Cuba

Cuba

AREA	110,860 sq km (42,803 sq miles).
POPULATION	11,059,000 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	99.8 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Havana
CAPITAL POPULATION	2,175,995 (1993).
GEOGRAPHY	Cuba is the largest Caribbean island, about the size of England, and the most westerly of the Greater Antilles group, lying 145km (90 miles) south of Florida. A quarter of the country is fairly mountainous. West of Havana is the narrow Sierra de los Organos, rising to 750m (2461ft) and containing the Guaniguanicos hills in the west. South of the Sierra is a narrow strip of 2320 sq km (860 sq miles) where the finest Cuban tobacco is grown. The Trinidad Mountains, starting in the centre, rise to 1100m (3609ft) in the east. Encircling the port of Santiago are the rugged mountains of the Sierra Maestra. A quarter of the island is covered with mountain forests of pine and mahogany.
GOVERNMENT	Socialist Republic. Gained independence from Spain in 1898. Head of State and Government: President Fidel Castro Ruz since 1959.
LANGUAGE	The official language is Spanish. Some English, French, German, Italian and Russian are spoken.
RELIGION	Roman Catholic majority.
STANDARD TIME	GMT - 5.
ELECTRICITY	110/120 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style flat 2-pin plugs are generally used, except in certain large hotels where the European round 2-pin plug is standard

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