Cuba Team: Nadia Espinoza. Yair Arizpe. Rodolfo Elizondo. Lorena Parga.

Index:History…………………………………………….. 1,2

Culture……………………………………………. 3,4

States……………………………………………...5, 6

Economy……………………………………………..6,7

Natural Sources…………………………………8,9

Topography…………………………………………..9,10

Resources and final conclusion……………….11

HistoryThe island of Cuba was inhabited by numerous Mesoamerica tribes prior to its discovery by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492. After Columbus' arrival, Cuba became a Spanish colony, ruled by a Spanish governor in Havana. In 1762, Havana was briefly occupied by Great Britain, before being returned to Spain in exchange for Florida. A series of rebellions during the 19th century failed to end Spanish rule. However, increased tensions between Spain and the United States, which culminated in the Spanish-American War, finally led to a Spanish withdrawal in 1898, and in 1902 Cuba gained formal independence.In the years following its independence, the Cuban republic saw significant economic development, but also political corruption and a succession of despotic leaders, culminating in the overthrow of the dictator Fulgencio Batista by the 26th of July Movement, led by Fidel Castro, during the 1953–9 Cuban Revolution. Cuba has since been governed as a socialist state by the Communist Party, although Castro himself stepped

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down as leader in 2008, being replaced by his brother Raúl Castro. Cuba has been politically and economically isolated by the United States since the Revolution, but has gradually gained access to foreign commerce and travel.Images:

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CultureThe culture of Cuba is a complex mixture of different, often contrasting, factors and influences. Cuba is a meeting point of European, African, Chinese, and continental North American [1]  cultures; little of the original Amerindian culture survives. Since 1959, the Cuban Revolution has also greatly affected Cuban culture, down to the most basic aspects of daily life. Much of Cuban culture, especially Cuban music, is instantly recognized throughout the world.

The music of Cuba, including the instruments and the dances, is mostly of European and African origin. Most forms of the present day are creolized fusions and mixtures of these two great sources. Almost nothing remains of the original Indian traditions.Fernando Ortíz, the first great Cuban folklorist, described Cuba's musical innovations they really like music as arising from the interplay ('transculturation') between African slaves settled on large sugar plantation and Spanish or Canary Islanders who grew tobacco on small farms. The African slaves and their descendants reconstructed large numbers of percussive instruments and corresponding rhythms[2] The great instrumental contribution of the Spanish was their guitar, but even more important was the tradition of European musical notation and techniques of musical composition.

Fidel Castro's belief in socialism and the benefits of sports (he loves and has played baseball) has resulted in Cuba's relative international success for a population of 11 million in sporting events such as the Olympic Games. Unlike in most of Latin America, but like many nations of the Caribbean and some of Central America, football is not a major game in Cuba, but is gaining popularity. Baseball is the most popular sport in Cuba. Introduced by American dockworkers in Havana in the 19th century, the game has played a role in Cuban independence from Spain. Banned in 1895 by the Spanish, secret games funded José Martí's revolt. Cuban peloteros rank highly internationally and some have migrated to Major League Baseball in the United States. The Cuba national baseball team finished second in the first World Baseball Classic against the Japanese national team. Boxing is also rather popular. They also enjoy basketball, track and field, volleyball, and rugby union.Every year, Cuba holds the School Sports Games, a competition and is like the best for school students[clarification needed]. The best athletes from age 11 to 16 are invited to be tested for the Schools for Sports Initiation (Spanish acronym: EIDE). EIDE students attend regular classes, receive advanced coaching and take part in higher level competitions. The top graduates from the school enter one of several Schools of Higher Athletic Performance (Spanish acronym: ESPA).The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 ended grain imports from that country, which were used to feed cattle and chickens. In 1991, beef, chicken, milk and eggs became scarce.A lack of fuel for agricultural machinery meant that crops had to be harvested manually (by people), drastically decreasing Cuba's food production capabilities. These problems have improved a little in recent years, but shortages are still common. To supplement their rations, Cubans resort to non-rationed food stores (where prices are nevertheless several times those of the libreta), or to the black market.Traditional Cuban food is, as most cultural aspects of this country, a syncretism of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines, with a small but noteworthy Chinese influence. The most popular foods are black beans, rice, and meat.

One example of traditional Cuban cuisine, or criollo as it is called, is moros y cristianos, "Moors and Christians", rice with black beans. Criollo uses many different seasonings, with some of the most common being onion and garlic. Cassava, rice, beans, eggs, tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, beef and pork are all common ingredients.

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Coffee is of high quality and grown mainly for export, the common coffee drink in Cuba is imported from Africa.Cuba's policy on religion has changed much since 1959, when religious Cubans were persecuted and could be denied jobs or an education by the government.

In the 1970s, the relationship between the government and religious institutions (especially the Roman Catholic Church) began to improve. By 1976, the state granted Cuban citizens religious freedom, with some restrictions. In 1992, the constitution was amended to allow total religious freedom. About 25% of Cubans today are Catholic. Some Catholic traditions were lost, but the church has imported the Mexican Christmas play (pastorela) trying to reconnect Cubans to Christianity. Cuba is a primarily Christian country.

Another large religion in Cuba is Santería. Santería is a blend of Catholicism and traditional Yoruba religions. When African slaves first arrived in Cuba during the 16th century, they were taught a few simple prayers and were baptised by the Spanish. The slaves combined this limited form of Catholicism with their traditional religions to create Santería, which survives to this day. During colonial times and into the early Republic, many Cubans suffered from intense ethnocentrism and confused Afro-Cuban religion with black magic and witchcraft. This caused them to associate practitioners of Santería and other Afro-Cuban cultures with criminals and the underworld, and to discriminate against practitioners without understanding the nature of their religion. Because most practitioners of Santería in those years were of African heritage, racist attitudes emerged around the religion, and many whites in Cuba considered it to be subversive and threatening. Those who practiced Santería often resorted to secrecy as a way to avoid persecution. Fernando Ortiz, Lydia Cabrera, and Rómulo Lachatañeré are considered the founders of Afro-Cuban studies in Cuba and were the first to give scholarly attention to Santería as an important religion in Cuba.

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Pinar del Rio.Mariel.Havana.MatanzasSanta Clara.Cienfuegos.Camaguey.Las tunas.Nuevitas.Holguin.Bayamo.Manzanillo.Santiago de Cuba.Guantánamo.

Economy

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The economy of Cuba is a largely centrally planned economy dominated by state-run enterprises overseen by the Cuban government, though there remains significant foreign investment and private enterprise in Cuba. Most of the means of production are owned and run by the government, and most of the labor force is employed by the state, although in recent years, the formation of cooperatives and self-employment has been encouraged by the Communist Party.In the year 2000, public sector employment was 76% and private sector employment was 23% compared to the 1981 ratio of 91% to 8%.[7] Capital investment is restricted and requires approval by the government. The Cuban government sets most prices and rations goods to citizens. In 2009, Cuba ranked 51st out of 182 with an HDI of 0.863; remarkably high considering its GDP per capita only places it 95th.[8] Public services and transport in Cuba, however, are second-rate compared to more developed counterparts on the mainland.[9]

In the 1950s, Cuba had a vibrant but extremely unequal economy, with large capital outflows to foreign investors.[10] The country compared favourably with Spain and Portugal on socioeconomic measures. Furthermore, its income in 1929 was reportedly 41% of the US, thus higher than in some Southern states of the US, such as Mississippi and South Carolina [11]  The country has made significant progress towards a more even distribution of income since the Revolution and being placed under economic embargo by the United States. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's GDP declined by 33% between 1990 and 1993, partially due to loss of Soviet subsidies,[12] and partly due to a crash in sugar prices in the early 1990s. Yet Cuba has managed to retain high levels of healthcare and education.[13]

Cubans receive low housing and transportation costs, free education, and health care and food subsidies.[14] Corruption is common, though allegedly lower than in most other countries in Latin America.[15] However, in their book, Corruption in Cuba, Sergio Diaz-Briquets and Jorge F. Pérez-López Servando state that Cuba has "institutionalized" corruption and that state-run monopolies, cronyism, and lack of accountability have made Cuba one of the world's most corrupt states".[16][17][18]

Natural Sources

Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land

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Definition: This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.

Cuba is blessed by its rich land. It has concentrated mineral wealth in nickel, wood, and petroleum. In fact, Cuba has enough petroleum deposits in offshore wells that, once it develops the machinery to extract the oil, it can become self sufficient and will not need to import oil. Besides mineral wealth, Cuba also has a strong fishing industry that caters to the foreign markets [exports] and the tourist hotels in Cuba.

El maíz -- This corn field was photographed in mid-June, 2003. Why is the crop taller

than the same crop in Indiana at the same time?

El café -- Cuban coffee is rich due to the mineral rich soil.

Most Cuban coffee is grown in the eastern mountains, but this picture captures a plant in the

west, in Pinar del Río.

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El tabaco -- the harvested tobacco hangs in the drying

houses for 45-60 days before the fermentation process.

La caña de azúcar -- this sugar cane is ready for la zafra, or the

cane harvest which can occur anytime between November

and June.

The most important natural resource in Cuba is agriculture. Cuban farmers are able to cultivate a wide array of products, including rice, beans, and many others. Can you identify the products pictured here? They are items readily available in a common superstore:

El aguacate -- No, Cubans do not use this avocado in guacamole

like the Mexicans do, but they do enjoy it in salads or alone,

cooked or not.

El plátano/la banana -- Banana trees like this one produce a bright flower well before the

bananas mature.

Topography

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Cuba's spectacular natural beauty has earned it the name Pearl of the Antilles. The coastline is marked by bays, reefs, keys, and islets. Along the southern coast are long stretches of lowlands and swamps, including the great Zapata Swamp (Ciénaga de Zapata). Slightly more than half the island consists of flat or rolling terrain, and the remainder is hilly or mountainous, with mountains covering about a quarter of its total area. In general, eastern Cuba is dominated by the Sierra Maestra, culminating in Pico Real del Turquino 2,005 m/6,578 ft); around Camagüey are rolling plains and low mountains; central Cuba contains the Trinidad (Escambray) Mountains in addition to flat or rolling land; and the west is dominated by the Sierra de los Órganos. The largest river, the Cauto, flows westward for 249 km (155 mi) north of the Sierra Maestra but is little used for commercial navigation purposes.

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Sources:

https://www.google.com.mx/search? q=topography+of+cuba&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=MFkXU4yTHOnd2QX66oDQCw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=942#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=fzW1Cl6ZVX_A2M%253A%3B0_qeLMarbYDn_M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.mappery.com%252Fmaps%252FCuba-Topography-Map.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.mappery.com%252Fmap-of%252FCuba-Topography-Map%3B3500%3B1643

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Cuba- TOPOGRAPHY.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba#History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba#Culture

Final Conclusion:My final conclusion was that Cuba is a wonderful place to live, it has lots of culture, economy, and resources to live ther, also before doing this investigation about Cuba, I was thinking that Cuba was boring and without culture, but know my opinions about Cuba changed a lot.

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