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Cuba

✨ The magic island of music

Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean Sea, located between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and Caribbean seas. The main island is the largest in the Caribbean and stretches about 1,250 km from west to east. The country also includes many smaller islands and islets. Its capital and largest city is Havana, on the northwestern coast.

Much of Cuba consists of plains and low hills, while mountains rise in the east. The highest point is Pico Turquino, at about 1,974 metres above sea level. Cuba has a warm tropical climate, with a generally wetter season from May to October and a drier period during the rest of the year. Tropical cyclones may affect the island, particularly from June to November.

Cuba contains a variety of natural environments, including forests, wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs and coastal habitats. Its long coastline is marked by numerous bays. The island has many native species, some found naturally only in Cuba. They include the Cuban crocodile, hutias and the bee hummingbird, one of the smallest birds in the world.

Limestone has also produced caves and karst landscapes, especially in western and central Cuba. Agriculture is important, with sugarcane, tobacco, citrus fruits and other crops cultivated. Mountains, plains and surrounding seas influence the climate, ecosystems and human activities.

💡 Did you know?

Did you know that Cuba is home to the smallest bird in the world? It's called the bee hummingbird or 'Zunzuncito.' It is so small that it weighs less than a coin and can be mistaken for a large bumblebee! Its wings beat so fast you can barely see them, and like other hummingbirds, it’s the only bird capable of flying backward.

If you go to Cuba, you will feel like you're traveling back in time. All over the streets, you see thousands of American cars from the 1950s in bright colors like pink, blue, or orange. They are called 'Almendrones.' Since it was difficult to buy new ones for a long time, Cubans became mechanical geniuses to repair and keep these old cars in perfect working order!

Look closely at a map of Cuba: its elongated and slightly curved shape looks a lot like a crocodile! For this reason, Cubans affectionately nickname their island 'El Cocodrilo.' And speaking of crocodiles, you can find the Cuban crocodile in Cuba, a very rare species famous for its ability to make great leaps out of the water to catch its prey.