Cuba 2006
In 2006, Cuba was a Caribbean nation located just south of Florida with a population of over 11 million people. According to constructmaterials, it was a socialist republic headed by President Fidel Castro and Prime Minister Felipe Perez Roque. Since the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the country had made considerable progress in building its economy and infrastructure. The country’s primary sources of income were tourism and exports, but services were growing steadily due to increased foreign investment from around the world. Poverty and inequality were still prevalent, with nearly 30% of the population living below the poverty line. Despite this, access to education had improved since 2000 with primary school attendance rate increasing from approximately 80% to over 95% by 2006. Additionally, economic growth had been steady since 2000 due to increased foreign investment from around the world. Tourism was also increasing as more people became aware of Cuba’s unique culture and landscapes including Havana City, Viñales Valley National Park and Alejandro de Humboldt National Park.
Yearbook 2006
Cuba. The most talked about event in Cuba during the year was that President Fidel Castro fell ill and was hospitalized for an emergency gastric operation, an event published on state television July 31. The exile Cuban opposition in the US immediately concluded that Castro was dying and began to prepare for the long-awaited regime change in Cuba. But the regime collapse that the opposition had hoped for did not stop. On his 80th birthday, August 13, Castro appeared on television with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, and in a second TV appearance two weeks later, he looked considerably more attractive. What was initially said to be a temporary takeover of Castro’s all public positions by his brother, Foreign Minister Raúl Castro – first chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the chiefs of the armed forces and the head of government – extended to the rest of the year. Assessors considered that it was all part of a long-planned final handover of power from Fidel to Raúl, and which, to the disappointment of the opposition, seemed to have been implemented without any hint of domestic political unrest. According to CountryAAH, major public holidays in Cuba include Independence Day (October 10) and New Year (January 1). This did not help Prime Minister Roberto Fernández Retamar to point out at a press conference a week after Fidel Castro’s illness. Already in early July, some changes were made to the structure of the Central Committee, which pointed to something in progress. At the same time, however, some of Fidel Castro’s previous responsibilities were taken over by others other than Raúl. health, education and energy issues. In his statement on his health situation July 31, Fidel Castro asked the Cubans to postpone all the celebrations of his birthday until December 2, when the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cuban Revolution was to be celebrated. It was interpreted as though his state of health was still so good that he could perform in public at that time. But once the celebration was done, including Cuba’s first military parade in ten years and public display of the pleasure hunt Granma with which the first revolutionaries landed, Fidel Castro was not included. In contrast to those of the Cuban opposition in the United States, US reactions to the change within the Cuban regime were unexpectedly lukewarm. It took four days before any comment was heard from Washington, and it limited itself to a cautious hope of regime change in Cuba in the near future. Raúl Castro’s first major public appearance did not come until September 27, when he gave a half-hour long speech at the Cuban National Congress. In the speech, he did not touch on Fidel’s disease or health condition, but concentrated on the problem of corruption within the Communist Party.
Cuba Overview
We have the most versatile travel offer in Cuba in Finland – Cuba’s dilapidated nature and relaxed rhythm of life enchant the tourist as soon as they arrive in Havana. The rhythms of salsa, old American irons and beautifully dilapidated colonial city centers make Cuba a unique travel destination. Right now, Cuba is on the brink of great change. Come with us to explore this interesting country before it loses its old charm.
- According to abbreviationfinder, CU is the abbreviation code for Cuba.
Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, almost as long as Finland tilted to its side. In addition to the main island, the Cuban state includes a number of smaller islands. Columbus and his troops arrived in Cuba in 1492, and the country was a Spanish colony until the very end of the 19th century.
In early 1959, Castro’s leadership began for nearly 60 years. Fidel Castro ruled the country from 1959 to 2008 and for the next ten years Fidel’s brother Raúl Castro. On 19 April 2018, a new president, 57-year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel, was appointed to Cuba. He is an electrical engineer by training and has worked in his political career e.g. 2009–2012 as Minister of Education and from 2013 as Vice President. The new president continues on the path signaled by Castroje.
About half of Cubans report being Roman Catholics. The African religious traditions that sailed across the Atlantic in slave ships have adapted to the Catholicism brought by the Spaniards. In Cuba, the world of the Yoruba religion, which is native to West Africa, is called the Santerian. The practice of religion is practical; people have altars at home and godly rum, cigars, honey, fruit and sweets. The north coast of the country is washed away by the waves of the Atlantic and the shores of the south by the waves of the Caribbean Sea. Cubans speak Spanish as their mother tongue, but the traveler can speak English.
Area: 110,860 km²
Population: 11,059,062 (estimate 7/2020)
Capital: Havana
Population: 60% of Spanish descent, 22% of blends, 11% of African descent, 1% of Chinese
Language: Spanish
Main products: Sugar, minerals, tobacco, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, tourism
Form of government: Communist Republic
