Cuba

The Republic of Cuba, a Spanish colony until 1898, is largest island in the Antilles Archipelago at 42,803 square miles (110,860 square kilometers). The island is located roughly 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Florida. The World Bank estimated its population to be 11,087,330 in 2011. African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, although the majority of the population of Cuba is descended from European Spaniards. According to the 2002 census, the population of Cuba is 65.1 percent white, 24.8 percent mulatto and mestizo, and 10.1 percent black. The 2011 Human Development Index ranked Cuba 51 out of 187 countries surveyed, giving it a high developed country rating. The Cuban economy is state-run, and its major economic exports are nickel, sugar, tobacco, ...