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Central America and Caribbean :: Cuba

- ## Introduction :: CUBA

- Background:
  The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. Subsequently, the 1901 Platt Amendment to the Cuban constitution authorized the US to intervene in Cuba in the event of instability. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
  The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4-6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its difficulties. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the US's southern border - is a continuing problem. In FY 2014, the US Coast Guard interdicted 2,111 Cuban nationals at sea, the highest number since FY 2008. Also in FY 2014, 24,289 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the US. As a result of efforts begun in December 2014 by President OBAMA to re-establishment diplomatic relations with the Cuban government, which were severed in January 1961, the United States and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries on 20 July 2015. Over the past decade, there has been growing communication with the Cuban government to address national interests.

- ## Geography :: CUBA

- Location:
  Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida
  Geographic coordinates:
  21 30 N, 80 00 W
  Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean
  Area:
  total: 110,860 sq km
  land: 109,820 sq km
  water: 1,040 sq km
  country comparison to the world: 106
  Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
  Area comparison map:
  Land boundaries:
  total: 28.5 km
  border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 28.5 km
  note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba
  Coastline:
  3,735 km
  Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  contiguous zone: 24 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
  Climate:
  tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)
  Terrain:
  mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast
  Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
  highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m
  Natural resources:
  cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land
  Land use:
  agricultural land: 60.3%
  arable land 33.8%; permanent crops 3.6%; permanent pasture 22.9%
  forest: 27.3%
  other: 12.4% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land:
  8,703 sq km (2003)
  Total renewable water resources:
  38.12 cu km (2011)
  Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
  total: 4.42 cu km/yr (22%/14%/65%)
  per capita: 392.6 cu m/yr (2010)
  Natural hazards:
  the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common
  Environment - current issues:
  air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation
  Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
  signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
  Geography - note:
  largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

- ## People and Society :: CUBA

- Nationality:
  noun: Cuban(s)
  adjective: Cuban
  Ethnic groups:
  white 64.1%, mestizo 26.6%, black 9.3% (2012 est.)
  Languages:
  Spanish (official)
  Religions:
  nominally Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria
  note: prior to CASTRO assuming power
  Population:
  11,031,433 (July 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 80
  Age structure:
  0-14 years: 15.96% (male 904,800/female 855,309)
  15-24 years: 13.29% (male 752,160/female 714,384)
  25-54 years: 47.16% (male 2,620,536/female 2,581,344)
  55-64 years: 10.65% (male 562,207/female 612,438)
  65 years and over: 12.95% (male 639,515/female 788,740) (2015 est.)
  population pyramid:
  Dependency ratios:
  total dependency ratio: 43.4%
  youth dependency ratio: 23.4%
  elderly dependency ratio: 20%
  potential support ratio: 5% (2015 est.)
  Median age:
  total: 40.4 years
  male: 39.5 years
  female: 41.3 years (2015 est.)
  Population growth rate:
  -0.15% (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 210
  Birth rate:
  9.9 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 196
  Death rate:
  7.72 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 106
  Net migration rate:
  -3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 188
  Urbanization:
  urban population: 77.1% of total population (2015)
  rate of urbanization: 0.07% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
  Major urban areas - population:
  HAVANA (capital) 2.137 million (2015)
  Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
  0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
  25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
  55-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
  Maternal mortality rate:
  39 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 85
  Infant mortality rate:
  total: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 4.97 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 4.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 180
  Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 78.39 years
  male: 76.08 years
  female: 80.84 years (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 59
  Total fertility rate:
  1.47 children born/woman (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 200
  Contraceptive prevalence rate:
  74.3% (2010/11)
  Health expenditures:
  8.8% of GDP (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 47
  Physicians density:
  6.72 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
  Hospital bed density:
  5.3 beds/1,000 population (2012)
  Drinking water source:
  improved:
  urban: 96.4% of population
  rural: 89.8% of population
  total: 94.9% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 3.6% of population
  rural: 10.2% of population
  total: 5.1% of population (2015 est.)
  Sanitation facility access:
  improved:
  urban: 94.4% of population
  rural: 89.1% of population
  total: 93.2% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 5.6% of population
  rural: 10.9% of population
  total: 6.8% of population (2015 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.25% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 94
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  17,100 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 82
  HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  100 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 126
  Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: intermediate
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
  vectorborne diseases: dengue fever (2013)
  Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
  27.2% (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 85
  Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
  3.4% (2000)
  country comparison to the world: 107
  Education expenditures:
  12.8% of GDP (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 2
  Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 99.8%
  male: 99.9%
  female: 99.8% (2015 est.)
  School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
  total: 14 years
  male: 13 years
  female: 14 years (2013)
  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
  total: 6.1%
  male: 6.4%
  female: 5.6% (2010 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 131
  People - note:
  illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border

- ## Government :: CUBA

- Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
  conventional short form: Cuba
  local long form: Republica de Cuba
  local short form: Cuba
  etymology: name derives from the Taino Indian designation for the island "coabana" meaning "great place"
  Government type:
  Communist state
  Capital:
  name: Havana
  geographic coordinates: 23 07 N, 82 21 W
  time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
  daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lighting
  Administrative divisions:
  15 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Artemisa, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara
  Independence:
  20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence
  National holiday:
  Triumph of the Revolution (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)
  Constitution:
  several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 February 1976, effective 24 February 1976; amended 1978, 1992, 2002 (2015)
  Legal system:
  civil law system based on Spanish civil code
  International law organization participation:
  has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
  Citizenship:
  citizenship by birth: yes
  citizenship by descent: yes
  dual citizenship recognized: no
  residency requirement for naturalization: unknown
  Suffrage:
  16 years of age; universal
  Executive branch:
  chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 24 February 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
  head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 24 February 2013)
  cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly or the 28-member Council of State, and elected by the assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session
  elections/appointments: president and vice presidents indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (no term limit); election last held on 24 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
  election results: Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (PPC) reelected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100%; Miguel DIAZ-CANEL (PPC) Bermudez elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote- 100%
  Legislative branch:
  description: unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (614 seats; members directly elected by absolute majority in a modified two-round vote; members serve 5-year terms); note - the National Candidature Commission submits a slate of approved candidates who must obtain 50-percent of valid votes to be elected; if not, a byelection may be held or the seat remains vacant
  elections: last held on 3 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
  election results: Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed
  Judicial branch:
  highest court(s): People's Supreme Court (consists of court president, vice president, 41 professional justices, and NA lay judges; organized into the "Whole," State Council, and criminal, civil, administrative, labor, crimes against the state, and military courts)
  judge selection and term of office: professional judges elected by the National Assembly to serve 2.5-year terms; lay judges nominated by workplace collectives and neighborhood associations and elected by municipal or provincial assemblies; lay judges appointed for 5-year terms and serve up to 30 days per year
  subordinate courts: People's Provincial Courts; People's Regional Courts; People's Courts
  Political parties and leaders:
  Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Raul CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]
  Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation
  Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White)
  National Association of Small Farmers
  Patriotic Union of Cuba
  other: political dissidents and bloggers
  International organization participation:
  ACP, ALBA, AOSIS, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
  Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jose Ramon CABANAS Rodriguez (since 20 July 2015)
  chancery: 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
  telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518
  FAX: NA
  consulate(s) general: NA
  Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jeffrey DELAURENTIS (since 20 July 2015)
  embassy: Calzada between L & M Streets, Vedado, Havana
  mailing address: use embassy street address
  telephone: [53] (7) 839-4100
  FAX: NA
  Flag description:
  five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; the blue bands refer to the three old divisions of the island: central, occidental, and oriental; the white bands describe the purity of the independence ideal; the triangle symbolizes liberty, equality, and fraternity, while the red color stands for the blood shed in the independence struggle; the white star, called La Estrella Solitaria (the Lone Star) lights the way to freedom and was taken from the flag of Texas
  note: design similar to the Puerto Rican flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed
  National symbol(s):
  royal palm; national colors: red, white, blue
  National anthem:
  name: "La Bayamesa" (The Bayamo Song)
  lyrics/music: Pedro FIGUEREDO
  note: adopted 1940; Pedro FIGUEREDO first performed "La Bayamesa" in 1868 during the Ten Years War against the Spanish; a leading figure in the uprising, FIGUEREDO was captured in 1870 and executed by a firing squad; just prior to the fusillade he is reputed to have shouted, "Morir por la Patria es vivir" (To die for the country is to live), a line from the anthem

- ## Economy :: CUBA

- Economy - overview:
  The government continues to balance the need for loosening its socialist economic system against a desire for firm political control. The government in April 2011 held the first Cuban Communist Party Congress in almost 13 years, during which leaders approved a plan for wide-ranging economic changes. Since then, the Cuban government has slowly and incrementally implemented limited economic reforms, including allowing Cubans to buy electronic appliances and cell phones, stay in hotels, and buy and sell used cars. As the Cuban government has cut state sector jobs as part of the reform process, it has opened up some retail services to "self-employment," leading to the rise of so-called "cuentapropistas" or entrepreneurs. Approximately 476,000 Cuban workers are currently registered as self-employed. Recent moves include permitting the private ownership and sale of real estate and new vehicles, allowing private farmers to sell agricultural goods directly to hotels, allowing the creation of non-agricultural cooperatives, adopting a new foreign investment law, and launching a “Special Development Zone” around the Mariel port. Despite these reforms, the average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting downturn of the 1990s. Since late 2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it supplied nearly 160,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including some 30,000 medical professionals. However, in 2013 Venezuela’s economic woes forced an estimated 24% reduction in oil exports to Cuba. This downward trend continued in 2014.
  GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $128.5 billion (2014 est.)
  $126.9 billion (2013 est.)
  $123.5 billion (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2012 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 77
  GDP (official exchange rate):
  $77.15 billion
  note: data are in Cuban Pesos at CUP 1 = US$ Official Exchange Rate (2013 est.)
  GDP - real growth rate:
  1.3% (2014 est.)
  2.7% (2013 est.)
  3% (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 172
  GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $10,200 (2010 est.)
  $10,000 (2009 est.)
  $10,000 (2008 est.)
  note: data are in 2010 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 135
  Gross national saving:
  13.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
  12.8% of GDP (2013 est.)
  13.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 132
  GDP - composition, by end use:
  household consumption: 54.8%
  government consumption: 32%
  investment in fixed capital: 9.4%
  investment in inventories: 0%
  exports of goods and services: 22.2%
  imports of goods and services: -18.4%
  (2014 est.)
  GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
  agriculture: 4%
  industry: 22.4%
  services: 73.5% (2014 est.)
  Agriculture - products:
  sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock
  Industries:
  petroleum, nickel, cobalt, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, construction, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, sugar
  Industrial production growth rate:
  -2.9% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 185
  Labor force:
  5.106 million
  note: state sector 72.3%, non-state sector 27.7% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 77
  Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture: 18%
  industry: 10%
  services: 72% (2013 est.)
  Unemployment rate:
  2.7% (2014 est.)
  3.3% (2013 est.)
  note: these are official rates; unofficial estimates are about double the official figures
  country comparison to the world: 18
  Population below poverty line:
  NA%
  Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%
  Budget:
  revenues: $1.879 billion
  expenditures: $1.994 billion (2013 est.)
  Taxes and other revenues:
  2.4% of GDP (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 215
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
  -0.1% of GDP (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 45
  Public debt:
  32.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
  32% of GDP (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 130
  Fiscal year:
  calendar year
  Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5.3% (2014 est.)
  6% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 171
  Central bank discount rate:
  NA%
  Commercial bank prime lending rate:
  NA%
  Stock of narrow money:
  $965.2 million (31 December 2014 est.)
  $13.72 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 153
  Stock of broad money:
  $24.63 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  $24.08 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 81
  Stock of domestic credit:
  $NA
  Current account balance:
  $1.996 billion (2014 est.)
  -$1.042 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 40
  Exports:
  $5.187 billion (2014 est.)
  $5.566 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 111
  Exports - commodities:
  petroleum, nickel, medical products, sugar, tobacco, fish, citrus, coffee
  Exports - partners:
  Venezuela 33.5%, Canada 15.9%, China 9.5%, Netherlands 4.5% (2014)
  Imports:
  $14.7 billion (2014 est.)
  $14.77 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 88
  Imports - commodities:
  petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals
  Imports - partners:
  Venezuela 38.7%, China 9.8%, Spain 8.4%, Brazil 4.7%, Algeria 4.4% (2014)
  Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $11.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
  $11.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 74
  Debt - external:
  $25.21 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $24.65 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 78
  Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
  $NA
  Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
  $4.138 billion (2006 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 69
  Exchange rates:
  Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar -
  22.7 (2014 est.)
  22.7 (2013 est.)
  1 (2012 est.)
  0.9847 (2011 est.)
  0.9259 (2010 est.)

- ## Energy :: CUBA

- Electricity - production:
  19.14 billion kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 76
  Electricity - consumption:
  16.2 billion kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 76
  Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 127
  Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 137
  Electricity - installed generating capacity:
  6.055 million kW (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 73
  Electricity - from fossil fuels:
  99.3% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 48
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
  0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 74
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
  0.7% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 144
  Electricity - from other renewable sources:
  0.1% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 119
  Crude oil - production:
  50,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 56
  Crude oil - exports:
  74,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 40
  Crude oil - imports:
  160,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 35
  Crude oil - proved reserves:
  124 million bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 71
  Refined petroleum products - production:
  92,660 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 74
  Refined petroleum products - consumption:
  170,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 63
  Refined petroleum products - exports:
  15,080 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 78
  Refined petroleum products - imports:
  24,640 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 101
  Natural gas - production:
  1.034 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 64
  Natural gas - consumption:
  1.034 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 89
  Natural gas - exports:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 83
  Natural gas - imports:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 184
  Natural gas - proved reserves:
  70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 58
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
  25.99 million Mt (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 79

- ## Communications :: CUBA

- Telephones - fixed lines:
  total subscriptions: 1.26 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 67
  Telephones - mobile cellular:
  total: 2.5 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 144
  Telephone system:
  general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of switches digitized by end of 2006; mobile-cellular telephone service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos; around 1.3 million Cubans owned cell phones in 2011; state communications started service of email to cell phones through nauta.cu accounts; Cuban Government has opened Internet cafes around the island, which are expensive and offer slow-speed connections
  domestic: fixed-line density remains low at 10 per 100 inhabitants; mobile-cellular service expanding but remains only about 10 per 100 persons
  international: country code - 53; the ALBA-1 fiber-optic submarine cable links Cuba, Jamaica, and Venezuela; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) (2011)
  Broadcast media:
  government owns and controls all broadcast media with private ownership of electronic media prohibited; government operates 4 national TV networks and many local TV stations; government operates 6 national radio networks, an international station, and many local radio stations; Radio-TV Marti is beamed from the US (2007)
  Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)
  Television broadcast stations:
  58 (1997)
  Internet country code:
  .cu
  Internet users:
  total: 3 million
  percent of population: 27.5%
  note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet" (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 85

- ## Transportation :: CUBA

- Airports:
  133 (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 43
  Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 64
  over 3,047 m: 7
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
  914 to 1,523 m: 4
  under 914 m: 27 (2013)
  Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 69
  914 to 1,523 m: 11
  under 914 m:
  58 (2013)
  Pipelines:
  gas 41 km; oil 230 km (2013)
  Railways:
  total: 8,285 km
  standard gauge: 8,125 km 1.435-m gauge (105 km electrified)
  narrow gauge: 160 km 1.000-m gauge
  note: 82 km of standard gauge track is not for public use (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 25
  Roadways:
  total: 60,858 km
  paved: 29,820 km (includes 639 km of expressways)
  unpaved: 31,038 km (2001)
  country comparison to the world: 68
  Waterways:
  240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2011)
  country comparison to the world: 94
  Merchant marine:
  total: 3
  by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 1
  registered in other countries: 5 (Curacao 1, Panama 2, unknown 2) (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 135
  Ports and terminals:
  major seaport(s): Antilla, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Nuevitas Bay, Santiago de Cuba

- ## Military :: CUBA

- Military branches:
  Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR): Revolutionary Army (Ejercito Revolucionario, ER, includes Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT)), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR, includes Marine Corps), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (Defensas Anti-Aereas y Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria, DAAFAR); Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT) (2013)
  Military service age and obligation:
  17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2012)
  Manpower available for military service:
  males age 16-49: 2,998,201
  females age 16-49: 2,919,107 (2010 est.)
  Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 16-49: 2,446,131
  females age 16-49: 2,375,590 (2010 est.)
  Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
  male: 72,823
  female: 69,108 (2010 est.)
  Military - note:
  the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban military of its major economic and logistic support and had a significant impact on the state of Cuban equipment; the army remains well trained and professional in nature; the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment has increasingly affected operational capabilities (2013)

- ## Transnational Issues :: CUBA

- Disputes - international:
  US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease
  Trafficking in persons:
  current situation: Cuba is a source country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; child sex trafficking and child sex tourism occur in Cuba, while some Cubans are forced into prostitution in South America and the Caribbean; allegations have been made that some Cubans have been forced or coerced to work at Cuban medical missions abroad; assessing the scope of trafficking within Cuba is difficult because of the lack of information
  tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; Cuba’s penal code does not criminalize all forms of human trafficking, but the government reported that it is in the process of amending its criminal code to comply with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol, to which it acceded in 2013; the government in 2014 prosecuted and convicted 13 sex traffickers and provided services to the victims in those cases but does not have shelters specifically for trafficking victims; the government did not recognize forced labor as a problem and took no action to address it; state media produced newspaper articles and TV and radio programs to raise public awareness about sex trafficking (2015)
  Illicit drugs:
  territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 (2008)

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