ethnic groups (official 2002 Cuba census): 65% white, 25% mixed, and 10% black **
 * **__Religion__: Largest is the Roman Catholic Church, but Baptists, Methodists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Pentecostal churches are large Protestant denominations. **
 * **__Official Language__: Spanish **
 * **__Major Exports/Industrie__s: Natural resources: Nickel, cobalt, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, oil, natural gas. **
 * **__Currency__: 1 Cuban peso = 100 centavos. Official rate of exchange: US$1 = 1 peso (unofficial rate US$1 = 40 pesos **

__** Geography **__

 *  Cuba is approximately 110,860 sq. km, 44,200 square miles, in area. It is smaller than Pennsylvania which is about 46,000 square miles. The terrain is flat, with some rolling plains and hills. Mountains in Cuba range up to around approximately 6,000 feet which is about the size of Mount Mitchell. The mountains lie mostly throughout the Southeastern part of the country. The Sierra Maestra mountain ranges are the highest in Cuba, and the tallest peak is Pico Turquino which is 6,580 feet. **


 *  __Weather/Climate:__ Tropical, moderated by trade winds; hurricane season (August- November); dry season (November-April); rainy season (May-October). **

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__**Brief History **__
 * **Before Spanish colonization Cuba’s natives, the Taino and Ciboney peoples, farmed, fished, and hunted on the land. With Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas, Cuba became a Spanish colony in the early 1500s. Cuba is a part of the West Indian Islands which were utilized** **for their sugar plantations. The Spanish required a labor force to do the work for them, so they enslaved the natives. In a few years the natives were wiped out due to European diseases. The Spanish began trading for slaves and brought many Africans to the island. Cuba stayed under Spanish rule for about 400 years. It declared its independence when the Spanish-American war ended in 1898. America defeated the Spanish and in the Treaty of Paris they were forced to cede Puerto Rico, Guam, and free Cuba. **
 * **In the 1930's a group of students and others sought a reformation of the government, a revolution. On August 12, 1933 the cruel dictator, Gerardo Machado y Morales, was forced to resign. Seargent Batista y Zaldivar joined the revolutionaries and overthrew the government. This allowed him to be the undisputed chief of the armed forces. He was president from 1940-1944, and later the dictator from 1952-1959. When he was in power, the army was very prominent in political affairs, this caused much political and corruption. In 1956 the Granma (which means yacht) landed in Cuba with Fidel Castro and his group rebels. Much fighting ensued, and on the last day of 1958 Batista resigned and fled. Fidel Castro became the Cuban Prime minister until 1976, then President from 1976 to 2008. Today his less authoritative brother, Raul Castro, is in power. **

== =**__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Government/Current Political Situation __**=
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Communist government is currently headed by Raul Castro, Fidel Castro's brother. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Communist Party is constitutionally recognized as Cuba's only legal political party. The party monopolizes all government positions, including the Council of State and judicial offices. Though not a formal requirement, party membership is a de facto prerequisite for high-level official positions and professional advancement in most areas. A small number of non-party members have been permitted by the controlling Communist authorities to serve in the National Assembly. The Communist Party through its front organizations approves candidates for all elected offices. Citizens do not have the right to change the government. **

= = __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Culture **__
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__Music__: many Cuban artists tour foreign countries because Cuban music is much loved. They have a strong following in Latin America. Cuban music is so unique that professional musicians are employed by the State. Cuban music is majorly inspired by the guitar, which the Spanish introduced to the country. This mixed with the African rhythms really well and forms how much of the music is played. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__Dance__: the origins of dance are in both Africa and Spain much like the music. Most of the dance comes from the African music that survived in the poor sections of Havana. This is called rumba; rumba has different forms: the Yambu (jam-BU) is a slow dance by two dancers, the Columbia is usually a men's dance that involves the use of knives and machetes. Other forms of dancing trace back to Spain and France. The French country dance, the contradanza, came from Haiti. The Cuban version of this is called danzon and is related to the Cha-Cha. The Son is a style of music/dance that has a repetitious chorus that has a repetitious chorus that is repeated throughout the song and it is danced with a man and a woman in a type of "salsa" dancing. **

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 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__Sports__: Baseball is Cuba’s most popular sport, and is the national sport of Cuba. It was introduced from the United States in the early 1900’s. Many Cubans’ were drafted into the United States to play in the U.S. leagues, and many were highly talented players. Some of these include, Dolf Luque who was the pitcher of the Cincinnati Reds, Minny Minoso of the Chicago White Sox, and Camilo Pascual of the Washington Senators. Besides baseball, many Cubans enjoy basketball which is now a close second to baseball. Oddly enough, Cuba has much apathy towards the sport of soccer, which is the main sport in all surrounding Latin American countries. Though it isn’t played very much, it is supported and encouraged by the government. Sports that are usually played at school include: tennis, squash, wrestling, fencing, swimming, rowing, and volleyball. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__Public (National) Holidays__: January 1st – Anniversary of the Victory of the Revolution/New Year, January 28th Birthday of Jose Marti, February 24th Beginning of the 1895 Revolution, March 13 Anniversary of attack on Presidential Palace, April 19th Bay of Pigs Victory, May 1st International Labor Day, July 25-27th Remembrance of the National Rebellion, October 8th Anniversary of the death of Che Guevara, October 10th Anniversary of the start of the 1868 War of Independence, and December 2nd Anniversary of the landing of the Granma. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">__Food__: Like many neighboring nations, Cuba has a taste for spicy foods. They have a big emphasis on beans; Congri is made from kidney beans (this is a famous Cuban beans and rice dish). Before the shortages, the favorite meat was chicken, but crocodile meatis sometimes eaten, while turtle meat is used to prepare stews and soups. On another note pizza is a popular lunch meal. Cubans love their rice! It forms the basis of most meals, and is commonly served with beans. **

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= =__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Tourism __=
 * The top 3 places to visit in Cuba are:**

**3. __Santiago de Cuba's Beaches__**

 * Santiago de Cuba's beaches offer a very wild and untamed look at Cuban beaches. It's a natural getaway from all of the commercial cities in the island nation and a very relaxing place.**

2. __**Sierra Maestra Mountains**__

 * The Sierra Maestra Mountain ranges are the tallest in Cuba and offer a look at the natural side of Cuba. The mountains are home to many different unusually colored birds and certain animals such as thumbnail frogs, and butterflies with invisible wings.**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 24px;">1. __La Havana__
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">
 * La Havana is the capital of Cuba and is a beautiful city. It is located on the Northern part of the country surrounded by water which makes breathtaking views and a popular tourist attraction.**

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 120%;">Current Events: __
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans; font-size: 32px;">**__ U.S. Food Sales to Cuba Continued Decline in 2011: __**
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px;">Cuba imports most of its food from the United States. About 70% of the food consumed from Cuba comes from imports. America does trade with Cuba when it comes to Agriculture and medicine, however in recent years the trade with the nation has gone done 50% since a peak of $710 million dollars in 2008. In 2011 a 6% decrease has also reportedly occured Many say that the issue is purely economic and that it has nothing to do with the issue of the embargo. Despite the embargo, America has been one of Cuba's top 10 trading partner for a number of years. Since 2001 Cuba has purchased $3.5 billion dollars worth of agricultural products. **

__ Cuba Informs China about Results of First Communist Party Conference: __
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Sources: **__ [] [] [] [] [] [] [] Sheehan, Sean. //Cultures of the World, Cuba//. Marshall Cavendish Corporation, New York. 1994. Print.
 * Marino Murillo of the Communist Party Political Bureau in Cuba informed Chinese Communist party leader Lin Changchun about the success of the recent National Conference in Cuba. Murillo and Changchun addressed their state of bilateral relations (relationships between the two countries that are the same) and also considered if both countries should deepening banks and parties that run between the two countries. Murillo also met with China Deputy Prime Minister Hui Liangyo and with Agricultural Minister Han Changfu. The meetings focused on issues that were dealing with cooperation of the economy and agriculture. **