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Cuba is the largest and westernmost of the islands of the West Indies and lies strategically at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, with the western section only 90 mi (145 km) S of Key West, Fla. The south coast is washed by the Caribbean Sea, the north coast by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the east the Windward Passage separates Cuba from Haiti. The shores are often marshy and are fringed by coral reefs and cays. There are many fine seaports—Havana (the chief import point), Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Cardenas, Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantanamo (a U.S. naval base since 1903). Of the many rivers, only the Cauto is important. The climate is semitropical and generally uniform, and like most other Caribbean nations Cuba is subject to hurricanes.

Cuba has three mountain regions: the wild and rugged Sierra Maestra in the east, rising to 6,560 ft (2,000 m) in the Pico Turquino; a lower range, the scenic Sierra de los Organos, in the west; and the Sierra de Trinidad, a picturesque mass of hills amid the plains and rolling country of central Cuba, a region of vast sugar plantations. The rest of the island is level or rolling.

The origins of the population include Spanish (over 35%), African (over 10%), and mixed Spanish-African (over 50%). Spanish is spoken and Roman Catholicism, the dominant religion, is tolerated by the Marxist government. Santeria, an African-derived faith, is also practiced, and there are a growing number of Protestant evangelical churches. The principal institutions of higher learning are the Univ. of Havana (founded 1728), in Havana; Universidad de Oriente, in Santiago de Cuba; and Central Universidad de las Villas, in Santa Clara.

Cuba is a "Communist state", or a parliamentary republic led by a Communist Party. Fidel Castro has been the head of state and head of government since 1959, first as prime minister and after the abolition of that office in 1976 as president of the Councils of State and Ministers. He is also the member of the National Assembly of People's Power from the municipality of Santiago de Cuba since 1976, First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, and commander in chief of the armed forces.

The unicameral Cuban parliament is the National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Its 609 members are elected to serve five-year terms. The candidates, who may or may not be members of the Cuban Communist Party, are nominated by people and independent political organizations. The Communist Party is constitutionally recognised as Cuba's only legal political party.

In 2001 an attempt was made by Oswaldo Paya Sardinas and others, operating as the Varela Project, to have a national plebiscite using provisions in the Constitution of Cuba which provided for citizen initiative. If accepted by the government and approved by public vote, the amendments would have established such things as freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of press, as well as the freedom to start private businesses. The Petition was however refused by the National Assembly, and a subsequent crackdown resulted in the imprisonment of 75 political prisoners for terms of up to 28 years on charges of collaborating with and receiving money from the US government.

Places to go:


Havana
The largest city and chief port of the West Indies and one of the oldest cities in the Americas. Havana is the political, economic, and cultural center of Cuba. An important hub of air and maritime transportation, it is the focal point of Cuban commerce, exporting sugar, tobacco, and fruits and importing mainly foodstuffs, cotton, and machinery and technical equipment. Industries include shipbuilding, assembly plants, rum distilleries, sugar refineries, and factories making the famous Havana cigars. Tourism has been greatly revived in the 1990s as Cuba redirects its economic model from central planning toward a mixed economy. The city's hot, humid climate is moderated by sea winds.

The lively capital of Cuba has seen better days. Old Havana still has much of interest however and strolling the area is like walking through a time capsule from the early part of this century. The city hosts some fantastic pieces of architecture and other interesting sights and friends of find a large choice to visit. Havana has a swinging nightlife, with cinemas, historic theatres, cabarets, nightclubs and music venues that will exhaust even the most hardened campaigner. There's less traffic and less commercialization than choke your average Latin American city. But from the rough brilliance of Old Havana to residential areas ranging from shabby to demanding demolition, the exuberant friendliness of Havana's inhabitants is something that will never be forgotten by the visitor.

Pinar del Rio
About 200 kilometers west of Havana one will find the city of Pinar del Rio. The city is a must to visit if you go to a Havana. The city itself is not very interesting and compared to swinging Havana and other cities farther east a bit boring. But what it lacks in athmosphere it makes up in natural beauty. A bit to the north of the city lies the small village of Vinales, which is surrounded by one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world. Karst formations with tabacco plantages between them make for a spectacle. One can easily hike there for a very pleasant day. To the south-west of the city you will find the village of San Juan y Martinez. The capital of the tabacco planting of Cuba and the world. Lots of people will offer you to show you their farm and explain you all about the process of making the best tabacco in the world. It is also a great spot to buy the famous cigars, although these can't be legally taken from the country because you will not get the official purchase receipt you will get in the government stores, which you need for customs.

Remedios
Remedios is the forgotten jewel at Cuba's north coast. It's a small colonial town with very friendly people. It is located close to Caibarien where the 48km long dam to Cayo Santa Maria starts.

Santiago de cuba
Surrounded by impressive mountains that link the Sierra Maestra to the sea, Santiago is a city of hills and inclined streets, with numerous places of tourist interest and a history linked to struggles for national independence. It is also a city that brings together people of African and Spanish origin, along with descendants of emigres from the French West Indies. Thus Santiago is a veritable melting pot whose colorful identify is an outgrowth of its rich human heritage. Renowned for its colorful carnivals featuring Chinese trumpets, French tumbas (a kind of drum) and all sorts of revels, the city is also famous for its people, who are hospitable, cheerful, sensual, and imaginative lovers of life, in short, typical West Indians from what has been dubbed the Capital of the Caribbean.

Trinidad
Trinidad is the Spanish colonization come alive. Small cobbled streets wind their way up the hill, where a typical Spanish church looms over the city. The town is a bit touristy, especially during the afternoon when the Buses from Varadero and other posh beach resorts stop by this jewel of the southern coast, so you ara advised to come in early morning or stay the night in one of the many private houses.

Vinales
Vinales and especially the surrounding valey are among the absolute top attractions of Cuba. Vinales is about 40 km north of Pinar del Rio in the Pinar del Rio province. The valley is stunning. The flat land, full of tobacco and palmtrees is scatered with 20-30 m high bumbs called mogotes. These are the remnants of the former plateau which is almost entirely washed away by water during the last couple of million years. The process is comparable with that in Cappadocia, (Turkey) but here's the mogotes are completely covered with green vegetation. Like everywhere in Cuba, the people in Vinales are very friendely. The village, with it's colonial main street has a nice and friendly atmosphere.

Culture
After the revolution the arts were actively supported by the government: many theatres, museums and arts schools were founded, musicians were guaranteed a salary and a national film industry was established. The government has sought to redress the influence of North American mass culture by subsidising Afro-Cuban cultural groups and performing ensembles, which contributes to a proud and lively cultural identity.

Painters Wilfredo Lam (1902-82) and Marianao Rodriguez (1912-90) are amongst the most important the country has produced, and Manuel Mendive (1944-) is regarded as Cuba's foremost living painter.

Cuban cuisine is a mix of Spanish and African techniques, using local produce. Dishes like Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christian; black beans and rice), arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) and picadillo (minced beef and rice) are common, as are soups made with plantains, chick-peas or beans. There are, however, food shortages in Cuba and eating out can mean long waits at state-run restaurants or hotel dining rooms. Cuban beer (cerveza) is excellent and the cocktails are legendary.

African slaves brought rhythms and ritual dances to Cuba, where they were blended with Spanish guitars and melodies and then appropriated and developed throughout the Americas (the USA in the 1920s jumped to rumba rhythms, and these, fused with jazzy horn sections and drums, became the big-band sound). The conga-line dance was developed by slaves shackled together, while much of contemporary Cuban dance has important associations with Afro-Cuban Santeria religion. The most popular Cuban music today is son, which developed in the hills of the Oriente before the turn of the century and incorporates guitars, tres (a small Cuban stringed instrument with three pairs of strings), double bass, bongos, claves, maracas and voice. Mambo, bolero, salsa and chachacha music also derived from this form. The most famous exponents of Cuban music were Perez Prado and Benny More, but Cuban music continues to evolve and there are a great many artists still making great music.

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