26 July 1953 is one of the most significant dates in Cuban history, as when Fidel Castro led Cuban revolutionaries in storming the Moncada barracks, the Cuban Revolution began. Although the assault culminated in total defeat for the revolutionaries, it didn’t bring down the dictatorial government of Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar; 26 July has become one of the symbolic icons of the revolution and a favourite holiday on the island. In connection with this auspicious occasion, we offer you a walk through the sunny Island of Freedom… Cuba.
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Cuba’s an island nation in the northern Caribbean. The country is situated on the islands of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud (up to 1978, Isla de Pinos), and many smaller islands. The Florida Straits to the north and the Yucatan Channel to the west separate Cuba from the main American landmass.
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When Christopher Columbus landed on Cuba, the beauty of the island astonished him, he said, “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in all my life!”
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Cuba’s climate is tropical; its rainy season is from May to October. It has an average of 330 sunny days a year.
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The average annual temperature is 26 degrees (79 degrees Fahrenheit). The average winter temperature on the coast is 25 degrees (77 degrees Fahrenheit), with 30 degrees (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer.
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Cuba’s the only Socialist state in the Western Hemisphere, it’s organised as a Socialist Republic. Full power in Parliament belongs to only one party, the Communist Party of Cuba. In the image above, the Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz.
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Not all Cubans wished to live under socialism, many left the country. However, the level of support for the Cuban government is quite high. In the image above, a veteran of the Cuban revolution.
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A group of rebels opposed to the Spanish colonial authorities hoisted the Cuban national flag for the first time in 1850. The three light blue stripes represent the three parts that the island was formally divided into at the time, the two white stripes are reminiscent of the purity of the intentions of the independence fighters, the red equilateral triangle represents the revolutionary ideals of freedom, equality, and brotherhood, and the white star is a symbol of sovereign independence.
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The population of Cuba is 11.4 million people, of which ethnic Cubans are 95 percent. They, in turn, are subdivided into Criollos (Creoles, descendants of Spaniards and other European settlers, approximately 65 percent), mulattos, and blacks.
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By the end of the 19th century, Cuba had imported about a million black slaves from Africa.
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The capital of Cuba is Havana (La Habana, 2.8 million inhabitants). The city began in 1515 as a well-fortified Spanish Fort; at the end of the 16th century, Havana became the administrative centre of the Spanish colony, and, in 1902, the capital of the Cuban state.
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The building of the Cuban Ministry of Internal Affairs on the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana.
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Havana is located in the north-west quadrant of the island of Cuba, on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. The city has a picturesque location near the Bays of Havana and San Lisaro.
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Havana is world-famous for its raucous and boisterous holidays, festivals, and fairs; in February, the city has a colourful Carnaval and an International Jazz Festival.
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The National Capitol building, the former Parliament of Cuba. It was built in the late 1920s, modelled on the similar building in Washington DC USA. Today, it houses the Cuban Academy of Sciences.
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Cuba has a high proportion of young people (more than 40 percent of the population is under 16 years of age).
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Church and State are separated in Cuba, and the Cuban Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, with Catholics being the most common religious group. Members of the Cuban Communist Party aren’t prohibited from being believers.
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The Cuban healthcare system is one of the best in the world and has extensive programmes of primary health care and scientific development. Cuba has the lowest infant mortality rate in Latin America. All health services are free of charge. However, at present, there are shortages of medical equipment and medicines.
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Cuban time is behind Moscow Standard Time (MSK) by 8 hours (Cuba is on Eastern Standard Time, the same as New York). When it’s 12.00 MSK, it’s 04.00 in Cuba. In the image above, Our Lady of Kazan Russian Orthodox Church (MP) in Havana.
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Pinar del Rio’s tobacco factory processes 80 percent of the Cuban tobacco.
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A café in Havana.
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Welcome to Cuba!
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26 July 2011
Voice of Russia World Service
Voices from Russia 
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