Cuba

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the arrival of Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492, as the country was developed as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement, and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from Spain in 1898, and after three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902.

Cuba then experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He handed off the presidency to his younger brother Raul CASTRO in 2008. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office in 2018. DIAZ-CANEL was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party in 2021 after the retirement of Raul CASTRO and continues to serve as both president and first secretary.

Cuba traditionally and consistently portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its socioeconomic difficulties. As a result of efforts begun in 2014 to reestablish diplomatic relations, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries in 2015. The embargo remains in place, however, and the relationship between the US and Cuba remains tense. Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the US via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. In 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay. Irregular Cuban maritime migration has dropped significantly since 2016, when migrant interdictions at sea topped 5,000, but land border crossings continue. 

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

21 30 N, 80 00 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

3,735 km

tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)

mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast

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

8,700 sq km (2012)

large population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana

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

largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

White 64.1%, Mulatto or mixed 26.6%, Black 9.3% (2012 est.)

Christian 58.9%, folk religion 17.6%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, Muslim <1%, other <1%, none 23.2% (2020 est.)

-0.6% (2025 est.)

7.78 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

11.42 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-2.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

large population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana

2.149 million HAVANA (capital) (2023)

35 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.49 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.72 (2025 est.)

9.54 physicians/1,000 population (2021)

4.2 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

24.6% (2016)

2.4% (2019 est.)

58.6% (2019 est.)

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 overland via the southwest border; the number of Cubans migrating to the US surged after the announcement of normalization of US-Cuban relations in late December 2014 but has decreased since the end of the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy on 12 January 2017

soil degradation and desertification (brought on by poor farming techniques and natural disasters); biodiversity loss; deforestation; air and water pollution

tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)

13.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

38.12 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

communist state

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 (Havana), Las Tunas, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Pinar del Río, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara

civil law system based on Spanish civil code

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

16 years of age; universal

Cuban Communist Party or PCC

ACP, ACS, ALBA, AOSIS, CABEI, CELAC, EAEU (observer), 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, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

20 May 1902 (from US administration); 10 December 1898 (from Spain); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as days of independence

Triumph of the Revolution (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)

description: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the left side has a five-pointed white star in the center

meaning: the blue bands stand for the islands' three former departments: Central, Occidental, and Oriental; the white bands for the purity of the independence ideal; the triangle for liberty, equality, and fraternity; the red color for the blood shed in the independence struggle; the white star, called "La Estrella Solitaria" (the Lone Star), lights the way to freedom and was inspired by the state flag of Texas

royal palm

red, white, blue

still largely state-run planned economy, although privatization increasing under new constitution; widespread protests due to lack of basic necessities and electricity; massive foreign investment increases recently; known tobacco exporter; unique oil-for-doctors relationship with Venezuela; widespread corruption

$259.781 billion (2024 est.)

sugarcane, cassava, plantains, vegetables, mangoes/guavas, milk, tomatoes, pumpkins/squash, sweet potatoes, bananas (2023)

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

-0.9% (2023 est.)

4.859 million (2024 est.)

China 34%, Spain 12%, Germany 6%, Switzerland 5%, Hong Kong 4% (2023)

tobacco, nickel, liquor, zinc ore, precious metal ore (2023)

Spain 24%, China 13%, Netherlands 10%, USA 9%, Canada 6% (2023)

beer, poultry, rice, plastic products, soybean oil (2023)

government owns and controls all broadcast media: 8 national TV channels (Cubavision, Cubavision Plus, Tele Rebelde, Multivision, Educational Channel 1 and 2, Canal Clave, Canal Habana), 2 international channels (Cubavision Internacional and Canal Caribe), multiple regional TV stations, 7 national radio networks, and multiple regional radio stations; the government uses the Radio-TV Marti signal; private ownership of electronic media is officially prohibited, with several online independent news sites tolerated but blocked if critical of the government; YouTube popular; Christian denominations create original video content to distribute via social media (2023)

.cu

CU

120 (2025)

4 (2025)

Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR): Ground Troops (Tropas Terrestres), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (Defensas Anti-Aereas y Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria, DAAFAR)

Paramilitary forces under the FAR: Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT), Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT), Defense and Production Brigades (Brigadas de Producción y Defensa, BPD), Civil Defense Organization (Defensa Civil de Cuba) 

Ministry of Interior: National Revolutionary Police (Policía Nacional Revolucionaria, PNR), Directorate of Border Guard Troops (Dirección de Tropas de Guardia Fronteriza, TGF), Department of State Security (Departamento de Seguridad del Estado, DSE) (2025)

limited available information; estimated 50,000 active Armed Forces  (2025)

the military's inventory is comprised of Russian and Soviet-era equipment (2025)

military service is mandatory for all men and voluntary for women (ages 17-28); service obligation is 24 months with the Armed Forces or the Ministry of Interior; reserve commitment for men until age 45 (2025)

the Cuban military is largely focused on protecting territorial integrity and the state; it perceives the US as its primary threat; the military is a central pillar of the Cuban regime and viewed as the guardian of the Cuban revolution; it has a large role in the country’s politics and economy; many senior government posts are held by military officers, and the FAR reportedly has interests in agriculture, banking and finance, construction, import/export, ports, industry, real estate, retail, shipping, transportation, and tourism (2025)