*Cuba, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Cuba
conventional short form:
Cuba
local long form:
Republica de Cuba
local short form:
Cuba
Digraph:
CU
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)
Constitution:
24 February 1976
Legal system:
based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal
theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)
Political parties and leaders:
only party - Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary
Suffrage:
16 years of age; universal
Elections:
National Assembly of People's Power:
last held December 1986 (next to be held February 1993); results - PCC is
the only party; seats - (510 total; after the February election, the
National Assembly will have 590 seats) indirectly elected from slates
approved by special candidacy commissions
Executive branch:
president of the Council of State, first vice president of the Council of
State, Council of State, president of the Council of Ministers, first vice
president of the Council of Ministers, Executive Committee of the Council of
Ministers, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly of the People's Power (Asamblea Nacional del
Poder Popular)
Judicial branch:
People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular)
Leaders:
Chief of State and 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)
*Cuba, Government
Member of:
CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal
participation since 1962), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Principal Officer Alfonso FRAGA Perez (since August 1992)
chancery:
2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, US Interests Section, Swiss Embassy,
Washington, DC 20009 telephone:
(202) 797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Principal Officer Alan H. FLANIGAN
US Interests Section:
USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada entre L Y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana
mailing address:
USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada Entre L Y M, Vedado, Havava
telephone:
32-0051, 32-0543
FAX:
no service available at this time
note:
protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland - US Interests Section, Swiss
Embassy
Flag:
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
*Cuba, Economy
Overview:
Since Castro's takeover of Cuba in 1959, the economy has been run in the
Soviet style of government ownership of substantially all the means of
production and government planning of all but the smallest details of
economic activity. Thus, Cuba, like the former Warsaw Pact nations, has
remained in the backwater of economic modernization. The economy contracted
by about one-third between 1989 and 1992 as it absorbed the loss of $4
billion of annual economic aid from the former Soviet Union and much smaller
amounts from Eastern Europe. The government implemented numerous energy
conservation measures and import substitution schemes to cope with a large
decline in imports. To reduce fuel consumption, Havana has cut back bus
service and imported approximately 1 million bicycles from China,
domesticated nearly 200,000 oxen to replace tractors, and halted a large
amount of industrial production. The government has prioritized domestic
food production and promoted herbal medicines since 1990 to compensate for
lower imports. Havana also has been shifting its trade away from the former
Soviet republics and Eastern Europe toward the industrialized countries of
Latin America and the OECD.
National product:
GNP - exchange rate conversion - $14.9 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-15% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,370 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $12.46 billion; expenditures $14.45 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Exports:
$2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
sugar, nickel, shellfish, tobacco, medical products, citrus, coffee
partners:
Russia 30%, Canada 10%, China 9%, Japan 6%, Spain 4% (1992 est.)
Imports:
$2.2 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals
partners:
Russia 10%, China 9%, Spain 9%, Mexico 5%, Italy 5%, Canada 4%, France 4%
(1992 est.)
External debt:
$6.8 billion (convertible currency, July 1989)
Industrial production:
NA
Electricity:
3,889,000 kW capacity; 16,248 million kWh produced, 1,500 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
sugar milling and refining, petroleum refining, food and tobacco processing,
textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals (particularly nickel),
cement, fertilizers, consumer goods, agricultural machinery
*Cuba, Economy
Agriculture:
accounts for 11% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); key commercial
crops - sugarcane, tobacco, and citrus fruits; other products - coffee,
rice, potatoes, meat, beans; world's largest sugar exporter; not
self-sufficient in food (excluding sugar); sector hurt by growing shortages
of fuels and parts
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
$710 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $18.5 billion
Currency:
1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (linked to the US dollar)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Cuba, Communications
Railroads:
12,947 km total; Cuban National Railways operates 5,053 km of 1.435-meter
gauge track; 151.7 km electrified; 7,742 km of sugar plantation lines of
0.914-m and 1.435-m gauge
Highways:
26,477 km total; 14,477 km paved, 12,000 km gravel and earth surfaced (1989
est.)
Inland waterways:
240 km
Ports:
Cienfuegos, Havana, Mariel, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba; 7 secondary, 35
minor
Merchant marine:
73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 511,522 GRT/720,270 DWT; includes 42
cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo, 1 cargo/training, 11 oil tanker, 1 chemical
tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 4 bulk; note - Cuba beneficially owns an additional
38 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 529,090 DWT under the registry of
Panama, Cyprus, and Malta
Airports:
total:
186
usable:
166
with permanent-surface runways:
73
with runways over 3,659 m:
3
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
12
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
19
Telecommunications:
broadcast stations - 150 AM, 5 FM, 58 TV; 1,530,000 TVs; 2,140,000 radios;
229,000 telephones; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station