Cuba

Cuba, officially known as the Republic of Cuba, is an island country comprising the largest island, Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, and over 4,195 surrounding islands, islets, and cays. Located at the convergence of the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean, Cuba lies east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola, and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Havana is the capital and largest city. With a population of around 10 million, Cuba is the third-most populous country in the Caribbean, after Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and is the largest by area.

The territory has a rich history, being inhabited since as early as the 4th millennium BC by indigenous groups such as the Guanahatabey and Taíno. Cuba became a Spanish colony in the 15th century and remained so until the abolition of slavery in 1886 and subsequent U.S. occupation following the Spanish–American War in 1898, which led to its independence in 1902.

In 1940, Cuba adopted a new constitution, but political unrest culminated in a coup d'état in 1952, bringing Fulgencio Batista to power. This regime was overthrown in January 1959 by the 26th of July Movement, led by Fidel Castro, establishing a communist government. Cuba was a focal point of Cold War tensions, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s resulted in a significant economic downturn known as the Special Period. Fidel Castro retired in 2008 after nearly five decades in power, with his brother Raúl Castro succeeding him. Raúl Castro stepped down as president in 2018, and Miguel Díaz-Canel was elected by the National Assembly. In 2021, Raúl Castro also retired as First Secretary of the Communist Party, marking a significant transition in Cuban leadership.