Country Guide

Cuba Facts

Geography People and Society Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Geography

Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida


Geographic coordinates:
21 30 N, 80 00 W


Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean


Area:
total:110,860 sq kmcountry comparison to the world: 106
land:109,820 sq km
water:1,040 sq km


Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania


Land boundaries:
total:29 km
border countries:US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
note:Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba


Coastline:
3,735 km


Maritime claims:
territorial sea:12 nm
contiguous zone:24 nm
exclusive economic zone:200 nm


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


    Elevation extremes:
lowest point:Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:Pico Turquino 2,005 m


Natural resources:
cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land


Land use:
arable land:32.31%
permanent crops:3.55%
other:64.15% (2011)


Irrigated land:
8,703 sq km (2003)


Total renewable water resources:
38.12 cu km (2011)


Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
38.12 cu km (2011)

Natural hazards:
the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common


Environment - current issues:
air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation


Environment - international agreements:
party to:Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:Marine Life Conservation


Geography - note:
largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

People and Society

Nationality:
noun: Cuban(s)
adjective:Cuban


Ethnic groups:
white 64.1%, mestizo 26.6%, black 9.3% (2012 est.)


Languages:
Spanish (official)


Religions:
nominally Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria


Population:
11,047,251 (July 2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 78


Age structure:
0-14 years:16.3% (male 923,602/female 873,156)
15-24 years:13.6% (male 770,515/female 732,056)
25-54 years:47.1% (male 2,618,089/female 2,581,895)
55-64 years:10.4% (male 551,637/female 602,658)
65 years and over:12.3% (male 625,330/female 768,313) (2014 est.)


Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio:41.9 %
youth dependency ratio:22.6 %
elderly dependency ratio:19.3 %
potential support ratio:5.2 (2014 est.)


Median age:
total:39.9 years
male:39.1 years
female:40.8 years (2014 est.)


Population growth rate:
-0.14% (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 211


Birth rate:
9.9 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 195


Death rate:
7.64 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 112


Net migration rate:
-3.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 188


Urbanization:
urban population:75.2% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization:-0.08% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)


Major urban areas - population:
HAVANA (capital) 2.116 million (2011)


Sex ratio:
at birth:1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years:1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years:1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years:1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years:0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:0.82 male(s)/female
total population:0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)


Maternal mortality rate:
73 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)


Infant mortality rate:
total:4.7 deaths/1,000 live birthscountry comparison to the world: 183
male:5.04 deaths/1,000 live births
female:4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)


    Life expectancy at birth:
total population:78.22 yearscountry comparison to the world: 59
male:75.92 years
female:80.65 years (2014 est.)


Total fertility rate:
1.46 children born/woman (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 197


Contraceptive prevalence rate:
74.3% (2011)


Health expenditures:
10% of GDP (2011)


Physicians density:
6.72 physicians/1,000 population (2010)


Hospital bed density:
5.1 beds/1,000 population (2011)


Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 96.3% of population
rural: 87.3% of population
total: 94% of population
unimproved:
urban: 3.7% of population
rural: 12.7% of population
total: 6% of population (2012 est.)


Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 94% of population
rural: 88.2% of population
total: 92.6% of population
unimproved:
urban: 6% of population
rural: 11.8% of population
total: 7.4% of population (2012 est.)


HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2012 est.)country comparison to the world: 133


HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,700 (2012 est.)country comparison to the world: 123


HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2009 est.)country comparison to the world: 131


Major infectious diseases:


Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
21.5% (2008)country comparison to the world: 85


Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
3.4% (2000)country comparison to the world: 107


Education expenditures:
12.8% of GDP (2010)country comparison to the world: 2

Literacy:
definition:age 15 and over can read and write
total population:99.8%
male:99.8%
female:99.8% (2011 est.)


School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total:15 years
male:14 years
female:15 years (2012)


Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
total:3.1%country comparison to the world: 143
male:2.8%
female:3.5% (2008)


People - note:
illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form:Cuba
local long form:Republica de Cuba
local short form:Cuba


Government type:
Communist state


Capital:
name:Havana
geographic coordinates:23 07 N, 82 21 W
time difference:UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time:+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lighting


Administrative divisions:
15 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Artemisa, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Mayabeque, 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); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence


National holiday:
Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January (1959)


Constitution:
several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 February 1976, effective 24 February 1976; amended 1978, 1992, 2002 (2010)


Legal system:
civil law system based on Spanish civil code


International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt


Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal


Executive branch:
chief of state:President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 24 February 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government:President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 24 February 2013)
cabinet:Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly or the 28-member Council of State, and elected by the assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session
elections:president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held on 24 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
election results:Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%


    Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (number of seats in the National Assembly is based on population and currently exceeds 600; members elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms)
elections:last held on 3 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
election results:Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed


Judicial branch:
highest court(s):People's Supreme Court (consists of court president, vice president, 41 professional justices, and NA lay judges; organized into the 'Whole,' State Council, and criminal, civil, administrative, labor, crimes against the state, and military courts)
judge selection and term of office:professional judges elected by the National Assembly to serve 2.5-year terms; lay judges nominated by workplace collectives and neighborhood associations and elected by municipal or provincial assemblies; lay judges appointed for 5-year terms and serve up to 30 days per year
subordinate courts:People's Provincial Courts; People's Regional Courts; People's Courts


Political parties and leaders:
Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Raul CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Damas de Blanco


International organization participation:
ACP, ALBA, AOSIS, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO


Diplomatic representation in the US:
note:design similar to the Puerto Rican flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed

National anthem:
name:'La Bayamesa' (The Bayamo Song)

lyrics/music:Pedro FIGUEREDO
note:adopted 1940; Pedro FIGUEREDO first performed 'La Bayamesa' in 1868 during the Ten Years War against the Spanish; a leading figure in the uprising, FIGUEREDO was captured in 1870 and executed by a firing squad; just prior to the fusillade he is reputed to have shouted, 'Morir por la Patria es vivir' (To die for the country is to live), a line from the anthem

Economy

Economy - overview:
The government continues to balance the need for loosening its socialist economic system against a desire for firm political control. The government in April 2011 held the first Cuban Communist Party Congress in almost 13 years, during which leaders approved a plan for wide-ranging economic changes. Since then, the Cuban government has slowly and incrementally implemented limited economic reforms, including allowing Cubans to buy electronic appliances and cell phones, stay in hotels, and buy and sell used cars. The Cuban government also opened up some retail services to 'self-employment,' leading to the rise of so-called 'cuentapropistas' or entrepreneurs. Recent moves include permitting the private ownership and sale of real estate and new vehicles, allowing private farmers to sell agricultural goods directly to hotels, and expanding categories of self-employment. Despite these reforms, the average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting downturn of the 1990s. Since late 2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it currently supplies over 100,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including some 30,000 medical professionals.


GDP (purchasing power parity):
$121 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
$117.3 billion (2011 est.)
$114.1 billion (2010 est.)
note:data are in 2012 US dollars


GDP (official exchange rate):
$72.3 billion (2012 est.)


GDP - real growth rate:
3.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
2.8% (2011 est.)
2.4% (2010 est.)


GDP - per capita (PPP):
$10,200 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
$10,000 (2009 est.)
$10,000 (2008 est.)
note:data are in 2010 US dollars


Gross national saving:
13.4% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
11.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
11.7% of GDP (2011 est.)


GDP - composition, by end use:
household consumption:52.1%
government consumption:34.4%
investment in fixed capital:10%
investment in inventories:-3.4%
exports of goods and services:26%
imports of goods and services:-19.2%
(2013 est.)


GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture:3.8%
industry:22.3%
services:73.9% (2013 est.)


Agriculture - products:
sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock


Industries:
petroleum, nickel, cobalt, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, construction, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, sugar


Industrial production growth rate:
2.6% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114

Labor force:
5.233 million
country comparison to the world: 72
note:state sector 72.3%, non-state sector 27.7% (2013 est.)



Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture:19.7%
industry:17.1%
services:63.2% (2011)


    Unemployment rate:
4.3% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
3.8% (2012 est.)
note:these are official rates; unofficial estimates are about double the official figures


Population below poverty line:
NA%


Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%:NA%
highest 10%:NA%


Budget:
revenues:$47.62 billion
expenditures:$50.29 billion (2013 est.)


Taxes and other revenues:
65.9% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-3.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140


Public debt:
35.9% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
35.8% of GDP (2012 est.)


Fiscal year:
calendar year


Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
5.5% (2012 est.)


Central bank discount rate:
NA%


Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA%


Stock of narrow money:
$11.21 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
$10.97 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of broad money:
$24.63 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
$24.08 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of domestic credit:
$NA


Current account balance:
$289.8 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
-$134.4 million (2012 est.)


Exports:
$6.252 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
$5.972 billion (2012 est.)


Exports - commodities:
petroleum, nickel, medical products, sugar, tobacco, fish, citrus, coffee


Exports - partners:
Canada 17.7%, China 16.9%, Venezuela 12.5%, Netherlands 9%, Spain 5.9% (2012)


Imports:
$13.6 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
$13.72 billion (2012 est.)


Imports - commodities:
petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals


Imports - partners:
Venezuela 38.3%, China 10.8%, Spain 8.9%, Brazil 5.2%, US 4.3% (2012)


Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.993 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
$4.693 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Debt - external:
$23.44 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
$22.51 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA


Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$4.138 billion (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63

Exchange rates:
Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar -
1 (2013 est.)
1 (2012 est.)
0.9259 (2010 est.)
0.9259 (2009)
0.9259 (2008)

Energy

Electricity - production:
17.8 billion kWh (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77


Electricity - consumption:
13.64 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80


Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124


Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132


Electricity - installed generating capacity:
5.914 million kW (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72


Electricity - from fossil fuels:
99.3% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51


Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71


Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
0.6% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143


Electricity - from other renewable sources:
0.1% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103


Crude oil - production:
50,800 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61


Crude oil - exports:
83,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41


Crude oil - imports:
165,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36


    Crude oil - proved reserves:
124 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69


Refined petroleum products - production:
100,600 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73


Refined petroleum products - consumption:
150,200 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66


Refined petroleum products - exports:
11,320 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83


Refined petroleum products - imports:
4,877 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151


Natural gas - production:
1.03 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64


Natural gas - consumption:
1.03 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88


Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85


Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180


Natural gas - proved reserves:
70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59


Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
28.41 million Mt (2011 est.)

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.217 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 68


Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.682 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 149


Telephone system:
general assessment:greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of switches digitized by end of 2006; mobile-cellular telephone service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos; cell phones in Cuba number around 2 million; state communications started service of email to cell phones through nauta.cu accounts; Cuban Government has opened Internet cafes around the island, which are expensive and offer slow-speed connections
domestic:fixed-line density remains low at 10 per 100 inhabitants; mobile-cellular service expanding but remains only about 10 per 100 persons
international:country code - 53; the ALBA-1 fiber-optic submarine cable links Cuba, Jamaica, and Venezuela; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) (2010)



    Broadcast media:
government owns and controls all broadcast media with private ownership of electronic media prohibited; government operates 4 national TV networks and many local TV stations; government operates 6 national radio networks, an international station, and many local radio stations; Radio-TV Marti is beamed from the US (2007)


Internet country code:
.cu


Internet hosts:
3,244 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 154


Internet users:
1.606 million
country comparison to the world: 79
note:private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the government-controlled 'intranet' (2009)

Transportation

Airports
133 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 42


Airports - with paved runways
total:64
over 3,047 m:7
2,438 to 3,047 m:10
1,524 to 2,437 m:16
914 to 1,523 m:4
under 914 m:27 (2013)


Airports - with unpaved runways
total:69
914 to 1,523 m:11
under 914 m:
58 (2013)


Pipelines
gas 41 km; oil 230 km (2013)


Railways
total:8,203 kmcountry comparison to the world: 25
standard gauge:8,134 km 1.435-m gauge (124 km electrified)
narrow gauge:69 km 1.000-m gauge
note:48 km of standard gauge track is not for public use (2011)


    Roadways
total:60,858 kmcountry comparison to the world: 69
paved:29,820 km (includes 639 km of expressways)
unpaved:31,038 km (2001)


Waterways
240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2011)
country comparison to the world: 95


Merchant marine
total:3country comparison to the world: 136
by type:cargo 1, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 1
registered in other countries:5 (Curacao 1, Panama 2, unknown 2) (2010)



Ports and terminals
major seaport(s):Antilla, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Nuevitas Bay, Santiago de Cuba

Military

Military branches
Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR): Revolutionary Army (Ejercito Revolucionario, ER, includes Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT)); Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR, includes Marine Corps); Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (Defensas Anti-Aereas y Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria, DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT) (2013)


Military service age and obligation
17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2012)


Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49:2,998,201
females age 16-49:2,919,107 (2010 est.)


    Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49:2,446,131
females age 16-49:2,375,590 (2010 est.)


Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male:72,823
female:69,108 (2010 est.)


Military - note
the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban military of its major economic and logistic support and had a significant impact on the state of Cuban equipment; the army remains well trained and professional in nature; the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment has increasingly affected operational capabilities (2013)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international
US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease


    Trafficking in persons



Illicit drugs
territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 (2008)
 Information/ Data by CIA - The World Factbook