Cuba is a Latin-American island country, a part of the Caribbeans with an outlet on the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. Cubas is the biggest Caribbean country, situated on the island of the same name and several smaller archipelagos. Cuba also has the largest population among the island countries in the region – 11 million people. The capital city of Cuba is the city of Havanа. The second-largest city is Santiago de Cuba. The climate in Cuba is hot, humid, and tropical with 80 % of the rainfalls concentrated in the summer season (from May to October). Find out what is the ideal time to visit Cuba here. 10 % of the country’s territory is covered by forests and 20 % by natural parks and protected areas. Find out the 50 top facts about Cuba here.
Cuba is 1260 km long and 191 km wide /in its longest and widest part/. To the north, the Florida Channel separates Cuba from the USA, and to the east, the Windward Passage separates the island country from Haiti. The easternmost point of Cuba is Cape Maisi, аnd the westernmost is Cabo San Antonio next t Мaria la Gordа. The closest southern neighbour is the island of Jamaica. The long coastline of the island of Cuba is divided by hundreds of natural bays, reefs, and peninsulas. The Republic of Cuba includes The Island of Youth /the former Island of Pinos/ and around 1600 small islands most of which are uninhabited.
The landscape of Cuba is mostly flat. The mountains and upland take around 1/4 of the island surface. Sierra Maestra is the main range of mountains crossing the Caribbeans and Cuba in its southeast part. There you can find the highest peak in the country Turquino peak /2005 m/. The lowland to the south of the island is a part of the calcareous Caribbean Plate, where we can find Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Peninsula of Florida, the USA, and the Islands of the Bahamas. The longest river in Cuba is Cauto. It runs from the east to the west, 20 km north of Bayamo and it is floatable for small boats. Cuba is one of the world leaders in nickel ledges following Russia and takes 5th place in cobalt reserves. It owes some oil reserves, too.
Cuba has a rich culture, which is a combination of local island traditions and the Spanish conquistadors’ influence, the African slaves, and the USA. Cuba is one of the five communist countries in the world and plays a key role globally /especially during the Cold war/. Cuba is also one of the main suppliers of humanitarian aid for Third World countries. The approximate level of the population literacy is 99,8 %, the infant death rate is lower than that of some developed countries, and the average life expectancy is 77,4 years. In 2006 WWF defines Cuba as the only country meeting the requirements for sustainable development /Wikipedia is one of the resources used/.
We invite you to take a look at a detailed map with our travel notes here: