Local time--:--:--Havana ·

North America / Caribbean · Card 012

Cuba

Cuba is a country in Caribbean. Its capital is Havana.

Find Cuba

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: Havana
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: Cuban peso (CUP)
Population: 10.9 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 109,884 km²42,426.43 square miles
Independence: 1902from US administration

Cuba in context

North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Havana; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

Cuba’s main island is long and mostly made up of plains and rolling country, with several distinct mountain regions. The Sierra Maestra rises in the southeast, while western limestone areas contain unusual hills and valleys. Many smaller islands and cays lie offshore.

Viñales is known for steep limestone hills rising from cultivated valleys. The Zapata Peninsula contains extensive wetlands, a very different lowland environment. Coasts include reefs, mangroves, sandy beaches and rocky stretches.

Climate & seasons

Cuba has a tropical climate moderated by trade winds. A wetter summer season alternates with a generally drier winter period.

Wetlands & limestone

Karst landscapes develop where water dissolves limestone, creating caves and underground drainage. Coastal wetlands support birds and other wildlife. Seasonal rainfall and hurricanes can strongly affect both inland water levels and shorelines.

Flag

Five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the left side has a five-pointed white star in the center

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · UK government · currency information

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

Spanish is the official language and the main everyday language, with distinctive Cuban and broader Caribbean forms of speech.

Community and regional languages

Haitian Creole is also spoken by some communities with roots in migration from Haiti. Some religious and musical traditions preserve vocabulary from African languages.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & independence

Cuban independence movements fought Spanish colonial rule during the nineteenth century. Spain lost control in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. Following US military occupation, Cuba became a republic in 1902. The revolution of 1959 brought a new government that developed a one-party socialist system.

1898
Spanish rule ends
1902
The Republic of Cuba is established
1959
The revolution overthrows the Batista government

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · UK government · currency information

Economy

Main activities

The state has a large role in production and services, alongside a growing private sector. Tourism, tobacco, nickel, food production and professional services are important sources of activity or foreign earnings. Energy shortages and limited access to imports constrain the economy.

Industry and production

Food processing, tobacco products, nickel mining, biotechnology and tourism are notable activities.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · UK government · currency information

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

10.92025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	8,824,382	8.824
1980	9,804,796	9.805
1990	10,631,799	10.632
2000	11,109,109	11.109
2010	11,297,409	11.297
2020	11,176,354	11.176
2025	10,937,203	10.937

Real GDP, 1990–2024

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

81.02024 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	52,749,217,703	52.749
1991	47,108,903,627	47.109
1992	41,653,408,482	41.653
1993	35,456,139,102	35.456
1994	35,710,334,910	35.710
1995	36,587,809,679	36.588
1996	39,455,836,485	39.456
1997	40,554,060,118	40.554
1998	40,618,600,304	40.619
1999	43,132,386,084	43.132
2000	45,683,563,279	45.684
2001	47,138,598,430	47.139
2002	47,810,239,203	47.810
2003	49,623,557,376	49.624
2004	52,487,103,646	52.487
2005	58,366,528,663	58.367
2006	65,408,954,115	65.409
2007	70,159,041,951	70.159
2008	73,047,369,064	73.047
2009	74,107,509,498	74.108
2010	75,878,940,053	75.879
2011	78,005,296,225	78.005
2012	80,357,078,126	80.357
2013	82,564,971,264	82.565
2014	83,429,902,609	83.430
2015	87,132,800,000	87.133
2016	87,579,654,549	87.580
2017	89,164,663,941	89.165
2018	91,169,039,693	91.169
2019	91,020,354,637	91.020
2020	81,054,139,247	81.054
2021	82,070,953,176	82.071
2022	83,527,427,216	83.527
2023	81,915,873,064	81.916
2024	81,046,145,427	81.046

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.762High human developmentRank 97 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.687

20000.697

20100.783

20200.762

20230.762

78.1 yearsLife expectancy at birth

10.6 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A one-party socialist republic. The Communist Party has the leading constitutional role. The National Assembly is the legislature, a President is head of state and a Prime Minister heads the government.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · UK government · currency information

Knowledge check

Three questions about Cuba.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

What is the capital of Cuba?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · UK government · currency information

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.