Cuba

With a population of more than 10 million, Cuba—officially known as the Republic of Cuba—is the third most populated country in the Caribbean. Situated at the meeting point of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and northern Caribbean Seas, Cuba is the biggest island in the Caribbean by landmass. Together with many other smaller islands, islets, and cays, the country’s total number of islands exceeds 4,195. The main island of Cuba is Isla de la Juventud. East of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, south of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, is where Cuba is strategically located. The biggest city in the nation and the hub of political and cultural activity is Havana, the capital.

According to archaeological findings, humans have been residing in the present-day Cuban territory since the fourth millennium BC. During the 15th century Spanish conquest of the island, the main inhabitants were the Guanahatabey and Taíno peoples. The colonisation marked the beginning of a protracted period of Spanish rule that lasted until the Spanish-American War in 1898. A significant social and economic turning point of the colonial period occurred in Cuba with the abolition of slavery in 1886. Following the Spanish-American War, the US occupied Cuba, which became independent in 1902.

The early 20th century saw a great deal of political unrest in Cuba, which culminated in the Fulgencio Batista-led coup d’état in 1952. As part of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro led the 26th of July Movement, which overthrew Batista’s government in 1959. Following the revolution, Castro led the establishment of a communist government, which marked a dramatic shift in Cuba’s political environment and its place in the international political arena. Cuba became a major point of contention in the dynamics of the Cold War between the US and the USSR. This was most evident during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which almost resulted in nuclear war.

Cuba had a severe economic crisis in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, which was known as the “Special Period.” Resource scarcity and economic hardships characterised this period. With his retirement in 2008, after 49 years in office, Fidel Castro marked the end of an important chapter in history. His brother Raúl Castro took over as leader and started small-scale economic changes. Raúl Castro stepped down as president in 2018, and the National Assembly chose Miguel Díaz-Canel to succeed him. To further solidify his leadership, Díaz-Canel went on to become the Communist Party’s First Secretary in 2021.

Cuba is a socialist state according to its constitution, with the Communist Party playing a major role in governing the country. The country operates under an authoritarian system that forbids political opposition. There is heavy repression of independent journalists and pervasive censorship. Reporters Without Borders and other international groups often rank Cuba as one of the countries with the worst limitations on press freedom.

Cuba has made significant progress in social development, even in spite of its political limitations. The country has continuously outperformed in a number of socioeconomic indicators, including life expectancy, infant mortality, and literacy rates. All Cuban residents are eligible for free medical care under the country’s universal healthcare program, although there are still issues with it, including low physician wages, inadequate facilities and equipment, and shortages of necessary pharmaceuticals. Eighty-eight percent of the population lives in severe poverty, according to recent estimates, including the 2023 report by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH). This suggests a concerning prevalence of poverty. Food insecurity is a major problem since, as the World Food Programme notes, rationed food is not enough to meet the daily nutritional needs of many Cubans.

An important part of Cuba’s economy is tourism. Originally, only enclave resorts allowed visitors, which kept them apart from Cuban civilisation. This tactic, also referred to as “enclave tourism” or “tourism apartheid,” limited the amount of time that foreign guests could spend with native Cubans. The need for foreign cash drove the Special Period’s tourist industry’s explosive expansion, which brought about significant social and economic changes, including the emergence of a two-tier economy.

Tourist visits to Cuba have been steadily increasing, mostly from Canada and the European Union. Cuba has carved out a place for itself in medical tourism, catering to those looking for affordable medical care in addition to typical travellers. The nation has a lot of potential for adventure tourism and climbing, which might improve regional development and boost the economy.

Cuba’s tourist industry faces a number of difficulties. The Cuban government has downplayed the allegations of sex tourism, yet they nonetheless persist. There are travel warnings from the Canadian government that emphasise the dangers of child sex tourism in Cuba. Hurricane Irma in 2017 is just one example of how natural catastrophes continue to pose a danger to tourist infrastructure and highlight how vulnerable the industry is to outside shocks.