Cuba

=Cuba=

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Religion
Cuba has gone through much since it was discovered by the Spanish. Religions have come and gone. Religions popular in Cuba have been religions such as Christianity, (mainly protestant) Judaism, Jehovah's Witness's, and Santeria. Now, most people in Cuba are Roman Catholics. [2]

Language
Cuba was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Since then it has been colonized by the Spanish. Spanish became very prevalent and is now the official language of Cuba [2]

Government
Cuba became a communist state on January First 1959. [2] It was first headed by Fidel Castro who lead the revolution. In 2008, Fidel Castro handed his power down to his younger brother. Since then, Raúl Castro has been the leader of Cuba. Elections are held every five years by a National Assembly. [2]

Education
Cuba spends 13.6% of it's budget on education. It ranks number two in the world for how much it spends on education. [2] 99.8% of the population of Cuba over the age of fifteen can both read and write. This number is the same between males and females. [2]

January 1: Triunfo de la Revolucíon (Triumph of the Revolution)
On January 1st, 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the government and gained power. [3]

May 1: Dia de los Trabajadores (Day of the Workers)
This holiday is meant to honor workers. [3]

July 26-27: Days of Rebeliosness
These days commemorate an attack on a force, the rebels led by Fidel Castro. [3]

October 10: Dia de la Independencia (Independence Day)
This commemorates Cuba's independence from Spain. (Not to be confused with the revolution) [3]

December 25: Christmas
This seems pretty obvious, but in fact, Christmas has only been celebrated since 1998 when the pope came. [3]

Baseball
Started between 1865-1866 [4] **Players** [5]
 * Martin Dihigo
 * Tony Perez
 * Jose Mendez
 * Cristobal Torriente
 * Alex Pmpez
 * Felo Ramirez

Boxing
Cuba has won twenty-three medals in the Olympics [4]

**Boxers** [6]
 * Mario César Kindelán Mesa
 * Pedro Orlando Reyes Ponce
 * Guillermo Rigondeaux
 * Félix Savón Fabré
 * Odlanier Solis
 * Teófilo Stevenson

Economy
The economy of Cuba [7]

**Peso (CUP)**
Fixed by government

**Convertible Peso (CUC)**
Fixed by government Equivalent to $1.08 USD

Exports

 * Nickel
 * Cobalt
 * Oil
 * Pharmaceuticals
 * Biotechnology
 * Tobacco
 * Citrus
 * Seafood
 * Coffee

About the Island
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**Location**
Cuba is 110,860 km 2 which is 68,885 square miles. [2] It is located just 150 km (93 miles) south of Florida at the coordinates of 21 30 N, 80 00 W. [2]

**Terrain**
Cuba is an island that is for the most part is flat. It does have hills however and some mountains. These mountains can be 2,000 meters high, which is approximately 6,000 feet. [7]

Climate
Cuba is mainly a tropical environment. It has a hurricane season and a dry season. [7]

Places of Interest
These places are great if one is interested in Travel [8]

Cigar Factories
Cuba is famous for Cigars. Some factories offer tours. This can be very interesting.

Plaza de Revolución
Located in Havana, this is where Fidel Castro does many speeches. Here there is also a memorial and Castro´s offices.

Fuerte Matachín
=media type="custom" key="9582802" align="right"= Fuerte Matachín is in Baracoa Cuba. It used to be a fort, but now it is a museum. It has exhibits on the Baracoa area including information on the Taino tribe. This is near where Columbus landed at Cuba in 1492.

People
Famous Cubans [9]

**Fidel Castro**
Born: August 13, 1926 Bio: Fidel Castro is famous for leading the Cuban Revolution. He won the revolution on January 1, 1959. He became the ruler of Cuba and helped other countries with revolutions as well. He remained the ruler until 2006 when he turned power over to his brother Raúl Castro.

**Raúl Castro**
Born: June 3, 1931 [10] Bio: Raúl Castro became the ruler of Cuba in 2006 when Fidel Castro handed down power to him. He has lifted bans created by his older brother. He has also given many farmers land that was owned by the government.

**Ernesto Guevara de la Serna**
Born: June 14, 1928 Bio: He influenced Fidel Castro and was part of the reason he became a Communist. He was a doctor. This helped him play a role in the revolution where he treated the rebels.

History
[|Click Here to Enlarge] [11,12, 13]

Works Cited
 * 1) //Cuban National Anthem//. //Nati////onal Anthems//. Web. 29 Apr. 2011..
 * 2) "CIA - The World Factbook." //Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency//. Central Inteligence Agency, 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 May 2011..
 * 3) "Cuba Public Holidays." //Travel Cuba//. 2006. Web. 26 May 2011..
 * 4) "Sports in Cuba." //World Map, Map of the World//. Web. 26 May 2011..
 * 5) //Cuban Baseball Home//. The Miami Journal. Web. 26 May 2011..
 * 6) Sierra, Jerry A. "Cuban Boxers - A Guide." //Cuban History Begins Here//. Web. 26 May 2011..
 * 7) US Department of State. "Cuba." //U.S. Department of State//. US Department of State, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 May 2011..
 * 8) "Cuba Attractions | IExplore." //Adventure Travel and World Travel | IExplore//. Web. 27 May 2011..
 * 9) "Cuba Information | Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, CHE Guevara, Hemingway | Famous Cubans." //Cuba Fiesta//. Cuba Fiesta, 26 May 2011. Web. 27 May 2011..
 * 10) "Raúl Castro." //NNDB: Tracking the Entire World//. 2011. Web. 27 May 2011..
 * 11) Sierra, Jerry A. "500 Yearsof Cuban History." //Cuban History Begins Here//. Web. 27 May 2011..
 * 12) "Cuban Culture." //Cuba Heritage .com - Cuban Culture Travels//. Web. 27 May 2011..
 * 13) "History of Cuba - Nations Online Project." //Nations Online Project :: A Destination Guide to Countries and Nations of the World//. 2011. Web. 27 May 2011..

Last Updated May 31, 2011 by Peter A. Miller CUBA-CUBA-CUBA-CUBA-CUBA