Isabel+Rodríguez+3ºC

=__**MY COUNTRY FACTS**__=

= CUBA =

**Official country name:** The official country name is Republic of Cuba.

**Location:** The Republic of Cuba consists of one large island and several small ones situated on the northern rim of the Caribbean Sea, about 160 km (100 mi) south of Florida. With an area of 110,860 sq km (42,803 sq mi), it extends 1,223 km (760 mi)and about 89 km (55 mi). Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean, accounting for more than one-half of West Indian land area. Comparatively, the area occupied by Cuba is slightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania. It is separated from Florida by the Straits of Florida, from the Bahamas and Jamaica by various channels, from Haiti by the Windward Passage, and from Mexico by the Yucatán Channel and the Gulf of Mexico. Cuba's total coastline is 3,735 km (2,316 mi). The largest offshore island, the Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud), formerly known as the Isle of Pines (Isla de Pinos), lies southwest of the main island and has an area of 2,200 sq km (849 sq mi); the other islands have a combined area of 3,715 sq km (1,434 sq mi).

Cuba's capital city, Havana, is located on its north coast. **Year that country joined the UN: ** Cuba joined the United Nations the 24 of October in the year 1945.

**PEOPLE:** >  **Cubans**or **Cuban people** are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds. The majority of Cubans descend from Spaniards and as a result, some Cubans do not treat their nationality as an ethnicity but as a citizenship with various ethnicities and national origins comprising the "Cuban people". Nearly all Cubans or their ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries. > The principal language of Cuba is Spanish and is spoken throughout the island. Spanish in the country is quite similar to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rican Spanish, although the version is quite different from that spoken in Spain, Mexico and South America. Cubans are descendants of Canarians that came from Canary Islands so the languages spoken in Cuba are quite similar the native of the island. Cubans tend to swallow the last syllable in a word and generally swallow the‘s’ sound. > Although there are no local dialects, the island’s diverse ethnic groups have influenced speech patterns. African have greatly enriched the vocabulary and contributed the soft, somewhat nasal accent and rhythmic intonation that distinguish contemporary Cuban speech. Immigration has left pockets of Haitians and Jamaicans in Cuba who speak French-based and English-based creoles (hybrid languages created by the mixture of European and African languages). Words of native Indian origin have passed into their languages like hamaca which means hammock in English. Many practitioners of the Santeria religion also speak Lucumi, a “secret” Yoruboid language of the Niger-Congo family. > Another language that is widely spoken in the country is English. Many Cuban business people understand and speak English, but in most cases foreigners make a greater impact and find more acceptability if they address themselves in Spanish to their Cuban interlocutors.
 * 1) **What are the people of the country called?**
 * 1) **What is the official language? What other languages do people speak?**



**4. What is the most – practiced religion?** Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly Spanish and African origins. The largest organized religion is the Roman Catholic Church. Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. Officially, Cuba has been an atheist state for most of the Castro era. In 1962, the government of Fidel Castro seized and shut down more than 400 Catholic schools, charging that they spread dangerous beliefs among the people. In 1991, however, the Communist Party lifted its prohibition against religious believers seeking membership, and a year later the constitution was amended to characterize the state as secular instead of atheist. **FLAG:**

Designed by a Venezuelan general called Narciso Lopez in the year 1848, the flag of Cuba was used in the liberation movement that was launched to seek independence from Spain. Though the flag was hoisted for a short span in 1850, the official status as the national flag was granted only in 1902.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The flag of Cuba comprises five horizontal bands: the top, middle and bottom bands are blue; and the other two are white. The blue bands represent the three historic divisions of the island, while the white bands symbolize independence. The hoist side of the flag bears a red triangle that contains a white-pointed star. The triangle represents the virtues of equality, liberty, and fraternity and the color red stands for the blood shed by the patriots in the long struggle for independence. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">**GOVERMENT** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Cuba has a totalitarian system. It is no democracy. It tries to display some formal elements of democracy (elections, trade unions, NGO's,...), but once on looks beyond the surface it becomes clear that Cuba is no democracy. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The constitution defines Cuba as "an independent and sovereign socialist state of workers". By this definition it already limits the options of it's citizens to select the socio-economic system under which they want to live. Similarly the freedom of expression is made subordinate to the socialist system: "Citizens have freedom of speech and of the press in keeping with the objectives of socialist society. ". Any and all expression of dissent is prohibited and a set of state run institutions are set up to control the people while claiming to exclusively represent their interests: "The Cuban socialist state recognizes and stimulates the social and mass organizations, which arose from the historic process of struggles of our people. These organizations gather in their midst the various sectors of the population, represent specific interests of the same and incorporate them to the tasks of the edification, consolidation and defense of the socialist society." thereby excluding all others. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Education also is totally subordinated to Marxist principles "the state bases its educational and cultural policy on the progress made in science and technology, the ideology of Marx and Martí" and exclusive reserved to the state which promotes "the patriotic and communist education of the new generations" with freedom of expression limited by the requirement that "the content is not contrary to the Revolution".
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">**Is it a democratic or a non-democratic state?**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">2. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">**What is the name of the leader of the country?** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(American Spanish: born 3 June 1931), commonly known as **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Raúl Castro **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">, is a Cuban politician and revolutionary who has been President of the Council of state of Cuba and the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba since 2008; he previously exercised presidential powers in an acting capacity from 2006 to 2008. He is Commander in chief of the Armed Forces(Army, Navy, and Air Force) and has also been First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) since 2011, and is the nation's highest ranking general. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Raúl Castro was a rebel commander during the 1950s; after his brother [|Fidel Castro]<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">took power, Raúl Castro was one of the most important figures in the party, serving as Minister of the Armed Forces from 1959 to 2008, the longest to serve in such a position. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">On 31 July 2006, Raúl Castro was designated as the President of the Council of State in a temporary [|transfer of power]<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">due to Fidel Castro's illness. According to the [|Cuban Constitution of 1976]<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">, the Vice President of the Council of State assumes presidential duties upon the illness or death of the president. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Raúl Castro was officially elected as President by the [|National Assembly]<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">on 24 February 2008, after Fidel Castro, who was still ailing, announced his intention not to stand for President again on 19 February 2008. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Raúl Castro was elected as First Secretary of the Communist Party at its Sixth Congress on 19 April 2011, having previously served as Second Secretary under his brother for 46 years.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">media type="custom" key="28133709"

> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Cuba is a totalitarian communist state headed by General Raul Castro and a cadre of party loyalists. Raul Castro replaced his brother Fidel Castro as chief of state, president of Cuba, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces on February 24, 2008. Fidel Castro had served as President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers and his brother Raul had served as First Vice President of both bodies as well as Minister of Defense. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">On 24 February 2013, the so-called "historical generation" began the transition of leadership to a new generation. Jose Ramon Machado Ventura made available to his post as first Vice President, and he himself proposed Miguel Díaz-Canel to occupy it. Raul Castro said this was a step in "defining in shaping the future direction of the country through the gradual and orderly transfer to the new generation..." <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Since 1965 Cuba has been governed by a highly centralized system headed by the Communist Party of Cuba (Partido Comunista de Cuba—PCC), which is the only authorized political party and rules as “the highest leading force of society and the State,” according to the constitution. The party monopolizes all government positions, including judicial offices. Though not a formal requirement, party membership is a de facto prerequisite for high-level official positions and professional advancement in most areas, although non-party members are sometimes allowed to serve in the National Assembly. The Communist Party or one of its subsidiaries vets candidates for any elected office. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">President Castro exercises control over all aspects of life through the Communist Party and its affiliated mass organizations, the government bureaucracy headed by the Council of State, and the state security apparatus. President Castro personally chooses the membership of the Politburo, the select group that heads the party. The Communist Party controls all government positions, including judicial offices. The judiciary is completely subordinate to the Government and to the Communist Party.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">**What type of government is the country ruled by?**