Simple directory > Regional > Cuba

Country : Cuba Official name: República de Cuba (Republic of Cuba) Head of State: President of the Council of State Dr Fidel Castro Ruz (since 1959; re-elected 6 Mar 2003) Head of government: President of the Council of State Dr Fidel Castro Ruz Ruling party: Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC) (Cuban Communist Party) Area: 110,860 square km Population: 11.91 million (2004) Capital: Havana Official language: Spanish Currency: Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos (NB From 8 Nov 2004, the US dollar is no longer legal tender.) Exchange rate: Cu$1.00 per US$ (Nov 2004) (official) (official rate replaced convertible rate of Cu$21.00 per US$ on 12 Jan 2004) GDP per capita: US$2,300 (2003) GDP real growth: 2.60% (2003) Labour force: 4.30 million (2003) Unemployment: 4.10% (2003) Inflation: 7.10% (2003) Oil production: 56,000 bpd (2003) Balance of trade: -US$3.00 billion (2003) Foreign debt: US$12.30 billion (2003) Visitor numbers: 1.91 million (2003)

Historical profile

1492 Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba and claimed the island for Spain.

1511 Diego Columbus, son of Christopher, settled the island. Spanish settlers established sugar plantations which were run using slaves from West Africa.

1514 The city of Havana was founded.

1607 Havana was named the capital of Cuba.-

1762–64 Havana was captured by the British during the war with Spain. The British left the island after two years and Havana was returned to Spain by the Treaty of Paris.

1868–78 The first war of independence ended in a truce with Spain promising reforms and greater autonomy; most of the promises were never met.

1885 There were uprisings as a result of the harsh treatment of the local population by the Spanish.

1886 Slavery was abolished.

1895–98 José Marti led a second war of independence; the US declared war on Spain.

1898 The US defeated Spain, which gave up all claims to Cuba and ceded it to the US.

1901 The constitution of the Republic of Cuba, modelled on the US constitution, was adopted.

1902 Cuba was officially granted independence from the US with Tomas Estrada Palma as its president. However, the Platt Amendment kept the island under US protection and gave the US the right to intervene in Cuban affairs.

1925 The Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC) (Cuban Communist Party) was founded.

1934 Fulgencio Batista took power after the 1933 revolt against US-backed Carlos Cespedes. The US abandoned its right to intervene in Cuba's internal affairs.

1940 The constitution of 1940 was promulgated.

1944 Ramon Grau San Martin was elected as president.

1948 Carlos Prio Socorras was elected as president.

1952 Batista returned to power in a bloodless coup with the backing of the US government.

1959 The Cuban Revolution. After one abortive attempt, Fidel Castro's group of revolutionaries eventually defeated the Cuban army and assumed power, founding a socialist state.

1960 All US businesses in Cuba were nationalised without compensation; the US broke off diplomatic relations with Havana.

1961 The Bay of Pigs invasion: unsuccessful US-sponsored military invasion by Cuban exiles.

1962 The Cuban missile crisis: cargo ships with Russian military equipment, including missiles, headed for Cuba were forced to turn back by the US navy. The US imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba.

1975 The first congress of the PCC was held.

1976 A new constitution creating a National Assembly was adopted. The Assembly held its first session and chose Fidel Castro Ruz as its head of government.

1989 The collapse of the Soviet bloc led to the loss of markets for Cuban sugar and subsidised oil from the Soviet Union.

1991 Soviet troops left Cuba.

1993 The US dollar was made an official currency alongside the Cuban peso.

1998 No opposition candidates were allowed to stand in elections held for the National Assembly and provincial assemblies. Pope John Paul II visited Cuba.

2000 Six-year-old shipwreck survivor Elián Gonzales was returned to his father in Cuba after a much-publicised legal battle with the boy's Miami-based relatives.

2001 Hurricane Michelle hit the island and 500,000 people had to be evacuated from areas in the west. Following the devastation caused by the hurricane, the US exported food to Cuba, the first shipment from the US in 40 years.

2002 Hurricanes Isidore and Lili caused widespread damage. It was announced that at least 71 of Cuba's 156 sugar refineries were to be scrapped.

2003 In the 19 January parliamentary elections, 609 pro-government candidates were elected unopposed. President Castro was re-elected on 6 March for a sixth term.

2004 On 12 January, the official exchange rate of Cu$1 per US$ replaced the convertible rate of Cu$21 per US$. In July, the US tightened restrictions on visits and money remittances to Cuba. Hurricane Charley hit Havana in August, killing four people, damaging 11,000 homes and toppling power lines. From 8 November, the US dollar ceased to be legal tender and there is a 10 per cent commission for converting dollars to pesos.

2005 During a state visit to Cuba in May, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Fidel Castro signed several trade and co-operation agreements.

There's no web links here.