Geography Facts
Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, with a length of 1 200 km. It is also the name of an archipelago covering an area of 110 922 km², comprised by the Isle of Youth and 4 195 adjacent keys and islets. It is located at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, 77 km from Haiti (east), 210 from Yucatan, México (west), 180 km from Florida, USA (north) and 140 km from Jamaica (south).
Cuba has More than 300 natural beaches extending some 600 km, with more than 100 dive sites, unspoiled keys, grottoes, caves, mountains, forests, savannas and swamps.
Cuba is divided into 18 provinces. Havana is the capital while Santiago de Cuba is considered the country’s second capital
Language
Official language: Spanish
English and French are also spoken widely, especially in the tourist sector.
Population
11 237 154 inhabitants
Climate
Just below the Tropic of Cancer, Cuba has a moderate subtropical climate. Being long and narrow, on an East-West axis, it is cooled by trade winds and sea breezes.
The weather is stable with predominance of warm temperatures so there are no extreme temperatures, either high or low. The mean temperature is 25.5 º C (77 º F).
| Averages Temperature (ºC) | ||||||||||||
| Months | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jly | Aug | Spt | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Sea | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
| Air | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 23 |
| Averages Temperature (°F) | ||||||||||||
| Sea | 75 | 75 | 77 | 79 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 79 | 77 | 75 | 75 |
| Air | 72 | 72 | 75 | 77 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 77 | 73 |
Dry Season: From November to April (it is also the coolest period)
Rainy Season: From May to September (it is the warmest period)
The hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th. Cuba posses enough experience at this matter, and counts with prepared institutions to prevent, prepare, control and organize this kind of situation if it were necessary
Time Zone
The official time is that of time zone 19 determined by meridian 75° west longitude. When it is 12 m in Greenwich, it is 7 am in Cuba, in other words GMT-5 hours. The country is on Eastern Standard Time like the entire east coast of the United States and Canada. As in many countries, Daylight Savings Time applies during April to October and clocks are set ahead one hour in order to take advantage of the sunlight.
Clothes
Cotton dresses and the like are most suitable practically all year round. However it is necessary to note that from late October to March, the entry of cold fronts are quite frequent, especially during December, January and February, when the temperature can drop at night to below 10 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit). During this time of year, travelers should bring a light woolen sweater or gabardine. If you are traveling during the rainy season (May to October), it is advisable to bring a light raincoat or water-proof jacket. Although casual clothes (jeans, shorts, shirts, etc) are appropriate in most places, when attending theaters, deluxe restaurants, concert halls, etc, visitors are required to use more formal clothes; a long-sleeve shirt and tie will do, without ruling out the use of a jacket which is not unusual.
