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Cuba

Cuba is an island nation known for its beautiful tropical beaches, intoxicating musical rhythms, and rich cultural heritage and diversity. Some 90 miles off the coast of Florida Keys and the largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba is 48,800 square miles, or 110,860 sq km, just a bit smaller than the U.S. state of Louisiana. Along with the main island,Cuba includes the Isla de Juventud and more than4,195 small coral cays and islets, which makes up approximately 3,715 km. Cuba is a coveted strategic location, which has been fought over throughout its history. Situated at the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, it is positioned along the most powerful maritime passage in and out of the Caribbean.

Geography and Nature

Approximately one third of the island is made up of forested mountains, including the Sierra Maestra in the Oriente, the Guaniguanco chain in the western province of Pinar del Rio, and the Escambrey to the south in the province of Las Villas. The remainder of the island is made up of plains used for cattle ranching and the growing of sugar cane. In addition, the island includes coastal regions of estuaries, swamps, and marshes, along with offshore islets and keys. Some 6,000 species of plants are on the island, over half of which are endemic. Forests include semideciduous, mangrove, pines, and tropical rain forest. Cuba's national tree is the royal palm (Reistonea regia) of which there are 20 million in Cuba, reaching up to 40 m tall. Cuba has an abundance of reptiles, including crocodiles, iguanas, lizards, and snakes. The largest indigenous mammal is the tree rat or the jutía, measuring approximately60 cm long. Also, Cuba is home to some 350 species of birds, including the world's smallest bird, the bee hummingbird, orzunzuncito; the males weigh only 2 g, with the female slightly larger.

The capital, Havana, or La Habana, is the largest city in the Caribbean and an important port city, home to some 2.2 million people. Havana is the country's center of government, education, medicine, trade, tourism, and communication. Many of the houses in the city are in a state of charming disrepair. The second-largest city is Santiago de Cuba, located in the Oriente province, which also serves as an important political, economic, military, and cultural center of the island.

Demographics and Identity

Presently, Cuba is home to 11 million people. The majority of Cubans speak Spanish exclusively, in a dialect typical of other Caribbean islands. Nearly 51% of the people are considered mulatto(both African and European descent), about 37% are considered White, while 11% are Black. The remaining 1% of the population are the descendents of the Chinese-indentured servants, who replaced the labor lost after the cessation of slavery in 1853. Much of the culture is strongly influenced by West African traditions brought over by slaves during the mid-to late 1800s. Slaves became an important labor resource with the rise of the sugar industry and loss of indigenous labor. The largest population imported to Cuba came from the Yorubá people of Nigeria.

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