Cuba | Facts & Information

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff
Infoplease has everything you need to know about Cuba. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about Cuba's geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. If that's not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags.

Facts & Figures

  • President: Raúl Castro (2008)

    Total area: 42,803 sq mi (110,860 sq km)

    Population (2014 est.): 11,047,251 (growth rate: -0.14%); birth rate: 9.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.7/1000; life expectancy: 78.22

    Capital and largest city (2011 est.): Havana, 2.116 million

    Other large cities: Santiago de Cuba, 554,400; Camagüey, 354,400; Holguin, 319,300; Guantánamo, 274,300; Santa Clara, 251,800

    Monetary unit: Cuban Peso

    National name: República de Cuba

    Current government officials

    Language: Spanish

    National Holiday: Triumph of the Revolution, December 10

    Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria

    Literacy rate: 99.8% (2011 est.)

    Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2023 est.): $121 billion; per capita $10,200 . Real growth rate: 3.1%. Inflation: 6%. Unemployment: 4.3%. Arable land: 32.31%. Agriculture: sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock. Labor force: 5.233 million; note: state sector 72.3%, non-state sector 27.7% (2013 est.); agriculture 19.7%, industry 17.1%, services 63.2% (2011). Industries: sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals. Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land. Exports: $6.252 billion (2013 est.): sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee. Imports: $13.6 billion (2013 est.): petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals. Major trading partners: Netherlands, Canada, China, Spain, Venezuela, U.S., Brazil (2012).

    Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 1.217 million (2012); mobile cellular: 1.682 million (2012). Broadcast media: government owns and controls all broadcast media with private ownership of electronic media prohibited; government operates 4 national TV networks and many local TV stations; government operates 6 national radio networks, an international station, and many local radio stations; Radio-TV Marti is beamed from the US (2007). Internet hosts: 3,244 (2012). Internet users: 1.606 million note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet" (2005).

    Transportation: Railways: total: 8,203 km (2011). Roadways: total: 60,858 km; paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway); unpaved: 31,038 km (2011 est.). Waterways: 240 km (2011). Ports and harbors: Antilla, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Nuevitas Bay, Santiago de Cuba. Airports: 133 (2013 est.).

    International disputes: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease.

    Major sources and definitions

See also: