Re: trying to contribute.....

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: Hey guys- I wanted to contribute my favorite location too... : Sorry it is not so organized just yet, last minute. Well here it is, did you guess yet? : Cuba Cuba Cuba! : : The only thing that tarnishes the beautiful island of Cuba is the monster Fidel- : : Background on Cuba: Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron will has held the country together since. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually, in 1990. Havana blames its difficulties on the US embargo in place since 1962. : People - note illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, or falsified visas; some 3,800 Cubans took to the Florida Straits in 1999; the US Coast Guard interdicted about 40% of these migrants : : Location Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida : It is shaped like a beautiful alligator sleeping in the sea. : Geographic coordinates 21 30 N, 80 00 W : Map references Central America and the Caribbean : Area total:110,860 sq km : land:110,860 sq km : water:0 sq km : Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania : Population 11,141,997 (July 2000 est.) : Age structure 0-14 years:21% (male 1,221,602; female 1,157,846) : 15-64 years:69% (male 3,849,135; female 3,829,599) : 65 years and over:10% (male 503,711; female 580,104) (2000 est.) : Population growth rate 0.39% (2000 est.) : Birth rate 12.68 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) : Death rate 7.31 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) : Net migration rate -1.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) : Sex ratio at birth:1.06 male(s)/female : under 15 years:1.06 male(s)/female : 15-64 years:1.01 male(s)/female : 65 years and over:0.87 male(s)/female : total population:1 male(s)/female (2000 est.) : Infant mortality rate 7.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) : Life expectancy at birth total population:76.21 years : male:73.84 years : female:78.73 years (2000 est.) : Total fertility rate 1.6 children born/woman (2000 est.) : Nationality noun:Cuban(s) : adjective:Cuban : Ethnic groups mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1% : Religions nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented : Languages Spanish : Literacy definition:age 15 and over can read and write : total population:95.7% : male:96.2% : female:95.3% (1995 est.) : : Land boundaries total:29 km : border countries:US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km : note:Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba : Coastline 3,735 km : Maritime claims exclusive economic zone:200 nm : territorial sea:12 nm : Climate tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) : Terrain mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast : Elevation extremes lowest point:Caribbean Sea 0 m : highest point:Pico Turquino 2,005 m : Natural resources cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land : Land use arable land:24% : permanent crops:7% : permanent pastures:27% : forests and woodland:24% : other:18% (1993 est.) : Irrigated land 9,100 sq km (1993 est.) : Natural hazards the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common : Environment - current issues pollution of Havana Bay; overhunting threatens wildlife populations; deforestation : Environment - international agreements : party to:Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution : signed, but not ratified:Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation : Geography - note largest country in Caribbean : Country name conventional long form:Republic of Cuba : conventional short form:Cuba : local long form:Republica de Cuba : local short form:Cuba : Government type Communist state : Capital Havana : Administrative divisions 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara : Independence 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902) : National holiday Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953); Liberation Day, 1 January (1959) : Constitution 24 February 1976, amended July 1992 : Legal system based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction : Suffrage 16 years of age; universal : Executive branch chief of state:President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976, when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government : head of government:President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government : cabinet:Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly : note:there is also a Council of State whose members are elected by the National Assembly : elections:president and vice president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 24 February 1998 (next election unscheduled) : election results:Fidel CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100% : Political parties and leaders only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary] : Flag description five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center : Economy - overview The state under the durable dictatorship of Fidel CASTRO plays the primary role in the domestic economy and controls practically all foreign trade. The government has undertaken several reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase labor incentives, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The liberalized agricultural markets introduced in October 1994, at which state and private farmers sell above-quota production at unrestricted prices, have broadened legal consumption alternatives and reduced black market prices. Government efforts to lower subsidies to unprofitable enterprises and to shrink the money supply caused the semi-official exchange rate for the Cuban peso to move from a peak of 120 to the dollar in the summer of 1994 to 21 to the dollar by yearend 1999. New taxes introduced in 1996 have helped drive down the number of self-employed workers from 208,000 in January 1996. Havana announced in 1995 that GDP declined by 35% during 1989-93, the result of lost Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The drop in GDP apparently halted in 1994, when Cuba reported 0.7% growth, followed by increases of 2.5% in 1995 and 7.8% in 1996. Growth slowed again in 1997 and 1998 to 2.5% and 1.2% respectively. Growth recovered again in 1999 with a 6.2% increase in GDP, due to the continued growth of tourism. Central control is complicated by the existence of the informal economy, much of which is denominated in dollars. Living standards for the average (dollarless) Cuban remain at a depressed level compared with 1990. The continuation of gradual economic reforms and increase in tourism suggest growth of 4% to 5% in 2000. : : Industries sugar, petroleum, food, tobacco, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals (particularly nickel), cement, fertilizers, consumer goods, agricultural machinery : : Agriculture - products sugarcane, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock : Exports $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.) : Exports - commodities sugar, nickel, tobacco, shellfish, medical products, citrus, coffee : Exports - partners Russia 25%, Netherlands 23%, Canada 16% (1999 est.) : Imports $3.2 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.) : Imports - commodities petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals : Imports - partners Spain 16%, Venezuela 15%, Mexico 7% (1999 est.) : Debt - external $11.2 billion (convertible currency, 1998); another $20 billion owed to Russia (1998)

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