Home to about 11 million people, Cuba, or the Republic of Cuba, is a group of islands in the Caribbean. Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, Cuba is fast becoming a tourist hotspot for people from all over the world.
Officially known as ‘The Republic of Cuba’, Cuba consists of the Island of Cuba, the Isle of Youth, and some adjacent small islands. To the south is Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, to the north lies the Bahamas and the US state of Florida, to the east lies Haiti, and to the west lies Mexico. The 17th largest island in the world by land mass, Cuba is associated with strange and interesting facts, some of which are listed below.
Interesting Facts About Cuba
- Cuba is the most populated country in the Caribbean.
- The main island of Cuba is surrounded by four other groups of islands. The four islands are the Carnaguey, the Canarreos, the Jardines de la Reina and the Colorados.
- The total land area of Cuba is 110,860 kilometers square making it the 17th largest island in the world.
- The main island of Cuba consists of rolling plains. It has a range of steep mountains at its southeast end, called the Sierra Maestra. The highest point in Sierra Maestra is the Pico Real del Turquino at around two thousand and five meters (2005 mts).
- The climate in Cuba is tropical and moderated by trade winds. There is a dry season from November to April and a rainy season from May to October. The average temperature is 21 degrees Celsius in January and 27 degrees Celsius in July.
The current capital of Cuba is Havana, while earlier the capital used to be Santiago de Cuba. UNESCO has declared Havana City, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad, to be World Heritage Sites.
- The island was discovered by Columbus in 1492, and was claimed for the Kingdom of Spain. When he discovered Cuba, Columbus actually thought he was in India.
- Cuba consists of more than 400 islands and cays.
- Cuba has a mixed population, with 1% Chinese, 11% black, 37% white and a major 51% being mixed black and white, mulatto. The female population is 5,580,500 while the male population is around 5,597,233.
- The doctor to patient ratio is the highest in Cuba. In fact, there are so many doctors in Cuba, that the country even sends doctors to other countries that face a shortage medical personnel.
- There are no plants or animals in Cuba that are poisonous or lethal to humans.
- The official tree of the Republic of Cuba is the Royal Palm.
- Surprisingly, soccer is not the most famous sport in Cuba. While most other Latin countries enjoy soccer as their favorite sport, for Cubans it is baseball. Cuba’s baseball team is among the best in the world.
- The official language of Cuba is Spanish, though there are many people who speak English as well.
The country has become a major tourist spot and attracts around two million visitors per year. It has a number of beaches, colonial architecture, favorable climate and a rich cultural history to invite tourists from all over the world. It had the most number of tourists all around the Caribbean between 1915 and 1920.
the one reason you may have heard of this paradise is thanks to the extremely high quality cigars they make and export. Indeed, for a cigar smoker, there is nothing better than an authentic Cuban cigar!
Given above were some of the interesting facts about Cuba. Cuba also has a favorable and flourishing health tourism business, which alone generates around 30 million dollars a year for the Cuban economy. It has a wide range of treatments for neurological disorders, orthopedics and eye-surgery. Cuba is especially famous for curing night blindness.
