CUBA

Fidel Castro
President

(pronounced "fee-DELL KAS-tro")

"As Marxist-Leninists we fight not to create individual millionaires, but to make the citizenry as a whole into millionaires."

The Republic of Cuba is situated in the Caribbean Sea, 145 km (90 mi) south of Florida. This archipelago is composed of two main islands, Cuba and the Isle of Youth (formerly Isle of Pines), and about 1,600 keys and islets. Its total area is about 110,860 sq km (42,803 sq mi). In addition to the United States, Cuba lies in close proximity to Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.

Cuba's population was estimated at 11.2 million inhabitants in 2002, of which about 51% were considered mulatto (mixed white and black), 37% white, and 11% black. The official language is Spanish. About 49% of the population declare themselves nonreligious, 40% Catholic, 3% Protestant, 2% African American Spiritualist, and 6% other. (About 85% of the population was Roman Catholic prior to 1959 when Fidel Castro assumed power.)

The unit of currency is the peso . Cuba's main exports are sugar (73% of export earnings), nickel ore, tobacco, citrus fruits, and fish products. Its main imports are mineral fuels and lubricants, machinery, transport equipment, and consumer goods.