20 Curiosities of Cuba | A country that is worth knowing

The curiosities of Cuba discover us a fascinating country famous for its paradisiacal beaches, its medical schools and its athletes. That's right: you have to put your disposition to observe your culture with an open mind , understanding that, although it is located in the western hemisphere of the world and in the middle of the more technified continent (America), Cuba is very different from the rest of its neighboring countries, despite the fact that some cultural traditions of the area such as music and dance are maintained.

In Supercurious we bring you below 20 curiosities of Cuba, so you can know a little more about this controversial island-country from a different perspective. Also, if you are interested in visiting the country, we recommend you do not miss this entry about What to see in Cuba . Do not miss this essential destination!

20 Curiosities of Cuba that you probably did not know

one. The first of our curiosities about Cuba is that It is part of the Greater Antilles, a geographical area where the largest islands of America are located , close to the smallest (the Lesser Antilles, of which several are part of Venezuela or are overseas territories of European countries such as Aruba and Curaçao), and all of them in the Caribbean Sea.

two. In fact, Cuba is the largest island in America and the largest Antillean country (109,884 square kilometers, including its other islands and keys). In addition, it is positioned as one of the largest islands in the world, occupying the 16th place.

3. Despite its small extension, another of the great curiosities of Cuba is that it has the privilege of having 10 World Heritage Sites declared by the UNESCO , being the country with the highest density of humanity's heritage per square kilometer .

Four. The patrimonies of humanity that Cuba has (and that you can not miss if you visit) are: Old Havana, Trinidad and the Valley of the mills, the Castle of San Pedro de la Roca, the Valley of vineyards (where their coffee farms stand out), the National Park Alejandro de Humboldt, the French Tomb (intangible heritage), the historic center of the city of Cienfuegos, the historic center of the city of Camagüey, the Desembarco del Granma National Park and the first coffee plantations, in the southeast of the island.

5. In Cuba, military service is mandatory for 2 years for all citizens after completing the second stage of basic education, but has some mitigating factors: if you go to university the time of service is reduced to one year and if you study medicine the obligation is lifted and you must not comply.

6 This measure of exempting those who study medicine from compulsory military service may be one of the reasons why Cuba is the country with the highest density of health professionals in the world . Despite this and the quality of Cuban health education, it has a large deficit of medicines and medical supplies.

7 Another of the curiosities of Cuba that you surely did not imagine is that It has mines and even oil wells : during 2011 it exported 21% of its nickel exploitation (its main mineral resource) and in 2005 the US Geographic Service declared that the North Cuba Basin could be capable of producing up to 9,300 barrels of oil per year.

8 Among the curiosities of Cuba we also find that, although it is politically isolated from the rest of the continent, it still shares Caribbean traditions: salsa and "son" as the fundamental elements of music and dance, especially urban, and the fact that the most popular sport is baseball .

9 Due to the heritage of Spanish colonization, it is estimated that 60% of the Cuban population is Catholic . However, there are also prominent groups of animistic religions (another Caribbean feature) as the so-called "santeros".

10 Illiteracy in Cuba is practically non-existent. 99% of the population receives free and compulsory education until the second stage of basic education.

eleven. No matter how positive it is for a country to have 99% of its literate population, The model of education of the Cuban State instills in the boys and girls a nationalist-communist sentiment with which to justify the deficiencies that they may face throughout their lives , promoting the pride of being in a communist regime. In the streets it is common to find walls painted with the faces of communist leaders like Raúl Castro, Stalin or the Che Guevara and messages against American interventionism.

12. As a product of the political and educational system, until about 10 years ago the Cuban population did not have access to the Internet freely (Although there are still censored pages and there is no WiFi, for which we can question this assertion), the island's media present a biased pro-government view of any event and the disappearances or deaths at the hands of the forces of security of people who protest basic rights or oppose the government, with commons.

13. There are many human rights that are not met or that are curtailed by the Cuban State , only some are: the freedom of movement (people with Cuban nationality must ask the State for permission both to leave the country and to move out of the city), of expression, access to information, access to medicines and access to food.

14. Being an archipelago and being isolated from most of the countries of the western world, in Cuba we find a dissociation of prices: drinking water is very expensive (In fact, most Cubans do boil the water in the pipes to be able to drink it) while gas, gasoline and rum are extremely economical .

fifteen. Another curiosity of Cuba is that There are two currencies currently in circulation , and no, it is not a national and a foreign currency, but both are national: the CUP (national weight) and the CUC.

16 Regarding this, one of the curiosities of Cuba that you should keep in mind if you are going to visit this beautiful and interesting country is that to change dollars for national currency they charge you an increase of 10% in relation to any other currency (so it is better that you carry euros or some Latin American currency).

17 Previously we talked about health services in Cuba being free (taking into account their vulnerabilities) but not only this is part of the curiosities of Cuba but also, one step ahead of most of the countries of America: Abortion is legal and free.

18 And, as another curiosity, we tell you. The Penis enlargement surgeries are also free ! It may be necessary to wait a few months or years for the waiting list, but it is real and the prosthesis can be silver or silicone.

19 If you like to enjoy the Caribbean flavor and listen to music, we have something that you will love: although music is everywhere in Cuba, almost in each city and town there are places called The House of music where you can listen to music from local bands and dance salsa until you get tired; one of the most pleasant curiosities of Cuba.

20. Cuba is currently undergoing a process of transformation and opening, very slow but real. The death of Fidel Castro and elections by the National Assembly (however controversial) have resulted in the repeal of absurd measures such as the prohibition to stay in hotels for Cuban citizenship or of not being able to access the internet without permission from the State .

There is still much that needs to change and it will not be overnight, but what we can assure you is that, If you decide to visit Cuba some day to enjoy its landscapes and know its culture, you will not regret .

Besides the Curiosities of Cuba, do not miss ...

Are you even more hungry for curiosities from America? It gathers more curious data like those of Cuba, in the following list of posts dedicated to the most surprising of other amazing American countries ð ?????? Download them !:

  • Curiosities of Mexico
  • Curious Facts of Argentina
  • Curious Facts of Colombia
  • Curious Data of Brazil
  • Curious Facts of the United States
  • Curiosities of Canada
  • Curiosities of Ecuador
  • Curiosities of Puerto Rico

As you can see, Cuba is a country full of contrasts and curiosities to discover, with an impressive natural and cultural heritage. Did you already know these curiosities about Cuba? Do you know any other that is also interesting? Tell us in the comments! We will love discovering it!


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