Cuba

Cuba

I . Introduction

Cuba or Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Greater Antilles of the West Indies . The republic of Cuba consists of the island of Cuba the Isle of Youth (formerly the Isle of Pines , and numerous small islands and keys . The island of Cuba is the largest island in the West Indies and one of the most fertile . Cuba has been called the Pearl of the Antilles ' because of its natural beauty . It lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea , at the entrance to the

Gulf of Mexico . Key West , Florida , is only 90 miles (145 km ) north of Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is 130 miles (210 km ) southwest (see Betancourt , Juan , editor . From the Palm Tree : the Cuban Revolution in Retrospect (Stuart , 2001

The area of the country is 44 ,218 square miles (114 ,524 km2 , about that of Pennsylvania . The main island is roughly 700 miles (1 ,130 km long and as much as 160 miles (260 km ) wide

II . Physical Geography

Cuba forms the western end of a vast island arc that separates the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean . About three-fifths of the island consists of flat to gently rolling plains and broad valleys the remainder is hilly or mountainous land . The mountainous areas are located at the eastern and western sends of the island and in the central section . The most rugged of these areas is the Sierra Maestra in the east . Here rises Turquino Peak , at 6 ,476 feet (1 ,974 m ) the island 's highest point

All of Cuba 's rivers are rather shallow and short . The longest is the Cauto , which flows about 150 miles (240 km ) from the Sierra maestro to the Caribbean Sea . There are no large lakes . The island 's coastline approximately 2 ,300 miles (3 ,700 km ) long , is indented by numerous bays and inlets (see Cannon , Terence . Revolutionary Cuba (Harper Row 1999 . Several of the bays form sheltered harbor - the sites of Cuba 's major ports

Cuba lies just south of the Tropic of Cancer and the weather is warm to hot all year . Average temperatures at Havana , for example , are 82 ? F (28 ? C ) in August , the warmest month , and 72 ? F (22 ? C ) in January the coolest . Rarely do temperatures in Cuba rise above 100 ? F (38 ? C The northeast trade winds provide most of the island 's rainfall , which averages 40 to 60 inches (1 ,000 to 1 ,500 mm ) a year . The rainy season lasts from May to October the rest of the year is relatively dry Hurricanes frequently strike the island , especially during the months of August , September , and October

III . The People

Mulattoes , of mixed African and white descent , make up 51 percent of the population . Whites , mainly of Spanish descent , make up 37 percent blacks 11 percent . At the 1981 , census the population of Cuba was 9 ,723 ,605

The official language is Spanish . Cubans are predominantly Roman Catholic . The...