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| Official Name: |
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República de Cuba |
| Capital City: |
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Havana (La Habana) |
| Main Cities: |
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Santiago de Cuba, Camagüer, Trinidad, Santa Clara, Holguín |
| Area: |
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42,804 sq. miles (110,861 sq. km) |
| Population: |
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11,35 million |
| Currency: |
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Peso |
| Language: |
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Spanish
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 Geographical Snapshot:
Long and lissom, the island of Cuba lies in the turquoise Caribbean like a sleeping crocodile, Cubans says. It is the largest island of the Greater Antilles, guarding the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, just 112 miles (180km) from Florida and 130 miles (210km) from Mexico. Cuba is really an archipelago consisting of the long main island, the small Isle of youth (Isla de la Juventud) off the southwest coast, and about 1,600 coastal islets, keys, and coral reefs. The total surface area is 42,805 sq. mile (110,861 sq. km) - about the size of England, and slightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania. The mainland is 776 miles (1,250 km) long and 62 miles (100km) wide.
Cuba has fourteen provinces, including the capital, plus a special municipality, the Isle of Youth. About one-fifth of the population of 11.35 million lives in Havana.
Climate:
Cuba has a tropical marine climate, with temperatures averaging between around 71º and 80ºF (around 22º and 27ºC). Because of its narrow east-west configuration, it is refreshed by sea breezes and trade winds, but daytime temperatures can rise to around 97ºF (36ºC) in July and August and inland in the east of the island. Conversely, between December and February, although the average temperature is around 68ºF (20ºC) in July and August and inland in the east of the island. Conversely, between December and February, although the average temperature is around 68ºF (20ºC), cold fronts can sweep down from the north, bringing rain and sudden sharp temperature drops.
February and March are the driest months and October the wettest month. Average annual rainfall is around 52 inches (1,320mm), the highest rainfalls occurring in the mountains and the lowest along the coastline south of them. At any time of year, the weather can switch from glorious sunshine to a torrential downpour and back to sunshine again in an hour or two. As the wet season begins, temperature and humidity rise together, and the beach becomes a place of refuge with the sea temperature topping 77ºF (25ºC).
The Hurricane:
Cuba lies in the Caribbean’s “Hurricane Avenue”. Hurricanes generally coincide with the wet season and are most frequent between August and October. On average, Cuba is affected by a hurricane about every three years, with a direct hit every eight or nine years.
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“Cuba, qué Linda es Cuba!” (“Cuba, how beautiful Cuba is!”) says Cuba’s unofficial national anthem, and the verse sums up the Cubans’ deeply felt patriotism. Cubans are devoted to their country, and most can’t see why anyone would want to live anywhere else.
Nationalism runs deeper than loyalty to socialism, and is an enduring feature of cubanía, the Cuban spirit, defined by the scholar Fernando Ortiz as the consciousness of being Cuban and the will and desire to be Cuban that goes beyond mere ownership of a Cuban passport of birth certificate.
Cuba is a true melting pot of races, the descendants of Spanish conquerors and later migrants, French exiles, African slaves, Chinese indentured labourers, and others, including some indigenous Taínos. Cuban culture owes a tremendous amount to this kaleidoscopic heritage.
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Africans, Europeans, and people of mixed descent have lived side by side, though not on equal terms, in Cuba for nearly five centuries. Cuban culture is thus a complex blend of African and European – chiefly Spanish – traits. In 1975 Fidel Castro declared the country to be “Afro-Latin”, and it is increasingly recognized that Afro-Cuban culture and religion are central to its identity.
Grafted on to this heritage is the official culture of the Revolution, which, though highly institutionalized, has coalesced into a set of cultural practices and landmarks that form a permanent background to people’s lives.
Carnivals:
Cuban Carnaval, like so much of Cuban popular culture, has its roots in the slave era and the rare moments when slaves were allowed to sing and dance. In the nineteenth century the end of the sugar harvest was celebrated with processions in which dancing troupes known as comparsas would compete. This developed into the present Carnival at the turn of the twentieth century, with competing teams dancing through the streets in masks and colourful costumes and carrying banners and paper lanterns.
Havana has two carnivals a year, one in February and the main one in July and August.
Camagüey has a smaller but still exciting and colourful version, also in June, and there are other carnivals at Pinar Del Río (June), Ciedo de Ávila (March, rather tourist oriented), and Varadero (late January to early February unalloyed tourism).
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 The above extract is kindly provided by Culture Smart! the essential guide to customs & culture. The 168-page guide retails at £6.95 + P&P and is available directly from Kuperard, the publishers of Culture Smart! guides.
CultureSmart!Consulting in conjunction with Cactus Language Training creates tailor-made seminars and consultancy programs to meet a wide range of corporate, public sector, and individual needs. Find out more at www.cactuslanguagetraining.com.
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