Portal:Cuba

Welcome to the Cuba Portal Bienvenido al Portal de Cuba Introduction Cuba (/ˈkjuːbə/ (listen); Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkuβa]), officially the Republic of Cuba (RCUB.ogg), is a country comprising the island of Cuba as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean meet. It is east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of both the U.S. state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Haiti and north of both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Havana is the largest city and capital; other major cities include Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. The area of the Republic of Cuba is 110,860 square kilometers (42,800 sq mi) (109,884 square kilometers (42,426 sq mi) without the territorial waters). The island of Cuba is the largest island in Cuba and in the Caribbean, with an area of 105,006 square kilometers (40,543 sq mi), and the second-most populous after Hispaniola, with over 11 million inhabitants. The territory that is now Cuba was inhabited by the Ciboney Taíno people from the 4th millennium BC until Spanish colonization in the 15th century. From the 15th century, it was a colony of Spain until the Spanish–American War of 1898, when Cuba was occupied by the United States and gained nominal independence as a de facto United States protectorate in 1902. As a fragile republic, in 1940 Cuba attempted to strengthen its democratic system, but mounting political radicalization and social strife culminated in a coup and subsequent dictatorship under Fulgencio Batista in 1952. Open corruption and oppression under Batista's rule led to his ousting in January 1959 by the 26th of July Movement, which afterwards established communist rule under the leadership of Fidel Castro. Since 1965, the state has been governed by the Communist Party of Cuba. The country was a point of contention during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, and a nuclear war nearly broke out during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Cuba is one of a few extant Marxist–Leninist socialist states, where the role of the vanguard Communist Party is enshrined in the Constitution. Independent observers have accused the Cuban government of numerous human rights abuses, including short-term arbitrary imprisonment. Culturally, Cuba is considered part of Latin America. It is a multiethnic country whose people, culture and customs derive from diverse origins, including the aboriginal Taíno and Ciboney peoples, the long period of Spanish colonialism, the introduction of African slaves and a close relationship with the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Contents: Selected article | News | Selected picture | Selected biography | Did you know…? | Things you can do | Quotes Categories | Featured content | Wikiprojects | Topics | Related portals | Associated Wikimedia Selected article Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Spanish Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad. Salsa incorporates multiple styles and variations; the term can be used to describe most any form of popular Cuban-derived genre, such as cha-cha-chá and mambo. Most specifically, however, salsa refers to a particular style developed in the 1960s and '70s by Cuban immigrants and Puerto Rican migrants to the New York City area, and stylistic descendants like 1980s salsa romántica. The style is now practiced throughout Latin America and abroad; in some countries it may be referred to as música tropical. Salsa is essentially Cuban in stylistic origin, though it is also a hybrid of Puerto Rican and other Latin styles mixed with pop, jazz, rock, and R&B. Salsa is the primary music played at Latin dance clubs and is the "essential pulse of Latin music", according to author Ed Morales, while music author Peter Manuel called it the "most popular dance (music) among Puerto Rican and Cuban communities, (and in) Central and South America", and "one of the most dynamic and significant pan-American musical phenomena of the 1970s and 1980s". Modern salsa remains a dance-oriented genre and is closely associated with a style of salsa dancing. Selected picture View of Havana harbour, with vessels of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet in the distance. 1912. Did you know... ...that Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (pictured) is known as Padre de la Patria, (English:Father of the Homeland) in Cuba, having declared the nation's independence from Spain in 1868? ...that Ubre Blanca was the name of a cow in Cuba recognized by The Guinness book of Records for holding the world record for milk production in a single day, and is honored by a marble statue in her home town of Nueva Gerona? ...that Guaracheros de Regla was the name of a carnival comparsa of Havana? ... that Havana's International Book Fair takes place annually over a month, beginning in Havana's La Cabaña fortress before extending to other cities across the nation, ending in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba? ...that the Coat of arms of Cuba depicts a key charging a blue sea between two rocks, symbolizing Cuba’s geographical position as the key to the Gulf of Mexico? More did you know... New articles... Selected biography José Martí (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a leader of the Cuban independence movement as well as an esteemed poet and writer. He is considered the Cuban people's greatest hero. Quote of the day “ If it is the case that Christians go to Heaven, then I chose to go to Hell, to ensure I never have to clap eyes on such brutes again. ” Taíno chief Hatuey to a Spanish Franciscan friar before being tied to the stake and burnt alive at Yara, 1512. Recognized content Featured articles 1910 Cuba hurricane Cuban macaw Cyclura nubila Ernest Hemingway Charles Edward Magoon Ostend Manifesto Zapata rail Good articles 1999 Baltimore Orioles–Cuba national baseball team exhibition series Anarchism in Cuba Angolan Civil War Buena Vista Social Club Bartolomé de las Casas Fidel Castro Eusebia Cosme Early life of Fidel Castro José Fernández (pitcher) Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution Che Guevara 1846 Havana hurricane Hurricane Lili The Kingdom of This World Konnan Leyla Express and Johnny Express incidents Mi Tierra Oswaldo Payá Luis Posada Carriles The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon Rocky Romero Rum and Coke Yoani Sánchez September 1948 Florida hurricane Solo (Gonzalo Rubalcaba album) Supernova (Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio album) Topics Categories Select [►] to view subcategories ▼ Cuba ► Cuba-related lists ► Buildings and structures in Cuba ► Cuban culture ► Economy of Cuba ► Education in Cuba ► Environment of Cuba ► Geography of Cuba ► Government of Cuba ► Health in Cuba ► History of Cuba ► Missing person cases in Cuba ► Organizations based in Cuba ► Cuban people ► Politics of Cuba ► Ships of Cuba ► Cuban society ► Cuba stubs WikiProjects Main WikiProject: WikiProject Cuba Other related WikiProjects: Geographical: Latin America countries: Argentina • Brazil • Colombia • Ecuador • Peru • Uruguay • Venezuela Caribbean: Dominican Republic • Puerto Rico Central America: El Salvador • Guatemala • Mexico North America: Canada • United States History and Society: African diaspora • Latinos • Mesoamerica Related portals Geography Latin America Caribbean North America Haiti Dominican Republic Jamaica Mexico Puerto Rico Canada United States Associated Wikimedia In the news Wikinews Cuba portal October 27: US announces restrictions on flying to Cuba January 12: State-run bus crashes in Cuba en route to Havana, killing seven March 13: Guantanamo inmate challenges force-feeding practices by suing U.S. president September 26: 2012 Report on Gender Equality and Development credits Icelandic parental policy with 'hopeful' changes Things you can do Wikipedia's maxim is that anyone can edit. If you are interested in Cuba and have useful information that would form a new article or would enhance an existing article, please feel free to take part. Here are some tasks you can do to help with WikiProject Cuba: Task list New article announcements: Rolando Valdés-Blain Requests: Cementerio de Santa Ifigenia, consejo popular (Cuba), Cuban Liberation Army Stubs: Alberto Yarini, Celia Sánchez, Dollar store (Cuba), Sport in Cuba Verify: History of Cuba, Fulgencio Batista Update: Nochebuena NPOV: Armando Valladares, Delfín Fernández, History of Cuba Copyedit: Armando Peraza, Bay of Pigs Invasion, Fabio Grobart, Julio Antonio Mella Cleanup: Abelardo Colomé Ibarra, Antonio Maceo Grajales, Bay of Pigs Invasion, History of Cuba, List of Cubans, Máximo Gómez, War against the Bandits Style: Fidel Castro Expand: Cuba–Soviet Union relations, Baseball in Cuba, Religion in Cuba, Havana's International Book Fair, Cuba–Venezuela relations, Antonio Sánchez de Bustamante y Sirven Portals Activities Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Random portal