| Cuba is the largest in a group of
Caribbean Islands known as the Greater Antilles and is the 15th largest
island in the world. The Cuban nation is situated 90 miles south of the
United States state of Florida. Cuba is made up of the large Isla de la
Juventud, or Isle of Youth, (136sq. mi.) and more than 4000 coral cays
and islets. One fourth of Cuba is covered by three mountain ranges: the
Oriental range, the Central range and the Occidental range. The highest
point in Cuba is the 6470' Pico Turquino. The flatlands are utilized for
agriculture such as grazing cattle, sugar cane, coffee and Cuban
tobacco. Cuba has a rich array of tropical and sub-tropical plants and
animals, many species are rare and unique. Cuba is also the home of the
world’s smallest known bird, the Bee Hummingbird, which weighs only two
grams.
OnCuba
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Cuba is considered to be a developing country that is
dominated by a totalitarian communist government. This will most certainly change. Cuba,
with all of its beauty and potential will soon open its doors of opportunity
to citizens of the United States. Trade and tourism with its close
neighbor to the north will begin and quickly be measured in billions of
dollars annually. The prepared
will be there!
Cuba has, from a business, trade and tourism
perspective, a key central geographic position which, in the near
future, will make Cuba a vital commercial center for the entire
Caribbean region.
Cuba has more than 20 well protected, natural
deep-water ports, numerous natural resources, one of the largest natural
internal markets in Latin America for American products, an educated and
a hard working population to aid economic development.
The United States, unlike virtually every other
nation, has no direct diplomatic relations with Cuba, but does provide consular and other
services through a "United States Interests Section" (USINT) in Havana. This agency
operates under the legal protection of the Swiss government, but is not located at the
Swiss Embassy. There is help and advice available there. Keep in mind, as we have learned
over the years, things can change and things do change, quickly. Check before you act!
There are well defined and rigid restrictions placed on citizens of
the United States of America. Failure to comply with these State Department and Department
of the Treasury regulations well may result in civil penalties and criminal prosecution.
As you begin your Cuba-related activities, we suggest that you keep this in mind.
Furthermore, Cuba has something to say on the subject of doing
business with or in Cuba. The dreaded "Law of Protection of National Independence and
the Cuban Economy," contains a series of measures aimed at discouraging contact
between foreign nationals and Cuban citizens. These measures can be used against any
non-Cuban who might contact a Cuban citizen. The law provides for jail terms of up to 30
years in aggravated cases. United States citizens are particularly subject to triggering
provisions of this law, and may unwittingly cause the arrest and/or imprisonment of any
Cuban whom they may contact.
CubaDomainsForSale.com knows the path to legal and safe success in
your Cuba related internet venture, no matter what the size or type of that venture.
Our goal is to provide our visitors
with the most accurate and up-to-date facts about Cuba. There is a lot of inaccurate data
available, much of it propaganda. If you know of some factual information on this subject,
that you believe that we need to know, or if you find something, included here,
questionable, let us know by clicking HERE.
As you consider the following facts, keep in mind that the Cuban economy operates primarily on six levels, depending on various factors:
1 - There is a huge thriving black market. U. S.
dollars, finished tobacco products, beef and dairy products are at the top of a large
black market list. Currency exchange offices have been set up to attempt to control the
dollar exchange rate.
2 - There is a powerful state market of rationed
staple goods. This monopoly operates only in local currency. These prices continue to
remain relatively stable.
3 - There is also a state controlled market of
non-rationed goods and services. This level of the economy operates in both local and
foreign (mostly U. S. dollar) currencies with all prices set by the state. Prices in this
market driven economic level fluctuate and are a major source of domestic financing.
4 - If you live outside Cuba and wish to make
certain that a resident inside Cuba has any particular item, whether
State controlled or not, there is a State approved semi-underground
business to take your money. Send cash, flowers, bakery items, jewelry,
virtually any food item, furniture, appliances, medicines or nearly
anything else that you can name. Your chosen item may not be available on the street, but
this shadow market will supply it. You could even send a personally
delivered e-mail, for a fee.
5 - A relatively new area of the
economy is a free competition market for agriculture and services,
operating in both local and foreign currency. Prices are high due to an
artificially restricted availability of products and services, state run
monopolies, politically granted special monopolies and inconsistent
central control of price fixing and competition. This sector has,
however, been stimulated by a widening of services offered, through an
opening up of licenses to private enterprise, mostly in Havana, such as
privately owned restaurants and tobacco related businesses.
6 - State recognition of rights of property
ownership by joint ventures and economic associations, under the 1995 Law No. 77, has
resulted in an increase in the establishment of branches and agencies of foreign companies
registered in Cuba.
Following here is a short profile of Cuba and the internet in Cuba
that is designed to give an overview of a country that is pregnant with the promise of
opportunity.
| GENERAL FACTS ABOUT THE
COUNTRY AND PEOPLE OF CUBA OFFICIAL NAME: República de Cuba (The Republic of Cuba)
LOCATION:
Caribbean
Sea, South of Florida (United States)
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES:
21 30 N. Latitude, 80 00 W. Longitude
AREA:
42,804
square miles (110,861 square kilometers)
CAPITAL:
Havana
(Habana)
INDEPENDENCE:
May 20, 1902 from Spain
POPULATION:
11,103,210 (10% over 65) (1998 est.)
Growth Rate of Population (%/annum, 1950-2030): 0.62
Urban Population as a percentage of total 75%
LANGUAGE:
Spanish
RELIGION:
Roman
Catholic 85%; other religions practiced: Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria
ETHNICITY:
mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
TIME ZONE:
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC) -5 hours (Eastern Standard Time) Daylight saving time
adjustment +1 hour. Check CURRENT TIME HERE.
TELEPHONE SETS: one telephone for every 21 persons (Mar. 2001 reported)
TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT: 473,031 telephones; 121,000 digital (2001 reported)
TELEPHONE SYSTEM: Domestic: coaxial cable trunk system, end to end of the main island/country;
fiber-optic distribution in nearly all of metro Havana and on Isla de la Juventud only;
Microwave radio relay installations: two older US-built, one Soviet-built; Mobile
Cellular: both analog and digital service. International: One satellite earth station -
Intersputnik (Russian - Atlantic Ocean region).
TELEPHONE ROUTING: 011 + 53 + |
INFORMATION ABOUT CUBA INFORMATION FACTS ABOUT CUBA FACTS
| REPORTED FACTS ABOUT THE
ECONOMY OF CUBA GDP:
$18.6 Bln. (1999 reported) per capita $1,676
GDP BY SECTOR: agriculture:
7.4% (1997 estimated)
industry: 36.5% (1997 estimated)
services: 56.1% (1997 estimated)
GROWTH:
6.2%
(1999 reported)
BUDGET:
Revenue
$13.5 Bln.; Expenses $14.3 Bln. (2000 reported)
ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION:
14.2 Bln KwH (1998 reported)
IMPORTS:
$2.4
Bln. (1995 reported); Spain 16%, Venezuela 15%, Mexico 7%
EXPORTS:
$1,600
Mln. (1995 reported); Russia 25%, the Netherlands 23%, Canada 16%
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS: sugarcane, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes,
beans, livestock
LAND AREA: 109,820 sq. Km., (1997)
LAND USE ARABLE AREA: 37,000 sq. Km., (1997)
Land Use as a percentage of total
34%
FORESTED AREA: (% of land, 1995): 16.8%
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION: sugar, food, tobacco, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals,
cement, fertilizer, consumer goods, agricultural machinery
OlL AND
PRODUCTION: Refining capacity is 130,000 barrels/day
(BOPD) from 4 refineries. Heavy oil production is primarily in north central Cuba. Medium
oil production is centered in the Central Basin. There are presently 24 fields containing
proven reserves totaling in excess of 2 billion barrels of heavy, medium, and light oil
and gas that have been reported discovered in Cuba, mostly along the north coast. (This is
a new watch category for us - verified input is welcomed.
VISITORS/TOURISM: 1.71 million (2000 reported)
CURRENCY: 1
Cuban Peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos = U. S. $ 1.00 (published rate) Government exchange
offices sell at 30 pesos/dollar and buy for 25pesos/dollar. |
INFORMATION ABOUT CUBA INFORMATION
| POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS IN CUBA PROVINCES:
(provincias) 14: Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantanamo, Ciudad de La
Habana, La Habana, Holguin, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba,
Las Tunas, Villa Clara
SPECIAL MUNICIPALITY (Municipio Especial): Isla de la Juventud. |
| CUBA AND THE INTERNET - ONLINE
POPULATION (October 16, 2001) The internet is a tightly controlled privilege in Cuba, reserved for the
trusted elite. Information is not freely exchanged. The government of Cuba reports 40,000
people online in Cuba, and one computer for every 100 people. The International
Telecommunications Union reports 60,000 internet users in Cuba. This figure is widely
disputed by those in the know, when connecting to the internet is important. With two
percent (2%) of Cubans having telephones, and the five ISPs being restricted to serving
government, some post offices and the larger hotels in major cities, even those
clandestine "DOTCommies" have it tough.
There are approximately 18,000 Cuban-based pages available, getting
15 million page views each week. There are five ISPs in Cuba providing internet access.
Access in Cuba is limited to citizens who can prove they are engaged in research or
connected to an accredited and approved institution.
Cuba registers its Domain names through ICANN. The Cuban top-level
Domain is CENIAI internet, known as NS.CENIAI.NET.CU. Other Domain servers listed order
are: NS1.GIP.NET., NS2.GIP.NET, NS3.GIP.NET, NS.RIPE.NET, and RIP.PSG.COM. The most
rapidly-growing Domain extension in recent years has been "net," which
experienced growth of over 1000%.
Cuban officials have promised more access for residents as part of a
plan to improve the communications infrastructure in the country. As reported by the
Associated Press, Vice Minister of Informatics and Telecommunications told reporters, that
plans are underway to replace old telephone lines with fiber optic cable by the year 2005
providing "technological information to the masses."
Cuban post offices may also provide Internet access. Cuba's five
Internet providers service about 60,000 e-mail accounts, though most Cubans use access
through government jobs, schools, and universities. Black market rates for access are
between $30 and $60 a month. Computer clubs run by the Union of Communist Youth will
increase almost two-fold this year, from 176 to 300. One thing is certain..... the status
of the internet in Cuba is changing.
View links to websites inside Cuba HERE.
View CIA excellent up-to-date information file on
Cuba HERE. |
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