CoinsofCuba.com

Cuba

OVERVIEW

Exploiting the US-Soviet Cold War, he was for decades able to rely on strong Soviet backing, including annual subsidies worth $4-5 billion, and succeed in building reputable health and education systems. But, at least partly because of the US trade sanctions, he failed to diversify the economy.

The disappearance of Soviet aid following the collapse of the USSR forced the government to introduce tight rationing of energy, food and consumer goods.

The economy has soldiered on with the help of Canadian, European and Latin American investments, especially in tourism.

Controls were relaxed in the 1990s, with companies allowed to import and export without seeking permission and a number of free trade zones opening up.

But some of these economic reforms have been rolled back in recent times, with President Castro denouncing what he calls the “new rich”.

Cuba has forged closer ties with China and with oil-producing Venezuela. The former has invested in the nickel industry; the latter supplies cheap fuel.

But the money sent home by Cubans living abroad - many of them in the US city of Miami - is still crucial to the economy. Hardships have led to an increase in prostitution, corruption, black marketeering and desperate efforts to escape in search of a better life.

Cuba has fallen foul of international bodies, including the UN’s top human rights forum, over alleged rights abuses. The UN’s envoy has urged Havana to release imprisoned dissidents and to allow freedom of expression.

The US leases the Guantanamo Naval Base on the eastern tip of the island.

FACTS

Full name: Republic of Cuba

Population: 11.3 million (UN, 2005)

Capital: Havana

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

Major language: Spanish

Major religion: Christianity

Life expectancy: 75 years (men), 79 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 Cuban peso = 100 centavos

Main exports: Nickel, sugar, tobacco, shellfish, medical products, citrus, coffee

GNI per capita: n/a

Internet domain: .cu

International dialling code: +53

LEADERS

President: Fidel Castro

Acting president: Raul Castro

Fidel Castro, a devotee of Marxist-Leninist theory, brought revolution to Cuba and created the western hemisphere’s first communist state. He became its head of government in 1959.

His health has been an issue for some years and in July 2006 he temporarily stepped aside after undergoing surgery.

He handed over control of the government to his brother and designated successor, Raul. Since then, speculation has grown about whether the ailing leader will return to power.

Mr Castro issued a statement on the first anniversary of the power handover saying he is fighting for a full recovery and is consulted on every government decision.

In 1953 Fidel Castro took up arms against the dictatorship of President Fulgencio Batista. The regime had become a byword for repression and corruption.

Aiming to spark a popular revolt, on 26 July Mr Castro led more than 100 followers in a failed attack on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba.

Fidel and Raul Castro survived, but were imprisoned. Amnestied after two years, Fidel Castro campaigned against the Batista regime while in exile in Mexico and established a guerrilla force known as the 26 July Movement.

His revolutionary ideals attracted support in Cuba and in 1959 his forces overthrew Batista. Within weeks he was head of government, and on course to become the world’s longest-serving leader.

He angered Washington by nationalising US-owned properties and businesses and by courting the Soviet Union. Under his authoritarian rule, Cuba has seen an exodus of its citizens, many of whom have made new lives in the US.

While US President George W Bush supports efforts to free Cuba from the regime’s uncompromising control, the veteran leader’s resolve has not softened. He has remarked that he is prepared to die “with a gun in my hand” to prevent Cuba becoming a US “neo-colony”.

It is said that Fidel Castro has been the target of many CIA-sponsored assassination plots; in 1999 a Cuban interior ministry official put the figure at 637.

Born in 1926, Fidel Castro was educated by Jesuits. A high academic achiever, he was voted as his school’s best athlete in 1944. In 1950 he graduated from Havana University with a doctorate in law.

Raul Castro is believed to be more open to economic change than his brother, having dabbled in reforms in his role as defence minister. However, some analysts say he would be a more radical leader. He is known in Cuba as a political hardliner.

He has expressed a willingness for dialogue with the US, but has warned Washington against issuing threats.