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Santiago de Cuba

11 million inhabitants.

National Anthem

• 1492: Discovered by Christopher Columbus on October 27th 1492.
• 1510: Spanish colonization by Diego Velasquez; Santiago of Cuba becomes capital in 1515.
• XVIII: Development of sugar cane farming.
• 1868: General insurrection against the Spanish, which will give a capacity to the island for a certain autonomy
• 1878 - 1895: Popular rising directed by José Marti and pitiless repression followed by a famine
• 1898: American invade Santiago, in the Hispano-American war. Spain gives up Cuba.
• 1899/1917: American influence on the island which controls the economy and with 3 military interventions.
• 1902: Independence and first republic.
• 1934/1959: Era of the Batista dictator supported by the Americans.
• 1956: After three years of exile, Castro arrives in Cuba.
• 1959: " Triumph " of the Castroist revolution . Castro and his guerilla drive out Batista.
• 1961: Installation of the American blockade and failure of the anti-Castroist unloading of " Bay of the pigs ".
• 1962: missile crisis of Cuba with USA and the USSR intervening. Effective beginning of the American blockade.
• 1967: Death of the Ché (Ché Guevara) in Bolivia.
• 1976: Easing of the political tensions and partial lifting of the American embargo.
• 1980: Temporary opening of the borders; exodus of more than one hundred thousand Cubans towards the USA
• 1989: Progressive end of the soviet assistance started in 1960
• 1990: tourism is defined like a priority for the country.
• 1993: Real opening to tourism; the Cubans are authorized to have American dollars.
• 1994: Exodus of the balseros fleeing the island on rafts. American president Bill Clinton prohibits the access to the United States for 320 000 refugees.
• 1995: Foreigners can invest in the island (but the US embargo persists).
• 1998: Pope visits Cuba in January.

Tropical without excess, refreshed by the soft breezes of the trade winds. One distinguishes two seasons, the rain season (from May to October) and the dry season (from November to May). One counts 330 days of sunny days on average per year. The average temperature of the air is 25,5 degrees. January is the freshest month and the hottest is July. The average temperature of coastal water reaches 25 degrees in winter and 28 in summer. The relative humidity of the air is 78 %. The months of least precipitations are August and December.

Spanish and English in tourist areas.

• Voltage: 110-120v
• Driving: on the right.
• National Parade: January 1st
• the motto of the country: The Fatherland or Death, we will overcome.

Cuban Peso.

Canadian visitors please consult this handy site  :Travel information and advisory reports
For all other nationals please consult your Cuban embassy or consulate in your country of origin.

Havana and its old neighborhoods; colonial museum of Ché; manufactures of cigars; house of Hemingway; cabarets of Salsa colonial cities (Trinidad, Baracoa); natural parks of Montemar (crocodiles) and Camaguey; ranges (Varadero, the 1 600 islands of Cuba). The baseball is the Cuban national sport.

Sculptures out of wood, beautiful furniture out of wood of pine or mahogany tree, traditional shirts " Guyabera ", percussions, CD of Cuban music, cigars, rum.

It is the result of the mixture of the Spanish and African elements to which were added Chinese components since the end of XIX  century. The national dish is the ajiaco: a heated pot of vegetables mixed with meat, pig preferably. It draws its flavor from vegetables and the seasoning used. Other typical dishes are: the pin roasted pig, the fried bananas plantain, the black beans, the Eastern congri (rice and kidney beans), the moros and cristianos-rices and black beans, the picadillo with habanera or mince with the havanaise, the Barbacoa chicken, the tamales, bacanes or ayacas (specialty containing tender corn cooked in a sheet of this cereal.) excellent fruits, lobsters, good rum, beers, and many cocktails guaranteed to satisfy you.

140 km to the south of Florida, Cuba is the largest and most western Caribbean island.

The Main Island is is surrounded by an archipelago of 1600 smaller small islands. A quarter of the country is mountainous, the remainder consists primarily of soft inclined, undulating meadows and fertile valleys. Three chains overlap the island; to the north-west and to the west in the narrow sierra of Los Organos, west of Havana, the capital. In the center, the Maestra sierra, surrounds Santiago and culminates to 1994 m, with the Turquino peak. The sides of the mountains are covered with dense forests. Many small rivers irrigate the country. The longest of them, Rio Canto (241) km takes its source in the Maestra sierra and runs towards the west of Guacanayabo. It is navigable for approximately 120 km. Throughout its shores of deep bays and sand ranges, Cuba has a great number of ports and damping. Cuba deserves well its nickname of Pearl of the Caribbean. The greatest richness of the island it is the fruitfulness of its ground, favorable for tropical farming, the place of honor is held by sugar and tobacco. In spite of deforestation, the vegetation is of an extraordinary richness; the tropical flowers are spread out in profusion; many fruit trees are grown like the avocado trees, papaw trees, banana trees and lemon trees.

Havana. date of foundation: 1519. Very early after the foundation of Havana and facing the repeated attacks of the pirates and corsairs (1528, 1555, 1563), the Spaniards undertake the fortification of the site; who will continue, at the rhythm of the constructions and rebuilding, for four centuries. As of XVIe century, the layout of Plaza de Armas is established and three other urban places will be added to the first to constitute the reinforced city. At the end of this century, Castello de Morro is set up at the entry of the port. In XVIIe century, Havana is already the first center of shipbuilding in the Caribbean's and its economic role replaces its strategic role. It is by its port which forward the money and the gold of Mexico and Peru bound for Europe. New fortresses are set up; convents and churches are also built. Havana is taken by the English in 1762 and is taken again by the Spaniards in 1763. Thereafter the celebration of the building of San Carlos of Caba-a (1772-74) like several other palaces. The cathedral is built at the end of XVIIIe century. In XIXe century, the city has for center the Plaza de Armas.