Country profile: Cuba (in Russian with English subtitles)

Cuba
Cuba is the biggest and one of the most beautiful islands of the Caribbean Sea.
It is long, wide and it lies just 144 km from the American state of Florida.
The Republic of Cuba occupies its territory.
History
The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
Then he thought that he was in China.
In 1511 the island was colonised by Spain.
During the following years the native population was almost completely eliminated.
This happened because of wars, diseases and cruelty of Spanish conquerors.
Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1898.
But it was under American influence until the 1930s.
In 1959 Fidel Castro came to power.
He ruled the country until 2008.
Then the power passed on to his brother Raul Castro.
Basic information about Cuba
Area: 110,861 sq. km.
Population: over 11,000,000 people
Capital and the largest city: Havana
Main language: Spanish
Main religion: Catholicism
Currency: Cuban peso
Cuba exports
Sugar
Tobacco
Nickel
Fish
Citrus fruits
Coffee
and medical products
Cuba imports
Oil and oil products
Food
Chemical products
Life expectancy is 77 years
GDP per capita is $9000
Average salary is only $12 per month
But people get a lot of benefits, free medical treatment, free secondary and higher education, as well as food.
A couple of words about the climate
The climate is tropical
Average temperature is 25°C
The rainy season lasts from May to September.
The wet season lasts from October to April.
Warm climate makes tourism a good source of income.
On Cuba they get nickel
Chrome
Iron ore, manganese ore and copper ore
Rock salt (halite)
and phosphorus
Oil and natural gas resources are located there.
Some interesting facts
Cuba is the only island in the Caribbean sea that has a railway.
The USA wanted to take over Cuba lots of times.
In 1848 they offered $100,000,000 to Spain to get Cuba, but the offer was rejected.
Pico Turquino is the highest mountain on Cuba.
Cuba cigars are famous all around the world.
Cuban Trogon is the national bird of Cuba.
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