Interesting Things You Might Not Know About Cuba

Everyone knows that Cuba is famous for cigars, rum and rumba. But did you know you could go to jail for killing a cow? Here are 21 interesting things you might not know about Cuba. Some are interesting, others are random.

The Republic of Cuba.

The Republic of Cuba, to give Cuba it’s official name, is divided into 15 provinces.

A fifth of the population live in Havana.

Over 2 million people live in Havana. That’s nearly a fifth of Cuba’s 11 million population.

Santiago used to be Cuba’s capital city.

Before Havana became the capital of Cuba at the end of the 16th century, Santiago de Cuba was considered Cuba’s most important city because of its sea port.

The main religions practiced are Catholicism and Santeria.

Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly Spanish and African origins. Santeria is a combination of the Yoruba religion of Africa and Catholicism.

Cuba has 9 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Seven of those sites are cultural and two are natural.

Sugar Cane is Cuba’s main crop.

You’d be forgiven for thinking tobacco is Cuba’s main crop, but you’d be wrong (as would I). In fact Sugar Cane is the main crop grown in Cuba – closely followed by tobacco of course.

Baseball is Cuba’s most popular sport.

The Cuban national baseball team is currently ranked 5th in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings.

It’s illegal to slaughter cows.

Only the state (or those explicitly authorised by the state) are allowed to slaughter cows and sell the meat because there are so few cows in Cuba.

Milk is very expensive.

All milk produced in Cuba is bought and distributed, or sold, by the government. Due to the cattle shortage, milk is very much a high commodity in Cuba which makes it very expensive. On average, one litre of milk in Cuba costs around 1.90 CUC (approx £1.50) which is about 10% of the average Cuban’s monthly wage.

The government distributes free milk.

The government gives one litre of milk every day to pregnant women, children between the ages of 0 – 7, the elderly (in some cases) and people with some terminal or chronic illnesses.

Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world.

At 99.7%, Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world.

Education is free.

Education in Cuba is 100% funded by the state – this includes primary school, high school and university education.

Everyone must do national service (unless they study medicine).

Both men and women must do between 1 and 3 years national service once they finish their education. Men have to do military service and women have to do social service. The only exception to this is for those who study medicine at university.

Qualified doctors and lawyers work in bars and restaurants.

Although the tourist industry offers a lower rate of pay, tips and gifts from tourists more than make up for the low salary.

80% of medicine is natural.

Healthcare in Cuba is free for everyone. I was told that around 80% of medicine in Cuba is natural (although I don’t know how accurate this figure is).

It’s illegal to ignore hitch-hikers.

There is a law in Cuba that requires drivers of government vehicles (vehicles with a blue stripe on the number plate) to pick up hitch-hikers. Many Cubans hitch hike on a regular basis. They hitch-hike to school, to work, into town. It’s generally very safe and very normal for Cubans.

Women stay in the family home forever.

It’s not unusual for three or four generations to live together under the one roof. When a woman marries, the husband generally moves in with the in-laws.

The smallest bird in the world lives in Cuba.

The Bee Hummingbird (zunzuncito) is the world’s smallest bird. It’s between 1 and 2 inches in size and weighs less than 28 grams. And it lives in Cuba.

There are no dangerous snakes.

Cuba has various species of snake but none that are poisonous to humans.

There is only one internet provider.

Cuba’s state owned telecoms agency, Etecsa, is the only internet provider in Cuba. Internet access in Cuba is expensive and wifi is only available at Etecsa wifi hotspots with a pre-paid wifi card.

Fidel Castro was a John Lennon fan.

The John Lennon park in Havana has a full-size bronze statue of him.