Country Information

Northwest Caribbean.

110,860 sq km (42,803 sq miles).

11,061,886 (2013).

99.8 per sq km.

Havana.

Socialist Republic. Gained independence from Spain in 1898.

Cuba is the largest Caribbean island, about the size of England, and the most westerly of the Greater Antilles group, lying a mere 145km (90 miles) south of Florida.

A quarter of the country is fairly mountainous. West of Havana is the narrow Sierra de los Órganos, rising to 750m (2,461ft) and containing the Guaniguanico hills in the west. South of the Sierra is a narrow strip of 2,320 sq km (860 sq miles) where the finest Cuban tobacco is grown.

The Sierra de Escambray and Montañas de Guamuhaya behind Trinidad in the centre of the country rise to 1,140m (3,740ft) Encircling the port of Santiago are the rugged mountains of the Sierra Maestra. A quarter of the island is covered with mountain forests of pine and mahogany. Cuba has few rivers of note, the exception being the Río Cauto in the east. The country has 3,735km (2,321 miles) of coastline and thousands of offshore islands.

The official language is Spanish.

Technically a Roman Catholic majority, though the percentage drops precipitously for practicing Catholics. A variety of Afro-Cuban religions like Santería and Abakuá are widely practiced.

GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

While handshakes are used in more formal settings, in almost all other situations, the typical greeting in Cuba is one kiss on the right cheek. A handshake is the normal form of greeting. Cubans generally address each other as compañero, but visitors should use señor or señora.

Some Cubans have two surnames after their Christian name; the first surname is the correct one to use. Normal courtesies should be observed when visiting someone's home, and a small gift may be given if invited for a meal. Cuban men rarely wear shorts away from the beach. Visitors doing so are not frowned upon, but they may receive the odd sideways glance. Women should cover their legs and shoulders if visiting churches. Cuban women tend to dress up for evenings out. Cubans of all classes like to dress up (especially for evenings out) and tourists are often seen as underdressed as a result.

110/220 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style flat two-pin plugs are generally used, except in certain large hotels where the European round two-pin plug may also be found.

President Raúl Castro since 2008.

President Raúl Castro since 2008.

Long-term dictator Fidel Castro Ruz, premier 1959-76 and president since 1976, finally stepped down as Cuba's leader in February 2008. He had withdrawn from public life due to ill health in 2006, naming his brother Raúl Castro as acting head of state. Raúl was confirmed as leader shortly after Fidel's announcement.

It marks a fascinating point in the country's history. The constitution of Cuba, most-recently amended in 2002, guarantees that the Communist Party (PCC) should remain not only the sole legal party in Cuba but also ‘the leading force of society and state'.

The US introduced a trade embargo in 1962. The US Obama administration relaxed travel restrictions, connected to the embargo, on Cuban Americans visiting Cuba in 2009.