1. Cuba

2. Intro Video
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3. Geography
In the Caribbean sea
Made of 2 islands
Great for trade

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

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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

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

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

11. 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 = USd

12. 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)

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

14. Culture

15. Population
11.22 million
¾ live in Urban areas

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

17. Learn Some Spanish
_children

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

19. 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

20. Appearance Light weight and casual clothing
Students wear uniforms to school

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

22. 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

23. 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

24. Music Samples Cuban Jazz Salsa
Salsa

25. Dance Samples Cha-Cha Bolero
Bolero
Start at 1:30
End at 2:20

26. 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

27. Color the Flag

28. 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.