What we should know about Cuba

Cuba was original inhabited by Ciboney Taino people from early BC. In the 15th century Cuba became part of the Spanish colonization. Cuba remained a colony of Spain Until 1898 when the U.S. fought the Spanish American War. In 1901 the U.S. and Cuba passed a treaty called the Platt Amendment, which consists of seven conditions for the withdrawal of the U.S. Army. In late 1901 the seven conditions were adopted into their constitution, sealing the Republic of Cuba. The Republic of Cuba only lasted until 1959 as communism took over and the alignment of the Soviet Union fully took place. Which later comes to a close with the Cold War. As you can see Cuba has been passed around quite a bit and that is only a brief summary of it all.

Cuba is the largest Island in the Caribbean. The island is located in the northern sector located just south of Florida and the Bahamas. Cuba's is west of Haiti and above Jamaica. A fascinating fact on Cuba's location is the island is almost centered where three large bodies of water meet; The Gulf of Mexico, The Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.



The main language on the island is Spanish. However with the diversity in ethnic groups there is said to be a "Cuban speech" with many different intonations and accents.

The shift to a socialist state happened in the Cuban revolution (1953-1959) which ultimately severed ties with the U.S. economic dominance in the island. After the dust settled Cuba was now a communist ran nation. Since the revolution Cuba has been riddled with the Cold war and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The cold war was between The Soviet Union and the U.S. in a power struggle after WWII. Ultimately resulting in the fall of communism. This is all just a very brief glimpse into what we will learn on Cuba as we dig deeper into the Blogs!

Sources:

• https://geology.com/world/cuba-map.gif
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Cuba
• https://graphitepublications.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/cuba.jpg