1. It’s The Largest Caribbean Island
Cuba is the largest of all islands in the Caribbean and includes more than 4000 tiny islands and cays.
2. It’s Known As The Crocodile Country
From the air, the island of Cuba resembles a crocodile or alligator and so Cuba is often referred to in Spanish as “El Cocodrilo” or “El Caimá”.
3. It Was A Former Spanish Colony
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on the island and claimed it as a Spanish territory. Cuba remained a Spanish colony until the Spanish-American War of 1898 when the country became part of the United States but was quickly given independence in 1902. However, the US had a strong influence on the island until 1959, when Fidel Castro led a communist overthrow.
4. It’s Currently a Communist State
The country remains one of the world’s four self-declared communist states today, despite that fact that Castro stepped down in 2008 and died in 2017.
5. It’s Influential on the Music Scene
Cuba is renowned for its music. Cuban music comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by West African and Spanish music. Cuban music has influenced other countries, contributing not only to the development of jazz and salsa, but also to Argentinian tango, Ghanaian high-life, West African Afrobeat, and Spanish “nuevo flamenco”.
6. Cuban Food is Tasty Because…
Cuban food is a blend of many diverse cultures including African, Spanish and Caribbean cuisines. In a traditional Cuban meal the food is not served in courses, instead, all of the food is served at the same time. Ready, set, eat.
7. It’s On The UNESCO List
Cuba has 9 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list, 7 of these are cultural sites and 2 of them are natural sites. They are:
- Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba
- Historic Center of Camagüey
- Old Havana and its Fortifications
- San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba
- Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
- Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos
- Viñales Valley
- Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
- Desembarco del Granma National Park