Cuba

Intro Video http://www.goorulearning.org/#collection-play&id=dd788d90-d437- 43b2-9c3e-7e966f6f1c23&share=true

Geography In the Caribbean sea Made of 2 islands Great for trade

Size 42,803 square miles Idaho is 83,642 square miles

Regions- Divided by mountain ranges West: hills and valleys East: tropical forests Center: prairies and most of population

Weather and Climate Climate is warm and humid Average annual temperature is 75°F November to April is the dry season May to October is the hot and wet season This also comes with hurricanes

A little bit of history… 1492: Columbus arrived 1511: Spanish colony established 1535 enslaved natives had been wiped out by disease and hard labor 18th Century: African slaves brought to work on plantations 19th Century: sugar became the basis of the economy 1952: Fulgencio Batista established a dictatorship in a military coup. This only increased corruption.

A little bit of history… 1959: Fidel Castro overthrew Batista The US broke ties with Cuba and they lost their financial support Cuba found support with other communist countries Mostly the Soviet Union When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990’s, Cuba lost their financial support which hurt their economy and standard of living The government began to push for tourism and international investment to help recover.

Government Socialist – led by communist belief National Assembly has legislative authority (601 people) This assembly makes decisions on leaders Any opposition parties are illegal

Government The president is the head of government Current president is Raul Castro (Fidel Castro’s brother) Opposition parties are illegal

Economy When the Soviet Union fell and their financial support was lost many people wanted to leave the country Government changed some laws to make work more available so people wouldn’t leave Currency is the peso but the dollar is also legal and used frequently 1 peso = 0.038 USd

Exiles Many people fled the country when the Soviet Union collapsed. Those who left were considered traitors and were not welcomed back Many fled to the United States with hopes of a better future. Read the story of Lydia Martin in the text book (page 390)

Education Free Education and is a priority to many Mandatory for 5-12 year old 90% of kids continue to secondary

Culture

Population 11.22 million ¾ live in Urban areas

Language Spanish is the official language There are some unique dialects special to Cuba Must learn English in Secondary school

Learn Some Spanish http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/spanish_vocabulary_for _children

Religion Not very religious Many were baptized Catholic but don’t actually practice regularly Churches must meet government requirements

Attitudes Cubans are generally warm, friendly, and outgoing Positive Attitudes regardless of the situation Despite the troubles of the country, Cubans remain patriotic. Punctuality and schedules are not stressed

Appearance Light weight and casual clothing Students wear uniforms to school

Customs Men shake hands and women kiss on the cheek to greet each other Extremely social, wherever they go

Food Dinner is the biggest meal of the day Eating out is not common because it is expensive Staples are rice and beans, potatoes, eggs, and corn Most of the food eaten is locally grown

Recreation Most popular sport is baseball Boxing, basketball, swimming, and volleyball also popular Music and dance is essential to life Cuban jazz and salsa are popular music styles Cha-cha and bolero are popular dances

Music Samples Cuban Jazz Salsa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqs99W-8YGw Salsa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtbSGeek2HE

Dance Samples Cha-Cha Bolero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWrZXehnkAg Bolero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GngKfiDSfQQ Start at 1:30 End at 2:20

Family Cuban families are tight knit and strong Extended families usually live together because of housing shortages Christmas and Easter are important family holidays January 1st is liberation day and they celebrate the revolution

Color the Flag

Chocolongo There is a circle on the board. One person will be blindfolded and spun 5 times They must then try to put there hand inside the circle They have 3 tries to place their hand in the circle. After three tries it is the next persons turn.