Cuba
República de Cuba
La República de Cuba, país de América
asentado en un archipiélago del Mar de las
Antillas, también conocido como Mar Caribe. Al
norte se encuentran Estados Unidos y Bahamas,
al oeste México, al sur las Islas Caimán y
Jamaica, y al sudeste Haití.
Tabla de contenidos
1 Historia
2 Gobierno y Política
3 Organización político-administrativa
4 Geografía
5 Economía
6 Población
6.1 Demografía
6.2 Religión
7 Cultura
8 Medios de Comunicación
9 Deportes
10 Vea también
10.1 Enlaces externos
Geografía
(En detalle)
Lema nacional: Patria o Muerte
Idioma oficial
Español
Capital
La Habana
Presidente del
Fidel Castro
Consejo de Estado
Área
- Total
- % agua
Lugar 113º
110,860 km²
despreciable
Población
Lugar 72º
- Total (2004)
- Densidad
11,308,764
101/km²
Independencia
Artículo principal: Geografía de Cuba
Geografía: Cuba es un archipiélago constituido
por la mayor isla de las Antillas llamada Cuba, la
Isla de la Juventud (anteriormente llamada Isla
de Pinos), y otros 4.195 cayos, islotes e islas
adyacentes. Está ubicada en el Mar de las
Antillas o Mar Caribe, cerca de la costa de los
Estados Unidos y México.
Superficie: 110.922 kilómetros cuadrados.
(En detalle)
- Declarada
- Reconocida
Guerra hispanoamericana
10 de octubre de 1868
20 de mayo de 1902
1959
Moneda
Peso cubano (CUP) y
Peso Cubano Convertible
(CUC)
Huso horario
- Invierno
- Verano
UTC −5
UTC −4
Himno nacional
La Bayamesa
Dominio Internet
.cu
Codigo telefónico +53
Miembro de: ONU, ALEC y ALADI.
Historia
Artículo principal: Historia de Cuba
Cuba y su población amerindia, que fue exterminada en su casi totalidad, pasaron a control español en el
siglo XVI. Los siglos XVII y XVIII fueron épocas en que la conciencia de nacionalidad cubana fue
desarrollándose en la Isla. Las guerras de independencia de los EEUU y del resto de los países de
América fueron alimentando los anhelos de los criollos por obtener un día la independencia de Cuba de
la metrópoli española que la explotaba. La lucha armada en forma organizada en busca de la
independencia comenzó el 10 de octubre de 1868, con el apoyo no oficial pero si muy importante de
EE.UU., con el llamado Grito de Yara y siguió durante el siglo XIX hasta que los Estados Unidos
intervinieron en 1898 en la llamada Guerra cubano española americana, también conocida como la
Guerra de Independencia de Cuba o la guerra de 1895. Los EEUU entonces ocuparon la isla hasta el
reconocimiento de la independencia en 1902, aunque limitada por la Enmienda Platt, que fue revocada
en 1934. Después de su abrogación, los EEUU siguieron ejerciendo un fuerte control en algunos los
asuntos cubanos e interviniendo cada vez que lo creyeron conveniente.
Fidel Castro, junto con otros revolucionarios como El Che Guevara y Camilo Cienfuegos, condujo un
ejército de rebeldes, desde la Sierra Maestra a la victoria en 1959 contra el entonces mandatario
Fulgencio Batista, un sanguinario dictador apoyado por EE.UU. La lucha armada urbana tuvo también
gran importancia en la caída final de Batista.
Tras la caída del régimen de Batista, Fidel Castro y algunos de sus más cercanos colaboradores
enfrentaron las acciones de la clase política tradicional y del gobierno de EE.UU, con fuertes intereses
en la economía del país. Las relaciones con EE.UU. se deterioraron después de que el gobierno cubano
confiscó la totalidad de intereses y negocios estadounidenses en Cuba. Este paso inició un proceso de
radicalización que condujo a la adopción de decisiones que acercaron a Cuba al bloque de países
socialistas, así como a la elección de un esquema político que garantizaba la permanencia de la cúpula
revolucionaria en el poder, y que culminó con la declaración del carácter socialista de la Revolución.
Ocurren en esta etapa sucesos como la invasión de Playa Girón (Bahía Cochinos) realizada por el
gobierno estadounidense y la crisis de los misiles en octubre de 1962, ejemplos de las grandes tensiones
entre Cuba y su vecino del norte.
El gobierno ha extendido la protección social a los ciudadanos de manera considerablemente alta en
comparación con los países de su entorno.
Más de un millón de cubanos han salido de Cuba hacia el exilio, lo cual, con relación a su población,
coloca a Cuba en el décimo sexto emisor de emigrantes de la región. Muchos exiliados cubanos se han
establecido en Miami y en el sur de Florida, aunque gran parte de ellos han preferido España.
Cuba participó en las guerras revolucionarias en África y dió apoyo económico, logístico y político a
varios movimientos guerrilleros de Centroamérica y Sudamérica. Durante varias décadas disfrutó de
beneficios económicos por parte del bloque socialista internacional al que contribuía de igual forma a
través del CAME.
Después de la desintegración de la Unión Soviética en 1991 el país sufrió un revés económico al perder
su principal suministrador y mercado, de lo cual da los primeros síntomas de recuperación. A esto se
suma el bloqueo económico impuesto a la isla por el gobierno estadounidense desde hace más de 40
años, el más largo de la historia.
A raíz del encarcelamiento de casi un centenar de opositores asalariados por los Estados Unidos y el
fusilamiento de tres personas que acompañados de sus esposas e hijos secuestraron una lancha de
pasajeros durante la primera mitad del año 2003 para emigrar hacia ese país comprometiendo la
seguridad nacional 2003, la Unión Europea (UE) firmó una resolución que redujo drásticamente el nivel
de relaciones diplomáticas con Cuba.
A mediados del 2004, la economía cubana actual enfrenta grandes retos, después de haber iniciado un
proceso de recuperación: la sequía climática y los huracanes, que han provocado daños a los cultivos de
exportación y de consumo nacional; el racionamiento energético; y las restricciones políticas y
económicas impuestas por el Gobierno de EE.UU, que refuerzan aún más el bloqueo con intenciones de
acelerar el fin del régimen socialista.
Gobierno y Política
Artículo principal: Gobierno y política de Cuba
Cuba es una república dirigida por Fidel Castro, que ha estado en el poder desde 1959, primero como
primer ministro y después de la abolición de este cargo en 1976 como presidente. Él es jefe de estado,
jefe de gobierno, Primer Secretario del Partido Comunista Cubano y también Comandante en Jefe de las
Fuerzas Armadas.
El parlamento unicameral cubano es la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Es el órgano supremo
del poder del Estado. De los más de 600 miembros, una parte son propuestos por el conjunto de
diputados y delegados, y otra por las asociaciones civiles, nunca libremente por los ciudadanos. Sirven
por períodos de cinco años. El Partido Comunista es reconocido, según la Constitución, como el único
partido político legal de Cuba.
Régimen político: marxista. Por medio de una reforma a la constitución, el 26 de junio de 2002 y con el
96,71% del voto nominal en la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular, el caracter socialista del sistema
político y social cubano fue declarado irrevocable.
El Consejo de Estado es presidido por Fidel Castro Ruz desde 1976, año en que se reformó la
Constitución Nacional de Cuba.
En el terreno diplomático, los Estados Unidos y cualquier país democrático han acusado repetidamente
al gobierno cubano de violar los derechos humanos ante la Comisión de Derechos Humanos en Ginebra,
por otra parte, Cuba ha acusado de lo mismo a EEUU (http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=13953),
por su base militar de Guantánamo.
Organización político-administrativa
División Político-Administrativa: 14 provincias y 169 municipios.
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

Camagüey
Ciego de Ávila
Cienfuegos



Granma
Guantánamo
La Habana


Ciudad de
La Habana
Holguín
Isla de la
Juventud




Las Tunas
Matanzas
Pinar del Río


Sancti
Spíritus
Santiago de
Cuba
Villa Clara
Economía
Monedas oficiales: Peso cubano (dividido en 100 centavos)(1/20 de US Dólar) y Peso cubano
convertible (CUC) (US$ 1.04)
Población
Demografía
Cuba es una sociedad multiracial con una poblacion mayoritariamente blanca, con tendencia al aumento
de la población mestiza (mulato) de origen español y africano. Existe también una pequeña comunidad
china.
Religión
La religión organizada más importante es la Iglesia Católica Romana. Las religiones afrocubanas,
mezcla de religiones originarias en Africa y catolicismo, se practican ampliamente en Cuba.
Oficialmente, Cuba ha sido un estado ateo durante la mayor parte de la era de Fidel Castro. En 1962, el
gobierno de Castro confiscó y cerró más de 400 escuelas católicas, alegando que difundían creencias
peligrosas para el pueblo. No obstante, en 1991 el Partido Comunista revocó la prohibición contra los
creyentes religiosos interesados en afiliarse; un año más tarde la constitución fue alterada para presentar
al estado como ente secular, en vez de ateo.
La Iglesia Católica es hoy la mayor institución independiente en Cuba, pero sigue operando bajo grandes
presiones. El gobierno cubano sigue negando el permiso para que la Iglesia disponga de una imprenta
independiente, tenga pleno acceso a medios informativos, pueda capacitar a un número suficiente de
sacerdotes para lograr sus objetivos o se les permita a un número adecuado de sacerdotes extranjeros
trabajar en el país; y tampoco le permite establecer instituciones socialmente útiles, incluyendo escuelas,
universidades, hospitales, clínicas y asilos de ancianos.
En noviembre de 1996, el presidente Castro invitó al papa Juan Pablo II a que visitara Cuba, después de
que se llegó a un acuerdo sobre algunos asuntos que eran necesarios para que la Iglesia llevara a cabo
sus actividades religiosas en Cuba y preparara la visita. Durante la visita del papa el gobierno permitió
cuatro misas al aire libre, ofreció cobertura noticiosa y ayudó transportando fieles a las misas. En 1997
la Navidad fue oficialmente reconocida como día feriado por primera vez desde 1969, y al año siguiente
se la restableció permanentemente como feriado nacional.
Durante su visita a la isla, el papa Juan Pablo II habló de ampliar el espacio y la libertad de acción de la
Iglesia Católica y le pidió a Fidel Castro que se indultara a los presos. El gobierno cubano respondió al
otorgar la libertad a por lo menos 300 presos, a 70 de los cuales se los retenía por acusaciones políticas.
La visita del papa se consideró un evento importante y positivo al llevar un mensaje de esperanza y la
necesidad de que se respetaran los derechos humanos. Desafortunadamente, estas mejoras no
continuaron una vez que el papa dejó la isla. Aunque se expidieron algunas visas para que entraran en
Cuba más sacerdotes durante la visita, esta práctica se ha convertido otra vez en algo muy limitado.
Otros grupos religiosos cubanos -- incluyendo a los cristianos evangélicos, cuyas cifras han aumentado
rápidamente - -, se han beneficiado también del mejoramiento relativo de las restricciones oficiales
impuestas las organizaciones y actividades religiosas. Aunque fuertemente afectada por la emigración, la
pequeña comunidad judía, continúa oficiando servicios en La Habana y conserva grupos aislados de
fieles en Santiago, Camagüey y otras zonas de la isla. La ayuda de la comunidad judía en el extranjero,
incluyendo la organización para las visitas de los rabinos y los estudiantes rabínicos, ayudan a mantener
y perdurar la fe judía en Cuba.
Fuente: Departamento de Estado de los Estados
Unidos (http://usinfo.state.gov/espanol/cuba/backgd.htm) (Artículo originalmente extraído del
Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos).
Cultura
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

Lista de cubanos ilustres
Música de Cuba
Ciencia ficción cubana
Medios de Comunicación
Fiestas
Fecha
1 de enero
Nombre en castellano
Día de la Liberación
1 de mayo
Día Internacional de los Trabajadores
26 de julio
Día de la Rebeldía Nacional
10 de octubre Inicio de las guerras de independencia
Los medios de comunicación (Al igual que el resto de empresas) en Cuba son de titularidad pública. El
diario de mayor difusión en Cuba es el Granma (http://www.granma.cu), aunque existen otras
publicaciones como La Jiribilla (http://www.lajiribilla.cu). En internet existen medios de comunicación
españoles como Rebeligión (http://www.rebelion.org) que apoyan la dictadura cubana, en contraste con
los medios occidentales democráticos. Además, desde Estados Unidos se realizan emisiones de radio y
televisión (Radio & TV Martí (http://www.martinoticias.com)) que no pueden ser captadas en la isla
dada la absoluta falta de libertad.
Cuba
Republic of Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an
archipelago in the northern
Caribbean that lies at the
confluence of the Caribbean Sea,
the Gulf of Mexico and the
Atlantic Ocean. To the north are
found the United States and the
Bahamas, to the west Mexico, to
the south the Cayman Islands and
Jamaica, and to the southeast
Haiti.
Table of Contents
1 History
2 The Revolutionary Government
of Cuba
3 Politics
4 Provinces
5 Geography
6 Demographics
7 Economy
8 Culture
9 Religion
10 See also
11 External links
Geography
National motto: Patria y Libertad
(Spanish: Homeland and Freedom)
Official language
Spanish
Capital and Largest City Havana
President
Fidel Castro
Area
- Total
- % water
Ranked 105th
110,860 km²
Negligible
Population
Ranked 69th
- Total (2002)
- Density
11,184,023
101/km²
Independence
- Declared
- Recognised
Spanish-American War
October 10, 1868
May 20, 1902
1959
Cuban Peso and
Map of Cuba
Main article: Geography of Cuba
Currency
Cuban Convertible Peso
Time zone
UTC −4
National anthem
La Bayamesa
Internet TLD
.cu
Calling Code
53
History
Main article: History of Cuba
Cuba and its originally Amerindian population (Taino, Siboney and Guanajatabey) came under Spanish
control in the 16th century. The colony's struggle for independence started in 1868 and continued during
the 19th century until the Spanish-American War of 1898. The United States occupied the island until its
independence was granted in 1902, though limited by the Platt Amendment (revoked in 1934), after
which the US continued to have a major influence in Cuban affairs.
Che Guevara, Fidel Castro Ruz, Camilo Cienfuegos, Raúl Castro Ruz and their rebel army were one of
many guerilla groups that opposed the dictator Fulgencio Batista. Castro's 'July 26 Movement' subsumed
these other groups quickly and took over Cuba's government in 1959, following its victory against
Batista's military forces. At the time when Batista was deposed, 75% of Cuba's farmable land was
owned by foreign individuals or foreign companies (mostly US companies). The new revolutionary
government adopted land reforms and confiscated much of the property of those foreign companies. As
a result, relations with the USA rapidly deteriorated. At first, Castro was reluctant to discuss his plans
for the future, but eventually he declared himself a communist, explained that he was trying to build
socialism in Cuba, and opened diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. A new government, led by
the reborn Communist Party of Cuba, began carrying out the economic reforms that Castro had
promised. Among other things, healthcare and education were made freely available to all Cubans for
the first time. After some delay, a Constitution of Soviet inspiration was adopted in 1976.
In April 1980, over 10,000 Cubans stormed the Peruvian embassy in Havana seeking political asylum.
In response to this and international pressure, Castro allowed anyone who desired to leave the country to
depart through the port of Mariel. Known as the Mariel Boatlift, over 125,000 Cubans migrated to the
U.S., mostly aboard vessels that departed from the U.S. Eventually the U.S. stopped the flow of vessels
heading south and Cuba ended the exodus.
For several decades, Cuba received a large Soviet subsidy, whereby Cuba provided the Soviet Union
with sugar and the Soviets provided Cuba with oil. Part of this oil was consumed by Cuba, while the
remainder was sold on the world market. Cuba supported communist movements throughout Latin
America (Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia and Chile, among others) and Africa (Angola,
Mozambique and Ethiopia). In Angola alone, Cuba had over 50,000 troops. Castro stated at the first
Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba in December of 1975 that "Without the decisive, steady, and
generous aid of the Soviet people, our country could not have survived the confrontation with
imperialism".
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 dealt Cuba a giant economic blow and when the Soviets
stopped their 6 billion Dollars per year subsidy, the Cuban communist government called for "a special
period" of recovery. Despite being denied access to development aid from the IMF and World Bank
because Cuba is in arrears to its Paris Club debtors to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, Cuba's
economy has not collapsed, although its per-capita income is still lower than it was in 1989, but has been
rising steadily. Cuba's economy today is roughly split into three parts: agriculture (tobacco, sugar,
citrus), mining (nickel), and tourism.
In 1994, Castro declared an open immigration policy and did not stop any individual that desired to
leave the country. Departing on small rafts and homemade boats, over 30,000 Cubans took to the sea. In
contrast to the Mariel Boatlift, the migrants were interdicted at sea and taken to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Eventually, Castro restricted migration following talks with the U.S. In 1995, an agreement was reached
between the U.S. and Cuba. The U.S. would allow 20,000 Cubans per year (chosen by lottery) to
immigrate to the U.S. and Cuba would allow the return of migrants interdicted at sea. All Cuban
migrants interdicted at sea from this point on were interviewed by INS officials at sea. If there was a
possibility they were or would be persecuted upon return, they would be taken to Guantanamo Bay for
further interviews.
In 1996, the Clinton Administration enacted the Helms-Burton law. This law states, among other things,
that any foreign company that "knowingly traffics in property in Cuba confiscated without compensation
from a U.S. person" can be subjected to litigation and that company's leadership can be barred from
entry into the United States. Sanctions may be applied to non-U.S. companies trading with Cuba.
Although the immigrant capitalist Cuban population in the U.S. keeps constant pressure on the
American government to restore them to power in Cuba, this legislation was enacted after the
shootdown of what the US claims were two civilian planes by the Cuban Air Force.
[1] (http://www.cnn.com/US/9602/cuba_shootdown/26/3pm/)[2] (http://www.cnn.com/US/9602/cuba_sh
ootdown/27/). This extraterritorial U.S. legislation is considered highly controversial, and the US
embargo was condemned for the 13th time in 2004 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, by
179 countries. Additionally, US Congress members from both parties have openly criticized the ongoing
balance of resources which have been committed to enforcing this embargo.
[3] (http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi%3Ff=/news/archive/2004/04/29/national1842EDT0787.DTL)
Cuba's major trading partners include Spain, Canada, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Japan. The
U.S. embargo against Cuba applies to all goods, except the export of medicine and medical products and
agricultural commodities to Cuba, which are authorized by law. U.S. agriculture companies are free to
trade with Cuba, provided that Cuba pays in cash prior to delivery. The U.S. bans U.S. citizens from
travelling to Cuba. Nevertheless, because of their understandable historical or political interests in the
Caribbean island , some U.S. citizens visit Cuba by traveling through Mexico, Canada or the Bahamas.
American citizens can be liable to fines if discovered and prosecuted by the U.S. government, although
it has been reported that the US authorities are not overly strict with ordinary travellers not involved in
any criminal activity. Millions of citizens of countries other than the U.S. engage not only in business
with Cuba but in tourism with Cuba as well.
The Revolutionary Government of Cuba
Main article: The Revolutionary Government of Cuba
Politics
Main article: Politics of Cuba
Cuba is a Communist state, or a parliamentary republic led by a Communist Party with a monopoly of
political power (as all opposition parties are considered illegal under the Cuban constitution, which
states that "The Communist Party of Cuba (...) is the superior guiding force of society and the state").
Fidel Castro has been the head of state and head of government since 1959, first as prime minister and
after the abolition of that office in 1976 as president of the Councils of State and Ministers. He is also
the member of the National Assembly of People's Power from the municipality of Santiago de Cuba
since 1976, First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, and commander in chief of the armed forces.
The Cuban parliament is the National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder
Popular. Its 609 members are elected to serve five-year terms, without opposition. The candidates, who
may or may not be members of the Cuban Communist Party, are nominated by pro-government social
and political organizations. The Communist Party is constitutionally recognised as Cuba's only legal
political party, but is forbidden by law to nominate candidates. However this is largely a moot point
since no known opponents of the government have been elected since the revolution.
In 2001 an attempt was made by Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and others, operating as the Varela Project, to
have a national plebiscite using provisions in the Constitution of Cuba which provided for citizen
initiative. If accepted by the government and approved by public vote, the amendments would have
established such things as freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of press, as well as the
freedom to start private businesses. The Petition was however refused by the National Assembly, and a
subsequent crackdown resulted in the imprisonment of 75 dissidents for terms of up to 28 years on
charges of collaborating with and receiving money from the US government. See Human rights in Cuba
Provinces
Main article: Provinces of Cuba
Cuba is divided into 14 provinces of 169 municipalities, and one special municipality (the Isla de la
Juventud).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth)
Pinar del Río
La Habana (Havana)
Ciudad de la Habana (Havana City)
Matanzas
Cienfuegos
Villa Clara
Sancti Spíritus
9. Ciego de Ávila
10. Camagüey
11. Las Tunas
12. Granma
13. Holguín
14. Santiago de Cuba
15. Guantánamo
Geography
The elongated island of Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and is bounded to the north by the
Straits of Florida and the greater North Atlantic Ocean, to the northwest by the Gulf of Mexico, to the
west by the Yucatan Channel, to the south by the Caribbean Sea, and to the east by the Windward
Passage. The Republic comprises the entire island, including many outlying islands such as the Isle of
Youth, previously known as the Isle of Pine, with the exception of Guantanamo Bay, a naval base that
has been leased by the United States since 1903. The mainland is the world's 16th largest island.
The island consists mostly of flat to rolling plains, with more rugged hills and mountains primarily in the
southeast and the highest point is the Pico Real del Turquino at 2,005 m. The local climate is tropical,
though moderated by trade winds. There is a drier season from November to April, and a rainier season
from May to October.
Havana is the largest city and capital; other major cities include Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. Some
of the well-known smaller towns are Baracoa which was the first Spanish settlement on Cuba, as well as
Trinidad and Bayamo.
Demographics
According to the CIA's World Factbook, Cuba is 51% mulatto (mixed white and black), 37% white,
11% black, and 1% Chinese. Cuba has historically been more heavily European than other Caribbean
islands, and in 1950 was said to have a 75% white majority. While it is likely that a good portion of
these were actually mulatto, it highlights the shock that Castro's rise to power had on the white middle
class, a large portion of whom moved to Florida in the 1960s and 1970s. Also, economic shock caused
their birthrate to fall precipitously, even as the poorer black and mulatto populations soared. This is not
hard to understand when one considers that the white population was 4 million during the second half of
the twentieth century (with low birthrates and heavy emigration), while blacks and mulattos increased
from 1.5 million to over 6 million, very similar to the growth in the predominately black and mulatto
Dominican Republic.
Cuba has the lowest birthrate of any Latin American or Caribbean country, perhaps influenced by its
Communist government's policy of free health care and abortion, which was similar to the situation in
Eastern Europe. The current fertility rate of about 1.6 children per woman is the lowest of any country in
the Western Hemisphere save Canada.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Cuba
The economy of Cuba is based on state ownership with some small scale private enterprise existing at
the fringes. Tourism has become one of the largest sources of income for Cuba, and in 1993 the U.S.
dollar was made legal tender (the country operated under a dual-currency system); this arrangement was,
however, revoked on 25 October 2004.
The Cuban economy was hit hard in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the
Comecon economic bloc, with which it had traded predominantly. More recent problems include high
oil prices, recessions in key export markets such as sugar and nickel, damage from hurricanes (most
recently an estimated 1 billion dollars economic damage from hurricane Charley), depressed tourism,
and faltering world economic conditions. In late 2003, and early 2004, both tourism levels and nickel
prices increased. One other factor in the recovery of the Cuban economy is the remittances of CubanAmericans (which constitute almost 3% of the Cuban Economy, by some estimates). Cuba currently
trades with almost every nation in the world (including the U.S.). However, Cuba owes billions in Paris
Club debt to nations such as France, Japan and Germany.
Cuba is notable for its national organic agriculture initiative, undertaken in order to feed a population
faced with starvation. In the early 1990s, post-Soviet Union, Cuba lost over 70% of agricultural
chemical imports, over 50% of food imports, and an equally significant amount of oil. Its agricultural
sector, built on a large-scale, mechanized, chemical-based model, was instantly crippled. By
restructuring its agricultural industry, and focusing scientific efforts on organic solutions, Cuba managed
to rapidly and successfully convert the country to entirely organic production. Currently, only organic
agriculture is permitted by law.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Cuba
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
List of Cubans
Music of Cuba
Holidays
Date
English Name
Local Name
Remarks
Revolution Victory
January 1
Day
Triunfo de la
Revolución
The former dictator Fulgencio Batista fled in the
night from December 31, 1958 to January 1, 1959,
marking the victory of the Revolution led by Fidel
Castro, who has been President since then
May 1
Día de los
trabajadores
International Labour Day
Commemoration of
the Assault of the
Moncada garrison
Asalto al
cuartel
Moncada
In the morning of July 26, 1953, some 160 men
under the command of Fidel Castro attacked the
Moncada army garrison in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba's
second-largest city. Although this action crushingly
failed, it is seen as the beginning of the Castro-led
insurrection that expelled dictator Fulgencio Batista
on January 1, 1959 and established a communist
government in Havana thereafter
Independence Day
This day in 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes,
Día de la
"Father of the Homeland", gave freedom to his
Independencia slaves and started the independence war against the
Spanish colonial power
July 26
October
10
Labour Day
December
Christmas Day
25
Navidad
Prohibited for decades in revolutionary Cuba, the
Christmas celebration (and the corresponding
holiday) was reinstalled in 1998 after Pope John Paul
II visited Cuba
Religion
Main articles: Santería, Palo Monte, Catholicism
The religious landscape of Cuba is strongly marked by syncretisms of various kinds. In the postrevolutionary era religious practice was discouraged, and Cuba, from 1962, was officially an atheist
state until 1992 which it amended its constitution to become formally a secular state. While the papal
visit to Cuba has strengthened official Catholicism, most Cubans share a motley of faiths that include
popular Catholicism, over 50 versions of Protestantism, spiritism, African-derived beliefs. The most
important currents of these are Regla de Ocha (known as Santería), which derives from Yoruban
religion, Regla de Palo Monte, which derives from Congo-based religions, and the Sociedad Secreta
Abakuá, which derives from the secret men's societies in the region of Calabar, in south-eastern Nigeria.
Other religious manifestations include freemasonry and pentecostal churches.
It is assumed that Santería and popular Catholicism are the most widely followed religious beliefs in
Cuba, though these are by no means exclusive, and one can easily be a follower of several religious
currents at the same time, as well as being a member of the communist party. Pentacostalism is also
growing rapidly, and the Assemblies of God alone claims a membership of over 100,000 people.
Cuba once had a small but vibrant Jewish population, and Havana still has one or two active
synagogues.
In Cuba the 6th of January is the "Dia de los Reyes Magos" which in English means "Day of Kings" is
celebrated to commemorate the day that the Three wise men came to visit Jesus according to the
Gospels. As in most Latin American countries as well as Spain, this day is celebrated in conjunction
with, or sometimes instead of Christmas Day.
Important religious festivals include various days dedicated to the saints such as the "Virgen de la
Caridad del Cobre" (the Virgin of Cobre, Cuba's patron saint, syncretised with Santería's Ochún) on
September 8, and san Lázaro (Lazarus) (syncretised with Babalu Ayé), on December 17.