North & Central America and Caribbean

Cuba
Last reviewed: 10 February 2012

Country information

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Map of Cuba

CUBA TODAY

Country Facts

Area: 110,860 sq km (42,803 sq miles)
Population: 11.2 million (2010 estimate)
Capital City: Havana (population over 2 million)
People: Ethnically mixed population (white 65.1%; mixed race 24.8%; black 10.1% according to official 2002 census)
Language: Spanish
Religion: The State is secular in Cuba; the main religions are, Catholicism, Santería (an informal mixture of Christianity and African religions brought over by slaves), and Protestantism.
Currency: Cuban Peso (CUP) and Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC) (1 CUC = 25 Cuban Pesos) (1 CUC = US$0.96)
Major Political Parties: There is only one party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC (Raúl Castro Ruz, First Secretary; Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Second Secretary)
Government: Cuba has a one party system. It is the only country in the western hemisphere with a communist government. For 49 years after the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro remained Head of State and formally First Secretary of the Communist Party. On February 24th 2008 Fidel Castro was succeeded by his brother Raúl Castro after announcing that he would not seek another term as President. At the 6th Party Congress in April 2011, Raúl Castro also became First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party.
President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers: Raúl Castro Ruz
First Vice-President of the Council of State: José Ramón Machado Ventura
Foreign Minister: Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla
Membership of international groups/organisations: Cuba's memberships include United Nations (UN), Non-Aligned Movement, ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America), CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), IAEA, WHO, WTO, WO and others.