Spanish 1
Johanna Newman
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The country of Cuba lies between the golf of
Mexico and the Atlantic ocean. A mere 90
miles (145 kilometers) from the southern tip
of Florida.
Cuba's capital is Havana
Cuba is one of the few communist nations in
the world. A communism country has a
strong central government that controls the
economy and owns almost all businesses.
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The Cuban flag is made of five
altering blue and white
horizontal stripes. On the left
side of the flag is a red triangle
with a white five pointed star in
the center. The blue stripes
represent the departments in
which the island was divided
into at the time. The white
stripes represent the purity of
independence. The red of the
triangle represents the blood
shed by revolutionaries, and
the white star symbolizes
liberty.
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In 1902, Cuba was
captured by the United
States. Later on, Cuba
was granted their
independence from the
United States.
The Spanish-American
War led to Spanish
withdrawal from Cuba,
and in 1902, Cuba
gained formal
independence.
Marble Statue Of Jose
Marti, Leader Of Cuban
Independence From Spain
However Cuba’s relationship
with the United States was
affected by the 1958 revolution
that Castro launched against the
US backed regime of Fulgencio
Batista. Later on Castro began an
alliance with the Soviet Union for
diplomatic, political and
economic supports.
Che Guevara & Fidel Castro
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In 1962 the Cuban missile crisis was the closest the
world ever became to nuclear war. The United
States armed forces were very prepared.
Commanders in Cuba were ready to defend the
island if it was attacked, but thanks to John F.
Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev the war was
avoided.
The crisis started on October 15, 1962 when US
reconnaissance photographs revealed Soviet
missiles under construction in Cuba. The next day
president Kennedy was informed and immediately
got a group of his top advisors to handle the crisis.
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On October, 22 Kennedy brought the crisis to
the public.
On October 26th, Khrushchev proposed moving
the Soviet missiles if the U.S. would guarantee
not to invade Cuba.
Tensions finally began to ease on October 28
when Khrushchev announced that he would
dismantle the installations and return the
missiles to the Soviet Union, expressing his
trust that the United States would not invade
Cuba.
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One major holiday that most Cubans
celebrate is the anniversary of the start of
the Castro revolution. More than 90,000
people gather in central Santa Clara Cuba
to mark the anniversary of the start of the
revolution in 1953.
Cuba celebrate International Labor Day on
May 1st. In Cuba, Labor Day is an annual
holiday to celebrate the economic and
social achievements of workers.
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The Christ of Havana
is a large sculpture
representing Jesus
of Nazareth in
Havana, Cuba. It is
the work of the
Cuban sculptor Jilma
Madera.
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The National Botanical Garden of Cuba (Jardin
Botanico Nacional de Cuba), located in the city of
Havana, is a 1,500-acre collection of plants from
all around the world. Divided into zones, the Jardin
Botanico Nacional features the Jardin Japones
(Japanese Garden) with waterfalls, ponds and
terraced covered areas. The Pabellones de
Exposicion showcases both cacti and tropical
plants, while the Caribbean section offers over
3,500 species of plants native to Cuba.
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He is one of the most outstanding
filmmakers of Cuban cinema and a
renowned figure at the international
level. His documentary “Now” (1965),
about racial discrimination in the
United States, is considered by
specialists to be the predecessor of
today’s video clips. He made other
important works such as: Ciclón
(cyclone), Muerte al invasor (death to
the invader), Hanoi, Martes 13
(Tuesday 13th), L.B.J, and 79
primaveras (79 springs), considered
classics of contemporary
filmography. Owing to his work as a
filmmaker he received more than 80
first prizes in international festivals.
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Fuentes was born in Havana Cuba
to a Cuban father and a Spanish
mother. When Fuentes was three
her family fled the island due to
political turmoil and moved to
Madrid, Spain. The family later
moved to Newark, new jersey.
Fuentes learned to speak English
while watching I love Lucy
episodes. In 1988 Fuentes was
hired as the host of MTV’S
internacional. Daisy has appeared
on many magazine covers and
has earned an Emmy for all of her
achievements.
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Cuba is known for many
things like its beaches
and scenic beauty, but
one of the things that
Cuba is very known for
is the foods there. The
types of foods items in
Cuba consist of tropical
fruits, desserts and
beverages. Most of the
food items consist of
garlic Cumin, milk and
creams. Ajiaco a thick
soup is the national dish
of Cuba. Ajiaco consist
of pork, chicken, sweet
potatoes, sour oranges
and pumpkin.
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Cuban National Botanic Garden.
http://www.uh.cu/centros/jbn/
The National Security Archive. George Washington University.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/photos.htm
World Atlas.
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/cari
bb/lgcolor/cucolor.htm
Morrison, Marion. Enchantment of the World, Cuba. Children’s
Press. Canada, 1999.
Cuban Cuisine. http://www.cubaluxuryhotels.com/cubancuisine.htm
Marble Statue Of Jose Marti, Leader Of Cuban Independence
From Spain.
http://www.worldofstock.com/closeups/TCU1579.php