|RConstitution:|N Republic. One-party communist state.
|RNational holiday:|N Anniversary of the Revolution, January 1.
|RNature and climate:|N The main island Cuba derives its name from the Indian Cubanacan. Also a number of small islands. Low hills cover more than half the area. One mountainchain in the west, one in the centre and the highest, Sierra Maestro, reaching 1974 m.a.s.l. in the east.
The northern coast is steep and rocky, while the southern coast is low and swampy.
Mainly savannah vegetation at low elevations and forests at higher.
Tropical climate with an average temperature between 22 and 28°C.
Percipitation about 1500 mm.
|RPeople:|N 51% Mulatto, 37% white and 11% black.
When Columbus visited the island in 1492 there lived about 50 000 Indians, mainly Arawaks, Ciboney and Guanahatabey.
|REconomy:|N Agriculture occupies 13% of the labour force and Cuba is one of the world's largest producers of sugar, which accounts for 80% of the export revenues.
Other important crops are tobacco, sweet potatoes, rice, bananas and coffee.
Cuba is rich on minerals such as cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper and manganese. Nickel is the second most important source of export revenues.
Manufacturing has been developed in the last decades.
Sugarrefining is extensive as is cigarmanufacturing.
Mechanical manufacturing is slowly developed as is tourism.
The USA have a trade embargo on Cuba since 1962 putting a strain on economy.
|RHistory:|N Cuba was visited by Columbus in 1492 and Spain soon started the colonization. Cuba became the base for the Spanish colonization of America.
A slave-based plantation economy was introduced in the 18th century.
After an uprising 1868 to 1878 Cuba was granted self-rule but a new uprising was started in 1895. When a warship for the USA was sunk in Havana in 1898 the US intervened and after a short war Spain was defeated and left Cuba.
During four years Cuba was under US sovereignty and became an independent country in 1902.
The US influence was however strong and the US had the right to intervene in Cuban internal affairs.
Cuba was governed by dictators and the government was corrupt. On July 26, 1953, a revolutionary movement was founded under the leadership of Fidel castro. In 1959 this movement succeeded to overthrow the government and have since then ruled the country as a marxist one-party-state, with Fidel Castro as prime minister and from 1976 as president.
In 1960 all banks nd industrial companies were nationalized and in the same year some Cubans in exile tried to invade with US support, but they failed.
In 1962 the Sovjet Union placed nuclear missiles on Cuba, but after an ultimatum from the US president these missiles were withdrawn.
Since the 1970:s Cuba have sent troops to help several revolutions around the world. At most Cuba had 19 000 men in Angola, 3 000 in Ethiopia, Libya and Nicaragua respectively.
Since the Sovjet Union has been dissolved and the communist countries in Eastern Europe have changed course the economic strain on Cuba has been hard, but the regime has shown no intention to change the economical policy.
In 1994 there has been several oppositional demonstrations on Cuba, and the regime has threatened to send all demonstrators abroad.
