Cuba

I

Introduction

Cuba, formally Republic of Cuba, independent republic located in the Caribbean Sea, some 145 km (90 mi) south of Florida in the United States, comprising two main islands, Cuba and Juventud Island (Isla de la Juventud, formerly Isle of Pines), and more than 1,600 small coral cays and islets. Cuba commands the two entrances to the Gulf of Mexico to the west: the Straits of Florida and the Yucatán Channel. On the east, the republic is separated from the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) by the Windward Passage; Jamaica lies to the south, the Bahama Islands to the north-east, and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico to the west, across the Yucatán Channel. The republic has a total land area of 110,860 sq km (42,803 sq mi), of which almost 95 per cent is accounted for by the island of Cuba. The largest island in the Caribbean and the most westerly of the Greater Antilles group, Cuba is 110,860 sq km (42,803 sq mi) in area, and long and narrow in shape. It has a maximum length of about 1,225 km (760 mi)—between the westernmost and easternmost points, Cabo de San Antonio and Cabo Maisí—and a maximum width of about 191 km (119 m). Juventud Island, lying opposite the Bay of Batabanó on the south-western coast, in the Canarreos Archipelago, has an area of about 2,200 sq km (849 sq mi). Havana (in Spanish, La Habana), on the north-western coast, is the capital, largest city, and chief port of Cuba.

II

Land and Resources

Cuba is part of a limestone platform, related to the limestone areas of Florida, the Bahamas, and the Yucatán. About one quarter of the island is mountainous or hilly, the remainder consisting of flat or rolling terrain. The mountainous areas are scattered throughout the island and do not stem from a central mass. The principal ranges are the Sierra de los Organos in the west, rising to 750 m/2,461 ft (and containing the karst scenery of the Guaniguánicos hill country with its limestone features and underground rivers); the Sierra de Trinidad in the central part of the island; and the Sierra Maestra in the far east. The Sierra Maestra, which includes the Sierra del Cobre and Macaca ranges, is the most rugged, extensive, and highest of the mountainous areas, rising to the highest point in the republic, the Pico Turquino (1,974 m/6,476 ft) near the south-eastern coast. One of the most notable natural features of the island is the large number of limestone caverns, notably the caves of Cotilla, near Havana. Parts of the coast, especially in the south, are swampy with marshes and mangroves. The largest area of swamp in the country is the Zapata Peninsula, south-east of Havana. The second-largest, the Ciénaga de Lanier, is on the Juventud Island, which is generally flat and low-lying. Most of the numerous rivers of Cuba are short and unnavigable. The chief river is the Cauto (343 km/213 mi long) in the south-east. The coast of Cuba is extremely irregular and is indented by gulfs and bays. Most of the northern coast is protected by reefs and cays. Notable harbours are those of Havana, Cárdenas, Bahía Honda, Matanzas, and Nuevitas on the northern coast, and Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, and Cienfuegos on the southern and eastern coasts.

A

Climate

The climate of Cuba is semi-tropical, the mean annual temperature being 25° C (77° F). Extremes of heat and relative humidity during the summer season are tempered by the prevailing north-easterly trade winds; the maximum temperature averages 27.2° C (81° F) and maximum humidity, 80 per cent. Annual rainfall averages about 1,320 mm (52 in). More than 60 per cent of the rain falls during the wet season, which extends from May to October. The island is at risk from tropical storms and hurricanes between July and November. In October 1996 central Cuba was hit by Hurricane Lili. A major evacuation operation prevented any deaths, but the storm (the worst in ten years) and the rains that accompanied it did many millions of dollars’ worth of damage to crops and buildings.

B

Natural Resources

The soil of Cuba, derived predominantly from the action of rain on limestone, is fertile and a wide range of crops is grown. About one quarter of the land is covered with forests of pine and mahogany. The country has significant mineral reserves, including about 10 per cent of the world’s known nickel deposits. There are also deposits of chromite, copper, iron, manganese, gold, silver, sulphur, cobalt, pyrites, gypsum, asbestos, oil, salt, sand, clay, and limestone. Crude oil deposits on the northern coast are exploited commercially.