Cuba Country & Tourist Information

Location
Northwest Caribbean.

Area
110,860 sq km (42,803 sq miles).

Population
11.3 million (UN estimate 2005).

Population Density
102 per sq km.

Capital
Havana.
Population: : 2.2 million (2006).

Government
Socialist Republic. Gained independence from Spain in 1898.

Language
The official language is Spanish.

Religion
Roman Catholic majority. There are also minority Afro-Cuban religions.

Time
GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October.)

Electricity
110/230 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style flat two-pin plugs are generally used, except in certain large hotels where the European round two-pin plug is standard.

Head of State
Raul Castro since 2008.

Recent History
Long-term dictator Fidel Castro Ruz, premier 1959-76 and president since 1976, finally stepped down as Cuba’s leader in February 2008. He had withdrawn from public life due to ill health in 2006, naming his brother Raul Castro as acting head of state. Raul was confirmed as leader shortly after Fidel’s announcement.

It marks a fascinating point in the country’s history. The constitution of Cuba, most-recently amended in 2002, guarantees that the Communist Party (PCC) should remain not only the sole legal party in Cuba but also ‘the leading force of society and state’. However, beginning with Eisenhower in 1959, George W Bush is the 10th US president to predict the regime’s imminent downfall.

Telephone
Country code: 53. Phonecards for both internal and external calls are readily available from shops and kiosks. Some calls must be made through the international operator, and may be subject to delays.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. For extended stays, consider buying a Cuban mobile and SIM card for internal calls. The mobile network is often more reliable than landlines, though coverage is far from universal.

Internet
Available at hotels and some Internet cafes. Some websites are censored. 

Media
Expect to be starved of information in Cuba. All media is state-controlled and Western newspapers are not available. When Castro is making a speech, it can be an eerie experience to stand in the street and hear the same sound from every television on the block - it may be rubbish, but any information is better than none. Journalists must operate within the confines of laws against anti-government propaganda. The insulting of officials carries penalties of up to three years in prison. Private ownership of electronic media is prohibited by the constitution, and foreign news agencies must hire local journalists only through government offices.

Post
Letters to Western Europe can take several weeks. It is advisable to use the airmail service.

Post office hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1800; the large Havana post office (Plaza San Francisco) is open until 2200. Many luxury hotels have small post offices on site, or can sell stamps and post letters out of hours.

Press
• Papers are in Spanish, although the Communist Party daily newspaper, Granma, publishes a weekly edition, called Granma International, in English, German, Portuguese and French.
• There is also a fortnightly international newspaper, Prisma, published in Spanish and English.

Radio
• News, music and sport provider Radio Rebelde.
• Radio Reloj which broadcasts 24-hour news.
• Radio Habana Cuba, an external broadcaster broadcasting in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

2009
1 Jan Liberation Day.
2 Jan Victory of Armed Forces.
1 May Labor Day.
20 May Independence Day.
25-27Jul Days of Rebelliousness.
10 Oct Anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence in 1868.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

2010
1 Jan Liberation Day.
2 Jan Victory of Armed Forces.
1 May Labor Day.
20 May Independence Day.
25-27Jul Days of Rebelliousness.
10 Oct Anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence in 1868.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

Contact Information:

Embassy of Cuba in the UK
167 High Holborn, London WC1V 6PA, UK
Tel: (020) 7240 2488 or 0870 240 3675 (recorded information line).
Website: www.cubaldn.com  
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700 (embassy); Mon-Fri 0930-1230 (consulate).

Cuba Tourist Board in the UK
154 Shaftesbury Avenue (first floor), London WC2H 8JT, UK
Tel: (020) 7240 6655 or 09001 600 295 (24-hour brochure request line; calls cost 60p per minute).  
Website: www.cubatravel.cu

Caribbean Tourism Organization in the UK
22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.doitcaribbean.com

Cuban Interests Section in the USA
2639 16th Street, NW, Washington DC 20009, USA
Tel: (202) 797 8518/19/20.
Website: http://embacu.cubaminex.cu/sicw  


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