The Facts

Republic of Cuba

National name: República de Cuba

President: Raúl Castro (2008)

Total area: 42,803 sq mi (110,860 sq km)

Population (2008 est.): 11,423,952 (growth rate: 0.2%); birth rate: 11.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 5.9/1000; life expectancy: 77.2; density per sq mi: 103

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Havana, 2,686,000 (metro. area), 2,343,700 (city proper)

Other large cities: Santiago de Cuba, 554,400; Camagüey, 354,400; Holguin, 319,300; Guantánamo, 274,300; Santa Clara, 251,800

Monetary unit: Cuban Peso

Language: Spanish

Ethnicity/race: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%

National Holiday: Triumph of the Revolution, December 10

Religions: predominantly Roman Catholic and Santería (Afro-Cuban syncretic religion)

Literacy rate: 97% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP(2006 est.): $45.51 billion; per capita $4,000 . 

Real growth rate:9.5%. 

Inflation: 5%.

Unemployment: 1.9%. 

Arable land: 33%. 

Agriculture: sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock. 

Labor force: 4.82 million; note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2006 est.); agriculture 20%, industry 19.4%, services 60.6% (2006). 

Industries: sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals.

Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land. 

Exports: $2.956 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee. 

Imports: $9.51 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals. 

Major trading partners: Netherlands, Canada, China, Russia, Spain, Venezuela, U.S., Italy, Mexico (2004).

Communications:

Telephones:main lines in use: 849,900 (2005); mobile cellular: 134,500 (2005).

Radio broadcast stations: AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998).Television broadcast stations: 58 (1997). 

Internet hosts: 2,234 (2006). 

Internet users: 190,000 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” (2005).

Transportation:

Railways: total: 4,226 km; in addition, 7,742 km of track is in private use by sugar plantations (2004). 

Highways:total: 60,858 km; paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway); unpaved: 31,038 km (1999 est.).

Waterways: 240 km (2004). 

Ports and harbors: Cienfuegos, Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanza.

Airports: 170 (2006 est.).

International disputes: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease.

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