Search Result for "cuba": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (2)

1. a communist state in the Caribbean on the island of Cuba;
[syn: Cuba, Republic of Cuba]

2. the largest island in the West Indies;


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Cuba \Cuba\ (k[=u]"b[.a]), prop. n. 1. a country on the island of Cuba. [WordNet 1.5] 2. the largest island in the West Indies. [WordNet 1.5]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

Cuba n 1: a communist state in the Caribbean on the island of Cuba [syn: Cuba, Republic of Cuba] 2: the largest island in the West Indies
CIA World Factbook 2002:

Cuba Introduction Cuba ----------------- Background: Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the country together since. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Havana portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, or falsified visas - is a continuing problem. Some 3,000 Cubans attempted the crossing of the Straits of Florida in 2001; the US Coast Guard interdicted only about 25% of these. Geography Cuba -------------- Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida Geographic coordinates: 21 30 N, 80 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 110,860 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 110,860 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Land boundaries: total: 29 km border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba Coastline: 3,735 km Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land Land use: arable land: 33.04% other: 59.35% (1998 est.) permanent crops: 7.61% Irrigated land: 870 sq km (1998 est.) Natural hazards: the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common Environment - current issues: air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation Environment - international party to: Antarctic Treaty, agreements: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic- Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation Geography - note: largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles People Cuba ----------- Population: 11,224,321 (July 2002 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.6% (male 1,188,125; female 1,125,743) 15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,902,162; female 3,880,531) 65 years and over: 10.1% (male 520,849; female 606,911) (2002 est.) Population growth rate: 0.35% (2002 est.) Birth rate: 12.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) Death rate: 7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) Net migration rate: -1.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/ female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) Infant mortality rate: 7.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.6 years female: 79.15 years (2002 est.) male: 74.2 years Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2002 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.03% (1999 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 2,800 (2001 est.) AIDS: HIV/AIDS - deaths: 120 (1999 est.) Nationality: noun: Cuban(s) adjective: Cuban Ethnic groups: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1% Religions: nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented Languages: Spanish Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write male: 96.2% female: 95.3% (1995 est.) total population: 95.7% People - note: illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; some 3,000 Cubans took to the Straits of Florida in 2001; the US Coast Guard interdicted about 25% of these migrants; Cubans also use non- maritime routes to enter the US; some 2,400 Cubans arrived overland via the southwest border and direct flights to Miami in 2000 Government Cuba --------------- Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cuba conventional short form: Cuba local short form: Cuba local long form: Republica de Cuba Government type: Communist state Capital: Havana Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara Independence: 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902) National holiday: Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration Constitution: 24 February 1976, amended July 1992 Legal system: based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 24 February 1998 (next to be held in 2003) election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100% cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly; note - there is also a Council of State whose members are elected by the National Assembly head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (601 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 11 January 1998 (next to be held in 2003) election results: percent of vote - PCC 94.39%; seats - PCC 601 Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly) Political parties and leaders: only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary] Political pressure groups and NA leaders: International organization CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, participation: ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Dagoberto RODRIGUEZ Barrera (since August 2001); address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518 Diplomatic representation from the none; note - the US has an Interests US: Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Vicki HUDDLESTON; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado Seccion, Havana; telephone: 33-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: 33-3700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; design influenced by the US flag Economy Cuba ------------ Economy - overview: The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a concern for firm political control. It has undertaken limited reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase enterprise efficiency, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services, but is unlikely to implement extensive changes. A major feature of the economy is the dichotomy between relatively efficient export enclaves and inefficient domestic sectors. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the severe economic depression of the early 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. High oil prices, recessions in key export markets, and damage from Hurricane Michelle hampered growth in 2001. Cuba paid high prices for oil imports in the face of slumping prices in the key sugar and nickel industries and suffered a slowdown in tourist arrivals following September 11. The government subsequently depreciated the peso by approximately 30% and now aims for 3% growth in 2002. GDP: purchasing power parity - $25.5 billion (2001 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2001 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2001 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.6% industry: 34.5% services: 57.9% (2000 est.) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA% percentage share: highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.5% (2001 est.) Labor force: 4.3 million (2000 est.) note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (1999) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 24%, industry 25%, services 51% (1999) Unemployment rate: 4.1% (2001 est.) Budget: revenues: $14.9 billion expenditures: $15.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Industries: sugar, petroleum, tobacco, chemicals, construction, services, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, biotechnology Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2001 est.) Electricity - production: 14.87 billion kWh (2000) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 94.63% hydro: 0.4% other: 4.97% (2000) nuclear: 0% Electricity - consumption: 13.829 billion kWh (2000) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000) Agriculture - products: sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.) Exports - commodities: sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee Exports - partners: Russia 18%, Canada 16%, Netherlands 12% (2000) Imports: $4.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.) Imports - commodities: petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals, semifinished goods, transport equipment, consumer goods Imports - partners: Spain 16%, Venezuela 13%, Italy 8% (2000) Debt - external: $11 billion (convertible currency, 2000 est.); another $15 billion -$20 billion owed to Russia (2001) Economic aid - recipient: $68.2 million (1997 est.) Currency: Cuban peso (CUP) Currency code: CUP Exchange rates: Cuban pesos per US dollar - 1.0000 (nonconvertible, official rate, for international transactions, pegged to the US dollar); convertible peso sold for domestic use at a rate of 1.00 US dollar per 27 pesos by the Government of Cuba (January 2002) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Cuba ------------------- Telephones - main lines in use: 473,031 (2000) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,994 (1997) Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: principal trunk system, end to end of country, is coaxial cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la Juventud; 2 microwave radio relay installations (one is old, US-built; the other newer, built during the period of Soviet support); both analog and digital mobile cellular service established international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) Radio broadcast stations: AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 3.9 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 58 (1997) Televisions: 2.64 million (1997) Internet country code: .cu Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001) Internet users: 60,000 (2001) Transportation Cuba ------------------- Railways: total: 4,807 km standard gauge: 4,807 km 1.435- m gauge, in public use (147 km electrified) note: in addition to the 4,807 km of standard-gauge track in public use, 7,162 km of track is in private use by sugar plantations; about 90% of the private use track is standard gauge and the rest is narrow gauge (2000 est.) Highways: total: 60,858 km paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway) unpaved: 31,038 km (1997) Waterways: 240 km Ports and harbors: Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba Merchant marine: total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,187 GRT/63,416 DWT ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 6, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 (2002 est.) Airports: 172 (2001) Airports - with paved runways: total: 78 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 36 (2001) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 94 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 63 (2001) Military Cuba ------------- Military branches: Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) including Ground Forces, Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Militia Troops (MTT), and Youth Labor Army (EJT); note - the Border Guard Troops (TGF) are controlled by the Interior Ministry Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age (2002 est.) Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,102,312 females age 15-49: 3,036,549 (2002 est.) Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 1,915,586 service: females age 15-49: 1,869,867 (2002 est.) Military manpower - reaching males: 86,632 military age annually: females: 79,562 (2002 est.) Military expenditures - dollar $NA figure: Military expenditures - percent of roughly 4% (FY95 est.) GDP: Military - note: Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993 Transnational Issues Cuba ------------------------- Disputes - international: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease Illicit drugs: territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for cocaine and heroin bound for the US and Europe; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Cuba, NM -- U.S. village in New Mexico Population (2000): 590 Housing Units (2000): 290 Land area (2000): 1.267983 sq. miles (3.284061 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.267983 sq. miles (3.284061 sq. km) FIPS code: 19150 Located within: New Mexico (NM), FIPS 35 Location: 36.018325 N, 106.959642 W ZIP Codes (1990): 87013 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Cuba, NM Cuba
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Cuba, NY -- U.S. village in New York Population (2000): 1633 Housing Units (2000): 698 Land area (2000): 1.192879 sq. miles (3.089542 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.192879 sq. miles (3.089542 sq. km) FIPS code: 19356 Located within: New York (NY), FIPS 36 Location: 42.217743 N, 78.275261 W ZIP Codes (1990): 14727 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Cuba, NY Cuba
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Cuba, IL -- U.S. city in Illinois Population (2000): 1418 Housing Units (2000): 594 Land area (2000): 0.541903 sq. miles (1.403522 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.541903 sq. miles (1.403522 sq. km) FIPS code: 17991 Located within: Illinois (IL), FIPS 17 Location: 40.493422 N, 90.193307 W ZIP Codes (1990): 61427 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Cuba, IL Cuba
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Cuba, AL -- U.S. town in Alabama Population (2000): 363 Housing Units (2000): 186 Land area (2000): 4.063091 sq. miles (10.523356 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.007230 sq. miles (0.018725 sq. km) Total area (2000): 4.070321 sq. miles (10.542081 sq. km) FIPS code: 18952 Located within: Alabama (AL), FIPS 01 Location: 32.433782 N, 88.371776 W ZIP Codes (1990): 36907 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Cuba, AL Cuba
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Cuba, KS -- U.S. city in Kansas Population (2000): 231 Housing Units (2000): 148 Land area (2000): 0.303548 sq. miles (0.786186 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.303548 sq. miles (0.786186 sq. km) FIPS code: 16625 Located within: Kansas (KS), FIPS 20 Location: 39.802222 N, 97.457128 W ZIP Codes (1990): 66940 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Cuba, KS Cuba
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Cuba, MO -- U.S. city in Missouri Population (2000): 3230 Housing Units (2000): 1414 Land area (2000): 2.948689 sq. miles (7.637069 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.948689 sq. miles (7.637069 sq. km) FIPS code: 17668 Located within: Missouri (MO), FIPS 29 Location: 38.063093 N, 91.403297 W ZIP Codes (1990): 65453 Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs. Headwords: Cuba, MO Cuba