Cuba

The Caribbean Communist State 145 Kilometres From Florida

Cuba is one of the world’s last functioning single-party Communist states, governed by the Communist Party of Cuba since the 1959 Cuban Revolution that overthrew the Batista dictatorship. The country was led by Fidel Castro from 1959 to 2008, then by his brother Raúl Castro to 2018, and currently by Miguel Díaz-Canel — the first Cuban leader without a family connection to the Castros and without a personal role in the 1959 Revolution.

The country sits just 145 km from the Florida Keys but has been subject to a United States trade embargo since 1962 — the longest sustained trade embargo in modern history. The embargo has shaped almost every aspect of contemporary Cuban life, from the famous fleet of vintage American cars (no new American imports since 1962) to the country’s reliance on Soviet bloc support during the Cold War (and the catastrophic “Special Period” of 1991-2000 after that support collapsed).

Cuba has an education and healthcare system that consistently outperforms its income level — universal literacy, near-universal post-secondary education, life expectancy comparable to the US, and a doctor-to-patient ratio among the highest in the world. The country has long sent medical professionals abroad as both humanitarian assistance and revenue generation. Its culture exports — son cubano music, salsa, Cuban cigars, the cuisine, the literature of writers from José Martí to Reinaldo Arenas — far exceed what its 11 million population would suggest.

A Brief History

Pre-Columbian and Colonial Cuba

The Taíno peoples populated Cuba before Christopher Columbus’s arrival in 1492. Spanish colonisation was brutal — within a century, the indigenous population had collapsed from disease and forced labour. African slaves were brought to work sugar plantations from the 16th century; over 800,000 Africans were imported during the slave trade.

Independence and the US

Cuba was the last Spanish colony in the Americas, gaining independence only after the Spanish-American War of 1898 — which the United States, intervening on the side of Cuban revolutionaries, used to convert Cuba into an effective American protectorate. The Platt Amendment (1901-1934) gave the US extensive rights over Cuban affairs and a permanent lease on the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base (which the US still holds).

The Revolution

Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement overthrew the Batista dictatorship on 1 January 1959. Initially nationalist, Castro’s regime pivoted to Soviet alignment by 1961, leading to the failed US-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) and the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) — the closest the world came to nuclear war.

The Special Period

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 ended Cuba’s primary economic support. The 1990s “Special Period” was an economic disaster — GDP fell roughly 35%, food shortages were severe, and most Cubans experienced significant weight loss. Recovery came partly through tourism opening, partly through Venezuelan oil agreements under Hugo Chávez.

Modern Cuba

Raúl Castro opened the economy modestly after 2008 (private restaurants, small businesses). The 2014 US-Cuba thaw under Obama partially relaxed restrictions; the Trump administration tightened them again. Miguel Díaz-Canel has presided over significant economic difficulty, the 2021 protests (the largest in Cuba since 1959), and accelerating emigration.

Geography and Climate

Cuba covers 109,884 km² — about the size of Tennessee — across the main island plus Isla de la Juventud and roughly 4,000 smaller cays.

Climate

Tropical — warm year-round, with a wet season May-October and dry season November-April. Hurricane season runs June-November.

Culture, Language and Religion

Spanish is the official language. Cuban culture combines Spanish colonial, African (especially Yoruba), and indigenous Taíno influences, particularly visible in religion (Santería combines Catholicism with West African Yoruba beliefs) and music.

The Economy

Cuba has a socialist mixed economy (~$110 billion GDP in 2024, but figures are unreliable). The government dominates most major sectors. Key sectors: tourism, medical services exports, sugar (declining), nickel mining, tobacco (Cuban cigars).

Cuisine

Cuban cuisine is Caribbean-Iberian-African fusion:

• Ropa vieja — shredded beef in tomato sauce, the national dish
• Moros y cristianos — black beans and rice cooked together
• Mojito — rum cocktail invented in Havana
• Cuban sandwich — pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, pickles on Cuban bread
• Lechon asado — slow-roasted whole pig

Nature and UNESCO Sites

Cuba has 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Old Havana, Trinidad and the Valley of the Sugar Mills, the Castle of San Pedro de la Roca in Santiago de Cuba, Viñales Valley, Desembarco del Granma National Park, and Alejandro de Humboldt National Park.

Travel Guide

Entry

Most Western nationalities require a tourist card (typically $25-$50, obtained through airlines or Cuban consulates). US citizens face complex restrictions but can travel under specific authorised categories.

Best Seasons

November-April is the dry season and best for travel.

Budget

Variable — daily $80-$150; accommodation in casas particulares (private homes) is the standard mid-range option.

Surprising Facts

1. Cuba has two parallel currencies — the regular peso (CUP) used by Cubans for daily life and the “convertible peso” (CUC) used for tourism — though the dual system has been simplified since 2021.³
2. Cuba’s literacy rate is over 99% — among the world’s highest, the result of a 1961 mass literacy campaign that sent over 100,000 students to teach in rural areas.⁴
3. The Buena Vista Social Club album (1997) — recorded in Havana with elderly Cuban son musicians — sold over 12 million copies and reignited international interest in pre-revolutionary Cuban music.³
4. Cuba sends approximately 30,000-50,000 doctors abroad at any time, often to underserved countries — a major source of foreign exchange.³
5. Hemingway lived in Cuba for 22 years (Finca Vigía, near Havana) and won the Nobel Prize while there in 1954.⁶
6. The US naval base at Guantánamo Bay has been leased from Cuba since 1903 at a rate of $4,085 per year; Cuba has refused to cash the cheques since 1959.⁶

Sources and References

See the list of cited sources in the page frontmatter.