Practical Information

About the Republic of Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago constituted by the island of Cuba, the greatest in superficial extension, the island of Youth and approximately 1600 keys and little islands and is formed by four insular groups that are : Los Colorados, Sabana Camaguey (Jardines del Rey), Jardines de la Reina and Los Canarreos. It has a total area of 110,922 km2 characterized by its large and narrow configuration.

Cuba is situated at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico and surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The countries closer to Cuba are : Guinchos Cay (Bahamas) 29 km to the north, the Island of Jamaica 140 km to the south, Haiti 77 km to the east and the Peninsula of Yucatan (Mexico) 210 km to the west.

The biggest part of the territory is occupied by flatness that alternate with hills and mountains. The most important mountain groups are : the cordillera of Guaniguanico, placed in west region of Cuba ; the mountains of Guamuhaya, in the middle and the mountains of Nipe-Sagua Baracoa and the Sierra Maestra, in the east region. The highest mountain is Pico Turquino with 1972 m of altitude, placed in the Sierra Maestra, the most outstanding mountain formation of the archipelago. More than 60% of the territory is formed bay carbonated rocks with predominance of different carsic accidents in the relief and underground.

As a general rule, the rivers are of short drift and they run from the middle of the island of Cuba to two slopes : north and south till the mouth of the sea. The most outstanding are Toa, the most copious, and Cauto, the largest one. There are various dams distributed in the country, the greatest are : Zaza, Alacranes and Cauto El Paso. It has also a large coast line with more than 280 beaches of incalculable tourist value, and also bays, small bays, ports, low and muddy littoral zones, marine terraces and coral reefs, among others.

The actual vegetation present great variability, has valuable vegetable resources, such as different types of forests, bushes, grass, complexes of vegetation and mangroves. The flora is characterized by an extraordinary wealth, it is reported approximately 11,000 species, and from them 6,300 are endemic, something more of 50%. Cuba has the first place in the Antilles with the endimicity of superior plants. The fauna is characterized by the variation of the species and endimicity and there are not dangerous animals for the human being.

The climate of the archipelago is wet subtropical with predominance of warm weather and two well defined seasons in the year, one dry (from November till April) and the other rainy (from May till September). The value of the yearly medium weather is 25°C with a relative humidity of 78% as a yearly average and according to the weather registers, the warmest month is July, and the coldest is January.

Due to the geographic position, the proximity with the Tropic of Cancer and the large and narrow configuration of the territory, Cuba receives the effects of the trade winds of the northeast in summer and the influence of cold winds masses coming from the north during winter. Among the particularities of the formation of the Cuban climate there is the happening of important meteorological events such as the hurricanes, cold fronts and south winds that affect more frequently in the west region of the country.

As part of the environmental actions that are being realized, 265 protected areas are proposed to preserve the biodiversity, which are within the zones with more ecologic, social and historic-cultural importance of the country. The categories for the handling of the areas are determined through scientific bases and among the protected sites six Reserves of the Bio-sphere are distinguished by their valuable resources.

In great part of its territory, Cuba also has famous natural and architectonic values that have allowed it to win distinctions such as the World Heritage Site given by the UNESCO to : Old Havana, Trinidad, the Valley of the Sugar Factories and the Fortress of San Pedro de la Roca del Morro in the city of Santiago de Cuba.

The Cuban people has its roots in the Spanish and African due to the conquest, but also the Chinese immigration has contributed to its formation, that together with the mixture have given way to the charm of its proverbial idiosyncrasy and the special mixture of its habits, cultures and religions. Cuba has now 11 millions inhabitants.

Its economy is ruled by the State, although there are joint venture of mutual interest with foreign capitals. The principal economic sectors are : tourism, sugar agro-industry , the extraction of nickel plus cobalt, cigar production, fishing and citric. In the last years the commercialization of biopharmaceutical products has an outstanding place in the economic sphere of the country.

Our music, mixture of the Spanish and African roots, goes through the world with great acceptance. Cuban composers and musicians have given master works to the Cuban cancionistic and created contagious rhythms and musical species of national popularity and international transcendence. The dancing groups have become truly national schools and they are acclaimed and reclaimed constantly due to their art in many countries. The names of Rita Montaner, Blanquita Becerra, Candita Quintana, Maria de los Angeles Santana y Rosita Fornes among others are example and inspiration to the young actors formed in the Schools of Art.

The summit figure of the Cuban literature is Jose Marti, who with his pen incursioned brilliantly in the poetry and prose, leaving a rich heritage to the generations that proceeded him. Writers as Jose Maria Heredia, Gertrudis Gomes de Avellaneda, Jose Lezama Lima, Alejo Carpentier, Nicolas Guillen, Dulce Maria Loynaz, Carilda Oliver Labra and Miguel Barnet, just to mention some of them, are part of the universal cultural heritage.

The Cuban history is characterized by the defence of the identity and the national values. Since the beginning of the Spanish colonization in 1492 many incidents and demonstration of rebelliousness occurred within the population that got worse by the reigning colonial dominion and with the course of time took place a long independentist fight and later of national freedom that ended with the revolutionary glorious triumph in January 1, 1959, when Cuba reaches its truly freedom, independence and sovereignty, becoming two years later in the first socialist country of America.

The fall of the socialist block in 1990 and the recrudescence of the imperialist blockade in force since 1960 by the administrations of the United States of America made a rearrangement of the economic and social-cultural Cuban life for the surviving of the Revolution.

The Republic of Cuba, according to the Political-Administrative Division is divided in 14 provinces and 169 municipalities, one of them is the special municipality of the Island of Youth, placed in the south of the province La Habana. The provinces, from west to east are : Pinar del Rio, La Habana, Ciudad de la Habana, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba y Guantanamo.

The former city of San Cristobal de La Habana was founded definitively in its actual place in November 16, 1519 by the conqueror Diego Velazquez and soon the city port became the Key of the New World or the Key of the Gulf due to its strategic and excellent geographic position that determined the compulsory passage of the fleet that travelled between Spain and America. These conditions propitiate the construction of colonial city walls and fortress for the defence against the attack of pirates and corsairs.

City of Havana

The capital of the Republic of Cuba is the city of Havana, that is placed in the flatness of La Habana-Matanzas, around the bay with the same name, with an area of 742 km2 with altitudes between 40 to 60 m. It is the urban zone where more than 2 millions of inhabitants develop their creative work to the benefit of the new society and it is the administrative, political, cultural and scientific centre most important in the country.

In the city are represented all the economic activities and is connected by air, earth and maritime with the rest of the country. It offers to the visitor the own charm of a cosmopolitan city and also it works as the axis of the cultural chore of the Caribbean island.

It has many buildings of different styles and epochs , charming streets and avenues and interesting monuments of historic and architectonic values, and also places of environmental interest and buildings that are harmoniously combined with the urban contour. There is here the Castle of los Tres Reyes del Morro, known as the Morro Castle, whose image is used as the symbol of the identity of the city.

Practical Information

How to come to Cuba

The principal way of access is through any of the 11 international airports, where around 65 airlines work yearly (50% of them work during the whole year and the rest by seasons), from around thirty countries, basically from Europe and America, such as British Airway, Iberia, United Airlines, Air France, Mexicana de Aviacion, Lan Chile, Taca, Copa, Aeropostal, Condor, L.T.U. Lauda Air, Air Europa and Air Europe, among others. Nevertheless, there are cruisers that weekly or in determined conditions stop in Cuban ports and many recreation ships arrive in the international marines of the Cuban archipelago have an important number of arrivals.

Immigration regulations

The visitor must have an effective passport or a travelling document delivered to his name and the corresponding visa or tourist card, except in the case of the countries with which Cuba maintains agreements of free visa. The tourist cards (individuals or for groups) could be asked in the Cuban consular representations and in the travelling agencies and airlines offices. The business men, journalists and natural from Cuba that do not live in Cuba or that have other nationality should get one visa delivered in the Cuban consulate.

Customs regulations

Besides the personal things, jewels, photo or video cameras, fishing tackles, the tourist can inter in the country, duty free, two bottles of liquor and twenty boxes of cigarettes. Fire weapons, with the exception of hunting weapons with the due authorization, and narcotics are forbidden. When leaving the island, it is allowed to export till 50 cigars without the presentation of documents. Cut tobacco can be exported till a value of 2,000 USD (two thousand) with the presentation of the purchase invoice. If it is a superior sum, the cut tobacco must be bought in the specials shops created for this purpose and to present the special purchase invoice given by these shops.

The exportation of convertible currency and others values higher than 5,000 USD (five thousands) if it has been previously imported, therefore must be presented the Value Declaration already made at the entrance to the country; or if it has been acquired licitly it must be proved with the presentation of the corresponding bank document. To export works of art or antiquities, the corresponding authorization must be given by the Registro Nacional de Bienes Culturales de la Direccion de Patrimonio del Ministerio de Cultura (National Register of Cultural Goods of the Office of Heritage of the Ministry of Culture) ; gold or silver in great quantity can be exported with authorization of the Cuban National Bank.

Sanitary regulations

There are sanitary restrictions only for the travellers coming from countries where exist the yellow fever and the endemic cholera , or have been declared infection zones by the WHO, in that case the International Vaccination Certificate must be presented. Besides, the import of animal or vegetal products are forbidden. Animals can be imported with the corresponding certificate..

Currency

The national currency is the peso, equivalent to 100 cents. Circulate the bills of 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 pesos, and also coins of 1 and 3 pesos and counterfeit of 1, 2, 5 and 20 cents. Also the convertible peso circulates, with the same value of the USA dollar, but with legal course exclusively in Cuba. The ones that have not been used can be changed in the airports and ports at the departure.

Time zone

Standard time zone: GMT-5 hours and daylight saving time GMT-5 hours. Cuba adopts its official hour from the Greenwich Meridian and according to the geographic situation of the country it guides itself by the time zone no. 19, whose central meridian is 75 west, but in the month of April the clocks are moved forward one hour, with the purpose of taking the maximum advantage of the solar light. This hour is maintained till the month of October.

To get around

The country is connected through a big net of roads and the national highway.

The traffic is organized and signalized according to the international code and driving is by the right side. In all the tourist centres exist the service of rent a car with or without driver, taxis or motorcycles, and also there are daily regular flights and charter flights that connect the different national destinations. In the cities of Havana, Varadero and Guardalavaca there are different systems of collective transport (trompos) with fixed itinerary with low prices that make easy the moving among the various points of tourist interest.

Telephone

To make an international call number 119 must be dialled, the code of the country and the locality and finally the wished number. To make a call to the different provinces and municipalities of Cuba, it is necessary to dial number 0 and then the established code of each locality.

Places to see in Havana

• The historic centre of the city, special the ensemble of squares, the palaces, the Cathedral and other buildings of great historical and architectonic value.
• The green belt of the capital that forms the Lenin Park, the Botanical Garden, the Metropolitan Park and the National Zoo.
• The complex of historic-military museums that are integrated by Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro (Morro Castle) the Fortress San Carlos de la Cabaña and the Museum of the Revolution.
• The models of the city of Havana and Old Havana.
• Finca Vigia, the Havana residence of Ernest Hemingway.

Outside Havana

Varadero, with 22 kilometres of wonderful beach and a comfortable hotels net that make this site the principal Cuban bathing place, 140 km from the capital.

Reserve of the Biosphere Sierra del Rosario, 70 km. from the capital, in omnibus or cars.