Fun Facts About Cuba!

· The country’s motto is “homeland or death.”

· Havana is the capital, and also the largest city.

· Cuba is 93 miles south of the United States.

· Christopher Columbus claimed the land for Spain in 1492.

· It is one of the world’s four claimed Socialist countries.

· It is the largest island in the Caribbean Sea.

· Spanish is the national language.

· Nickel accounts for 21% of the country’s exports.

· It is the third most traveled to island in the Caribbean, behind the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

· The country is prone to hurricanes, most of which come between September and October.

· Around 60% of the country are Christian.

· Cuban food is not served in courses, such as appetizers and then the main course. Rather, they are served at the same time. A typical Cuban meal consists plantains, rice, and beans.

· The average life expectancy is 78 years of age.

· The country has universal healthcare.

· The literacy rate is 99.8%.  It is the largest West Indies Island

· It is larger than Austria, Belgium, and South Korea.

· It is approximately the same size as Pennsylvania.

· It is located 122 miles from the continental United States, and 130 miles from Mexico via the Yucatan Channel.

· In 2008, over $700,000,000 were sent from people in the United States to their families in Cuba.

· The capital building was built between 1926-1928 in the likeness of the US capital.

· It is common to find someone in Cuba with their masters or Ph.D.

· There are three tunnels in the city of Havana.

· On the national highway, there are areas designated for military planes to land.

· The United States brought Coca Cola to Cuba to the restaurant Two Brothers, where they mixed it with Cuban rum. While they were drinking it, they said , “Viva Cuba Libre,” which is how the national drink got its name, Cuba Libre.

· Havana has been restored thanks to its sister cities because they cannot afford it in their budget. People would live in the old decrepit buildings, but the city will not evacuate the people living there to evacuate them, so only the national buildings have been renovated so far.

· The National Hotel is the most famous hotel in Havana. Al Capone came there in 1946 to escape from being jailed in the United States. While he was there, Frank Sinatra was performing at the hotel.

· There are many different license plate colors for all of the cars in Cuba. Blue plates mean that the car belongs to the state, yellow plates mean that the cars are privately owned, black plates mean that it is used by an American Embassy worker, and orange plates mean that the car is used by a worker. The most important thing to look at is the first letter of the plate. P means private and E means embassy.

· The royal palm is the national tree of Cuba, and it does not produce coconuts.

· There are around 100 species of palm trees in Cuba.

· Cuba has a strong cultural tie to African culture, which is due to the slave trade in the 17 and 1800s.