Reuben Nadeau

Cuba: a brief summary

The Population of Cuba according to the 2013 census is approximately 11 million.
Approximately 65% of people in Cuba are white 24% are mestizo and 10% are black. Mestizo is
a mix between Native American and European heritage. Many Africans live in Cuba because in
the 1700s they were brought over from Africa to be slaves on sugar, coffee, and rice plantations.
Due to the African, Spanish , and Native people Cuba has become one of the most culturally
diverse countries in central America.

However due to the government many people want to escape, leaving Cuba with a
population decrease rate of -13% every year. Cuba has a very large Roman Catholic population,
an estimate of 85% of all people are Roman Catholic. Many other religions include Protestant,
Jehovahs Witnesses, Jewish, and Santeria. Cuba has 15 provinces with the capital city of
Havana.
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The flag of Cuba is three blue horizontal stripes and two white stripes with a red triangle
on the left side with a star in the middle. The three blue stripes represent the three old divisions,
central, occidental, and oriental. The two white stripes represent the countrys purity of culture.
The red triangle represents the liberty, equality, and fraternity.
The red color of the triangle represents the blood shed to gain independence. The white
star is called La Estrella Solitaria which means The Lone Star that is supposed to light the way
to freedom the idea however was taken from the Texas flag. A countrys flag is very important
because it tells us what they wanted people to think of when they see it almost like a brief
history. of the country. The Cuban flag shows signs of independence all around however Modern
Cuba today is of course Communist.
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The government of Cuba is Communist. However ask anybody living in Cuba at the time
and they will tell you they are a Socialist Democratic Republic, Which of course is incorrect.
Cuba became a dictator ship in the 50s the dictator Fidel Castro quickly reconstructed the
government into a communist enterprise. However after long years of dictatorship Castro handed
his title over to his brother Raul Castro. Raul would then go and allow an elected Assembly of
Cuba to vote. The last election was held on February 24, 2013 and Raul Castro was re-elected
president for another five year term.
Council of ministers an idea proposed by Raul Castro is a group that would be appointed
by the National Assembly. The Council of ministers would then act on the National Assemblys
behalf when it was not in session. The two heads of government are the President of Council of
State Raul Castro and the President of Council of Ministers Miguel Bermudez.
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Cubas economy is having trouble keeping Socialist economy system and having control
over government at the same time. On April 21, 2011 Cuba held the first Cuban Communist
Party Congress in over thirteen years. At this Meeting President Raul Castro decided that some
changes had to be made in order to maintain their socialism. Such changes included larger
opportunities for self-employment. Due to the downturn of 1990 the average Cuban living
standards have been at an all- time low.
Due to the low living standards and Communist government, many people attempt to
escape Cuba and enter Florida (U.S). Cuba is also very short on oil and since the late 2000s
Venezuela has been providing them with over 100000 drums of petroleum per day Cuba has of
course been paying for the petroleum and it is costing them a great amount of money. One thing
that does boost their economy however is cigars. Cubans are very famous for their cigars which
are hand rolled with the finest tobacco. Many people in the United States crave these luxurious
cigars, however all trade with Cuba was banned in the United States so the only way to receive
Cuban cigars in the United States is through the black market. These black market activities only
raise more tension between Cuba and the United States.
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My favorite thing about Cuba is the cultural diversity of the people and that they can
easily live with each other with no racism or segregation to the every one is the same. I can only
imagine all the foods that they have there. African foods mixed with Spanish foods mixed with
ancient Native recipes must be a really interesting taste. All of those cultures have many different
holidays so there must be many different celebrations.
One of the most important things that separates culture is music. Im sure Spanish,
African, and Native music are very different and combining the two would make for quite the
melody. In America segregation and racism were some of the biggest problems weve ever faced
but in Cuba it is amazing that they just put everything aside and just blended. There were no race
rivalries or segregation they were all on the same land and they all had one common thing, they
were all treated like lowlife by the Spanish government and I think that is part of the reason they
got along so well they knew what it felt like to be segregated and slaved. So they decide never to
do such a thing to each other because they knew what it felt like.
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Works Cited
1. Central Inelegance Agency (July, 2013). The World Fact book. Page of Cuba,
Section: Population. In 2013 World Fact Book [online database]. Retrieved January,
30
th
, 2014. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html.
2. Central Inelegance Agency (July, 2013). The World Fact Book. Page of Cuba,
section: flag. In 2013 World Fact Book [online database]. Retrieved January 31
th
,
2014. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html.
3. Central Inelegance Agency (July, 2013). The World Fact Book. Page of Cuba,
section: Government. In 2013 World Fact Book [online database]. Retrieved February
1
th
, 2014. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html.
4. Central Inelegance Agency (July, 2013). The World Fact Book. Page of Cuba,
section: Economy. In 2013 World Fact Book [online database]. Retrieved February
2
nd
, 2014. . https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html
5. Central Inelegance Agency (July, 2013). The World Fact Book. Page of Cuba,
section: Introduction. In 2013 World Fact Book [online database]. Retrieved January
31
st
, 2014. . https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/cu.html