Cuba
Cuba is an island country located in the West Indies, just 90 miles south of Florida. It is composed of the main island of Cuba and several smaller islands, covering a total area of 42,426 square miles (109,884 square km). The population was estimated at 11,012,000 in 2023.
The capital of Cuba is Havana, and the official language is Spanish. Christianity, particularly Roman Catholicism, is the predominant religion, alongside Santería - both of which were formerly discouraged. The currency is the Cuban peso and the Cuban convertible peso.
The main island of Cuba stretches 777 miles (1,250 km) long and 19-119 miles (31-191 km) wide, with Turquino Peak, standing at 6,476 ft (1,974 m), as its highest peak. Around 25% of the land is mountainous, while the rest comprises extensive plains and basins. The climate is semi-tropical.
Cuba is renowned for its world-class cigars, but also has a centrally planned economy that largely depends on the export of sugar and, to a lesser extent, tobacco and nickel. It is a unitary socialist republic with one legislative house, and its head of state and government is the president.