Cuba Essay

I chose to write this essay on Cuba, because Cuba is the largest island in the West Indies. Not only because is it the largest island, Cuba is the Country where my step father and his family are from. I also chose to write about Cuba because it is an island that is close to my family's home land, Puerto Rico. Ever since my mother and step father got married I realized that I am going to learn a lot about Cuba. My step father loves his country, so he talks about it all of the time. I noticed that his Spanish was not like ours. He speaks much faster and louder. He also has different names for different things. Like for example, Puerto Ricans call a stove an estufa, Cubans call it the cocina. A cocina to us is the kitchen instead of the stove. I always thought that all the Spanish Islands like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba were all alike, since they were close by. I thought wrong because as soon as I got to know my step father, I realized his culture was way different.

History

Cuba was first visited by Europeans when explorer Christopher Columbus made landfall there for the first time on October 28, 1492, at the eastern tip of Cuba, in the Cazigazgo of Baracoa. Diego VelÐ"ÐŽzquez de CuÐ"©llar led the Spanish invasion, subdued the indigenous populations, became governor of Cuba for Spain in 1511 and built a villa in Baracoa, which became the first capital of the island and. It also became the seat of the (Diocese) of the first bishop of Cuba in 1518. At that time Cuba was populated by at least two distinct indigenous peoples: Taino and Ciboney (or Siboney). Both groups were prehistoric neolithic, perhaps copper age, cultures. The TaÐ"­no were skilled farmers and the Ciboney were a hunter-gatherer society with supplemental farming. Tainos and Ciboney took part in similar customs and beliefs, one being the sacred ritual practiced using tobacco called cohoba, known in English as smoking.

Location

The capital of Cuba is called Havana which is also the largest city. Cuba is the largest, most varied and one of the most beautiful of the Greater Antilles islands. It is bound by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and east, the Caribbean Sea on the south, and the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico on the west. It is located a mere 144 km south of the United States and is separated by it by the Straits of Florida; it is 140 km from the Bahamas, 210 km from Cancun and 146 km fro Jamaica.

Climate

Cuba, often called the "Pearl of the Antilles," has a subtropical trade wind climate, adequate rainfall, significant mineral resources, and vast areas of level fertile land suitable for mechanized farming. It has a tropical trade-wind climate moderated by surrounding waters. The moist northeast trade winds reach most of the island except the deep isolated valleys and parts of the southeast coast, making the summers bearable and the winters usually warm and pleasant. The temperature decreases slightly with elevation and exposures to open waters, but the mean temperature in Havana is 77 degrees F.

Land

Cuba is part of a limestone platform related to the limestone areas of the Yucatan, Florida and the Bahamas. The Central American Antillean System, the main mountain system in the West Indies, crosses southeastern Cuba, where it is known as the Sierra Maestra. Although most of Cuba is low, there are several upland and mountain areas that increase to height from west to east. In the extreme west along the coast is a beautiful and unusual area of eroded limestone, the Guanahacabibes Peninsula. Just west of Havana is the narrow Sierra de los Organos, which has elevations of 150 of 170 m. Many of the hills resemble isolated haystacks and border magnificent valleys, rich in vegetation and endowed with great variety of beautiful and exotic orchids. Several mountain formations are found in central Cuba, the most important being the Sierra del Escambray, with Pico San Juan, its highest peak, at 1,160 m.

Government

Cuba is a totalitarian state controlled by Fidel Castro, who is chief of state, head of government, First Secretary of the PCC, and commander in chief of the armed forces. Castro seeks to control most aspects of Cuban life through the Communist Party and its affiliated mass organizations, the government bureaucracy, and the state security apparatus. In March 2003, Castro announced his intention to remain in power for life. The Ministry of Interior is the principal organ of state security and control.

People

Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly Spanish and African origins. Other ethnic groups include Chinese and Haitian as well as descendants of southern and east European immigrants. It has a population of just over 11 million, of whom 75 percent live in urban areas. The largest urban center is the capital city of Havana (La Habana) with an estimated population of 2.1 million in the early 1990s. The next largest cities are Santiago de Cuba in the East, with just over 400,000 residents and Camaguey with over 300,000 residents.

Religion

The religious landscape of Cuba is strongly marked by syncretism of various kinds. In the post-revolutionary era religious practice was discouraged, and Cuba, from 1962, was officially an atheist state until 1992 which it amended its constitution to become formally a secular state. The largest organized religion is the Roman Catholic Church, which was introduced to the island by Christopher Columbus. In recent years Protestantism has been making inroads among both Catholic and agnostic populations. Afro-Cuban religions, primarily Santeria, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. Most people think that all of the Cuban people's religion is Santeria. Santeria (The way of the saints) is a form of Yoruban tribal religion