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Country Guide > Caribbean > Cuba | |
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General Information Area 110,860 sq km (42,803 sq miles).
Population 11,251,000 (official estimate 2002). Population Density 101.5 per sq km. Capital Havana. Population: 2,189,716 (1999). 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. Religion Roman Catholic majority. There are also minority Afro-Cuban religions. Time GMT - 5. Electricity 110/220 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style flat two-pin plugs are generally used, except in certain large hotels where the European round two-pin plug is standard. Communications Telephone IDD to Havana only. Country code: 53. Outgoing international code: 119. Phonecards for both internal and external calls are readily available from shops and kiosks. Some calls must be made through the international operator, and may be subject to delays. Mobile telephone Phones from the UK cannot be used. Cellular handsets can be hired from Cubacel. Roaming agreements exist with Canada and some European and Latin American countries, although not with the USA or UK. For further details, check online (website: www.cubacel.com). GSM 900 network by C_Com has limited coverage. Fax Services are widely available. Internet Available at hotels and some Internet cafes. ISPs are limited. The main providers include Cubaweb (website: www.cubaweb.cu). Telegram These may be sent from all post offices in Havana and from RCA offices in major hotels in large towns. Post Letters to Western Europe can take several weeks. It is advisable to use the airmail service. Press Papers are in Spanish, although the Communist Party daily newspaper, Granma, publishes a weekly edition, called Granma International, in English, German, Portuguese and French. There is also a fortnightly international newspaper, Prisma, published in Spanish and English. All media is government-controlled. Radio BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online. |
