Caribbean · North AmericaCuba
Discover Cuba - the largest Caribbean island, where 1950s American cars cruise past colonial palaces, salsa pours from every doorway, and baseball is a national religion.
Where Is Cuba?
Cuba is a country in the Caribbean, North America. Its capital is Havana.
- Capital Havana
- Population 10.9M
- Area 109,884 km²
Cuba is a place where the 20th century came in, made itself comfortable, and never entirely left. Havana's crumbling colonial mansions, the 1950s Chevrolets and Buicks still cruising the Malecon, the rum, the cigars, the salsa - it all creates an atmosphere so thick you could bottle it. The largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba sits just 150 km from Florida, yet for decades it was more isolated from the United States than nearly anywhere on Earth.
The island punches absurdly above its weight in almost every field. In baseball, Cuba has dominated international competition for decades. In music, son cubano gave birth to salsa, and the Buena Vista Social Club became one of the best-selling world music albums ever. Cuban ballet is world-class. The healthcare system, whatever you think of the politics, produces more doctors per capita than almost any country. And the literacy rate is 99.8%. All of this from an island of fewer than 10 million people living under a trade embargo since 1962. Cuba doesn't do things the easy way, but it does them with extraordinary style.
At a glance
Largest cities in Cuba
Havana
Santiago de Cuba
Camaguey
Holguin
Santa Clara
Trinidad
Famous people from Cuba
Jose Marti
LiteratureNational hero, poet, and revolutionary who inspired Cuban independence, author of Versos Sencillos and the lyrics to Guantanamera
Fidel Castro
PoliticsRevolutionary leader who overthrew Batista in 1959 and led Cuba for nearly 50 years, one of the most polarizing figures of the 20th century
Alicia Alonso
ArtOne of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century who founded the Cuban National Ballet and performed into her seventies
Jose Raul Capablanca
SportWorld Chess Champion from 1921 to 1927, considered one of the greatest natural chess talents in history
Celia Cruz
MusicQueen of Salsa whose career spanned six decades, her cry of Azucar! became the signature of Latin music worldwide
Teofilo Stevenson
SportThree-time Olympic heavyweight boxing gold medalist who famously refused millions to turn professional
Compay Segundo
MusicLegendary musician of the Buena Vista Social Club who brought Cuban son music to a global audience at age 89
Nicolas Guillen
LiteratureCuba's national poet who blended Afro-Cuban rhythms with Spanish verse, creating a distinctly Caribbean literary voice
Traditional cuisine of Cuba
- Ropa Vieja
- Cuba's national dish - shredded beef slow-cooked in a tomato sauce with peppers and onions, the name means old clothes
- Cuban Sandwich
- Pressed sandwich of roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on Cuban bread, born in Tampa's Cuban community
- Moros y Cristianos
- Black beans and white rice cooked together, a staple at every Cuban table whose name references Moors and Christians
- Lechon Asado
- Whole roast pig marinated in mojo sauce of sour orange and garlic, the centerpiece of every Cuban celebration
- Tostones
- Twice-fried green plantain discs, smashed flat and fried until crispy, served as a side with virtually everything
- Yuca con Mojo
- Boiled cassava drenched in a garlicky sour orange sauce, a simple side dish that defines Cuban comfort food
- Vaca Frita
- Crispy shredded beef pan-fried with onions until caramelized, the perfect contrast of crunchy and tender
- Mojito
- Cuba's gift to cocktail culture - white rum, lime, sugar, mint, and soda water, famously associated with Hemingway's Havana
Nature and landmarks in Cuba
- Vinales ValleyLandmark
- UNESCO-listed valley of dramatic limestone mogotes rising from tobacco fields, the most beautiful landscape in western Cuba
- Varadero BeachCoast
- Twenty kilometers of white sand peninsula jutting into turquoise Caribbean waters, one of the most famous beaches in the Americas
- Sierra MaestraMountain
- Cuba's highest mountain range reaching 1,974 meters at Pico Turquino, where Castro's guerrillas launched the revolution
- Cienaga de ZapataNational Park
- Largest wetland in the Caribbean, home to Cuban crocodiles, flamingos, and the bee hummingbird - the world's smallest bird
- Jardines de la ReinaIsland
- Pristine archipelago of 250 coral cays off southern Cuba, one of the best-preserved marine ecosystems in the Caribbean
- Alejandro de HumboldtNational Park
- UNESCO World Heritage Site of mountains and rainforest in eastern Cuba, one of the most biologically diverse tropical island sites on Earth
- Bay of PigsCoast
- Beyond its Cold War fame, a spectacular snorkeling and diving destination with pristine coral reefs and cenotes
- BaracoaLandmark
- Cuba's oldest city surrounded by rainforest-covered mountains, where Columbus reportedly first landed in 1492
Sports in Cuba
- Baseball
- Cuba's national passion, dominating international amateur competition for decades with 25 Baseball World Cup titles
- Boxing
- Olympic boxing powerhouse with 37 gold medals, more than any other country, led by legends like Stevenson and Savon
- Athletics
- World-class sprinters and jumpers, including multiple Olympic champions in high jump and sprint events
- Volleyball
- Women's team won three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1992, 1996, 2000), one of volleyball's great dynasties
Did you know?
Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world at 99.8%, achieved through a massive 1961 literacy campaign
There are an estimated 60,000 classic American cars from the 1940s and 1950s still running on Cuban roads
Cuba trains more doctors per capita than almost any country and sends thousands of medical professionals to work abroad
The bee hummingbird, found only in Cuba, is the smallest bird in the world at just 5 centimeters long
Havana's El Floridita bar claims to be the birthplace of the daiquiri, and La Bodeguita del Medio claims the mojito
Cuba has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other Caribbean nation
Cuban cigars are hand-rolled by trained torcedores who undergo years of apprenticeship to perfect the craft
The Cuban national baseball league has been running since 1878, making it one of the oldest professional leagues outside the US
Can you find Cuba on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Cuba and its neighbours without a second thought.
