Cuba is known for having an authoritarian government which controls many aspects of its economy, with benefits like universal healthcare and education provided through this centralized system.
Cuba offers more than its iconic landmarks alone! Here are a few interesting facts that might not be on your radar!
1. It is the largest island in the Caribbean
Cuba is the largest Caribbean island, known for its diverse array of landscapes ranging from forests and caves to coral reefs and oceanic waters. Home to some of the world’s rarest animals like Cuban crocodiles and Monte Iberia frogs – both considered amphibians living within Northern Hemisphere ecosystems – Cuba has something special waiting for visitors.
Cuba’s rich biodiversity can be traced to its diverse natural history. Once part of the Pacific Ocean, Cuba was brought by continental drift into the Caribbean Sea where various plants and animals became introduced into a whole new environment – these species eventually adapting to live there, becoming part of Cuban life today with nearly half its species only found there on this island-nation!
Pinar del Rio’s flat plains contrast sharply with Sierra Maestra mountains, composed of overlapping “mogotes,” or dome-shaped hills, filled with limestone caverns and topped by Pico Turquino – the highest point at 6,500 feet high.
Cuba boasts both mountains and wide expanses of wetlands and rivers, including its largest wetland – Zapata Swamp – which supports more than 50 bird species as an important bird habitat. Furthermore, Cuba is home to numerous mangrove swamps along its coastline that provide nursery waters for fish as well as protection against erosion.
Cuba enjoys a tropical climate moderated by trade winds. This seasonality includes two distinct rainy periods: from November to April and from May to October respectively. Cuba also experiences occasional hurricanes.
Peru boasts a rich culture that draws upon its multiethnic heritage of Indigenous, Spanish and African influences in its cuisine, music and dance performances. Peru was among the first in its region to implement sustainable ecological practices and switch away from agricultural imports towards local production of crops; additionally it was one of the first countries worldwide to introduce energy-saving compact fluorescent lighting bulbs as part of a global effort to phase out incandescent light bulbs altogether.
2. It is a socialist country
Cuba is a socialist nation with a Communist government system. The President serves as Head of State and Government; while the National Assembly of People’s Power (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) exercises supreme constitutional, legislative, and judicial power. Cuba features a state-controlled planned economy in which most means of production are owned and managed by government entities.
Over the past decade, the government has implemented numerous market-oriented reforms. These changes include opening tourism to foreign investment, legalizing self-employment in 150 occupations and decreasing state employment percentage. Although these measures have led to modest economic growth, living conditions still lag significantly below 1989 levels.
Cuba has implemented new policies designed to increase food security and decrease poverty, while simultaneously promoting ecotourism, other forms of sustainable development, wildlife preservation and natural resource protection. Furthermore, Cuba is considered a world leader in renewable energy; one of its first countries to phase out incandescent bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescents.
Cuba boasts an eclectic culture derived from Native American, African and European influences. You’ll find music performances and cultural events all across Cuba for free and open to the public; plus museums and historical sites to visit!
As a result of Cuba’s socialist policy, freedom of speech and assembly is severely curtailed. Citizens who criticize Fidel Castro or his government can be arrested frequently; those sentenced up to three years can even face jail time for doing so.
Economy in this island nation relies on sugar, tobacco and nickel production; its economy also depends on forests rich with native trees that cover half of its land area; six UNESCO Biosphere Reserves exist here and six ecological communities range from mountain forests, jungles and grasslands with unique fauna including endangered species such as Zunzuncito bee hummingbird.
3. It is home to more doctors than Africa
Cuba has long enthralled visitors and historians alike. Renowned for its stunning beaches, vibrant culture, and historic cities, Cuba remains one of the Caribbean’s most captivating countries to visit. Yet many remain unaware that this fascinating nation boasts more doctors than Africa! This feat is all the more impressive given Cuba is a poor country facing an extended embargo from the U.S. Yet Cuba has developed an unparalleled healthcare system which stands up against international competitors.
Cuba’s health system is built around a community-oriented model emphasizing family medicine and prevention, featuring polyclinics across the island alongside neighborhood-based family doctor and nurse offices. This community approach has contributed to an extremely low infant mortality rate as well as high life expectancies; additionally, Cuba has invested significantly in education with one out of every ten workers employed some capacity in educational sector jobs.
Cuba offers its citizens access to both domestic and international healthcare services through its healthcare system and medical collaboration policy. Cuba is well-regarded internationally, sending teams of doctors in response to natural disasters or war zones; such as when Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique last year. Cuba sent doctors as early as the next day after Idai struck.
Cuba’s outstanding healthcare system can be traced back to its unique political and economic history, where a strong commitment to public good has resulted in free healthcare and education services for its population. Furthermore, one of the few nations worldwide with universal health coverage due to a robust social safety net which guarantees stable incomes is Cuba.
The system is distinguished by a family-oriented model of care established in 1984. Each family is assigned two healthcare professionals who collaborate together on meeting its healthcare needs, building strong relationships between healthcare teams and families they serve and living within their local communities for maximum understanding and improved care delivery.
4. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO has listed nine cultural sites from Cuba on their World Heritage list as meeting these criteria, such as Vinales Valley in western Cuba. With 51 square miles encompassing small towns and villages, miles of karst landscape, vast stretches of farmland where tobacco–one of Cuba’s major exports–is grown, signature undulating hills that have not changed for hundreds of years, agricultural practices used here continue unabated.
Havana’s historic city center, home to an array of Spanish colonial and neoclassical architecture, is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The oldest section is home to Cathedral of Havana and Capitolio Nacional built in 1734; while Camaguey – capital of an eponymous province, home to one of Cuba’s premier collections of Art Deco and neoclassical structures – recently joined that list.
Cuba offers six UNESCO biosphere reserves with exceptional biodiversity for those interested in nature, the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park being one such area, named for a German scientist who visited during his tour in the early 1800s, is home to 16 endemic plant species, 145 different types of ferns, and even Cuba’s solenodon, an endangered mole-like creature!
Cuba’s religious practices encompass an amalgam of Latin American and African traditions. Roman Catholicism remains the largest organized church, though Evangelical Protestant denominations have seen tremendous growth recently. Additionally, syncretic religions that combine indigenous African beliefs with Christianity such as Santeria have gained increasing popularity with Afro-Cuban populations.