TOEFL Test Centers in Cuba

EDU February 16, 2019

Cuba Overview

Cuba is a socialist republic in Central America with the capital Havana. It belongs to the archipelago of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean. Politically, the socialist state is led by the powerful Communist Party. The head of state and head of government is the President of the Council of State. Cuba is a third the size of Germany and consists mainly of lowlands. The mountains in the southeast reach a height of 1 974 m. Cuba has a tropical maritime climate. There are no seasons, but dry winters and humid summers. Destructive hurricanes sweep across the island again and again.

The majority of the population are whites, descended from the Spanish conquerors. 27% are people of European and African ancestry and 9% are black. Cuba has a well-developed social system. Medical care is free of charge. There is also health, accident, old-age and unemployment insurance for all employees. In contrast, wages and pensions are very low. Widespread religions are Christianity and the popular belief Santería. The language and culture in Cuba was shaped by the Spanish conquerors. But the cultural traditions of Afro-Cubans can also be felt in music, dance and religion. Columbus discovered it in 1492Cuba. It became a colony of Spain. In the 17th and 18th centuries, slaves were brought in from Africa who had to work on the sugar cane and tobacco plantations. In 1902 Cuba became independent. In 1959 the revolutionary Fidel Castro drove out the dictator Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (* 1901, † 1973) and transformed the “Sugar Island” into a socialist state. The economy was nationalized. Important branches of the economy are sugar cane cultivation and tourism. For fear of socialism, around 1.8 million Cubans left their country from 1959 and went mainly to the USA. Close political allies are Russia and Venezuela. Today Cuba is the only communist country in the western world.

Country facts

• Official name: Republic of Cuba
• License plate: C
• ISO-3166: CU, CUB (192)
• Internet domain:.cu
• Currency: 1 Cuban Peso (kub $) = 100 Centavos
• Area: 109 880 km²
• Population (2018): 11.3 million
• Capital: Havana
• Official language (s): Spanish
• Form of government: Socialist republic
• Administrative division: 15 provinces and 1 special administrative area (Isla de la Juventud)
• Head of State: President Miguel Díaz-Canel (since 10/10/2019)
• Head of Government: Manuel Marrero Cruz (since December 21, 2019)
• Religion (s): Christians (Catholics), followers of the Afro-Cuban Santería cult
• Time zone: Central European Time –6 hours
• National holiday: January 1st

Location and infrastructure

• Location (geographical): Caribbean
• Location (coordinates): between 19 ° 49 ‘and 23 ° 17’ north latitude and 74 ° 08 ‘and 84 ° 58’ west longitude
• Climate: savanna climate with dry season in winter
• Highest mountain: Pico Turquino (1974 m)
• Road network: (not specified) 29 820 km (paved), 31 038 km (unpaved)
• Railway network (2015): 8367 km

Population

• Annual population growth (2018): 0.27%
• Birth rate (2018): 10.6 per 1000 residents.
• Death rate (2018): 8.9 per 1000 residents.
• Average age (2018): 42 years
• Average life expectancy (2018): 78.9 years (men 76.6; women 81.4)
• Age structure (2018): 16.4% younger than 15 years, 15.22% older than 65 years
• Literacy rate (15 year olds and older) (2015): 99.8%
• Mobile phone contracts (pre-paid and post-paid) (2016): 35.5 per 100 residents
• Internet users (2016): 38.8 per 100 residents

Economy

• GDP per capita: n / a
• Total GDP: n / a
• GNI per capita: n / a
• Education expenditure (2010): 12.8% of GDP
• Military expenditure (2015): 3.1% of GDP
• Unemployment rate (15 years and older) (2017): 2.6%

Culture

With the Spanish came their architecture to Cuba, especially the Moorish-Andalusian architecture. In the 18th century it was then built in the baroque style. This can still be seen today, for example, in the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba.

The island capital Havana had the architectural elegance of old Spanish cities before the revolution of 1959. Today, however, the historic old town is falling into disrepair because there is no money to maintain the buildings. The old but well-kept American Fords, Chevrolets and Buicks that date back to the 1950s are striking in Havana’s cityscape. New cars are unaffordable for many people and were not allowed to be introduced for a long time.

A famous Cuban artist is José Bedia Valdez (* 1959). He applies objects to large-format painted canvases. Since 1984, art exhibitions that have attracted worldwide attention have been held in Havana on a regular basis. The writer José Martí (* 1863, † 1895) is revered as a national hero. With his books he was a pioneer for Cuba’s independence from Spain in the 19th century. Alejo Carpentier (* 1904, † 1980) is also famous. In his novels he describes the life of Cubans with African roots.

The music scene of the »Sugar Island« is based on African, European and South American traditions. Cuban music and dances such as rumba, cha-cha-cha, mambo and salsa have had a lasting impact on dance music worldwide. The music album “Buena Vista Social Club” with Cuban music from the 1940s and 1950s became famous in 1997. House, hip-hop and rap are also popular with young people. The national sports in Cuba are baseball and boxing. But football is also popular.

The first cigarettes were made in Cuba. The Spanish conquerors took over the smoking of rolled tobacco leaves from the Taino Indians. These came to Spain from 1720 and later smoking became popular across Europe. In Cuba, the cultivation of tobacco on large plantations and the production of cigars, especially for foreign countries, began. But be careful: smoking is unhealthy!