Probably, to find a person who has never heard of Cuba, which is also called the Island of Freedom, is almost impossible in our time. The country experienced difficult times, but at the same time survived, was able to become more powerful and independent. Therefore, the geographical position of Cuba, as well as its impact on the formation of the economy, flora and fauna, is worth telling in more detail.
Why is Cuba so called
Cuba received the status of an independent state from Spain back in 1989. But the name itself appeared much earlier. Today it is difficult to unambiguously deal with the etymology of the word. Some experts believe that Columbus himself gave it to the island, who discovered a new mainland and named it in honor of the small village of Cuba, located near the city of Beja in Portugal.
There is also an opinion that the word comes from the dialect of the Taino Indians who lived on some islands of the Caribbean. In their dictionary, the word cubao means a place with fertile land. Of course, due to the geographical location of Cuba in the "Islamic" language (Arabic) would be called "dzhannat" - paradise.
Alas, today it is almost impossible to completely refute any of these versions.
Where is Cuba located
If you are interested in Cuba, the geographical position of the country is very important to know. It is located in the West Indies. Moreover, this is not one or several large cities, as some people think. In fact, Cuba consists of 1600 islands and reefs! Their total area is 110,860 square kilometers. Of course, due to their small size, most of them are unpopulated.
It is no coincidence that in some textbooks one may come across the question: "What unites the geographical location of Great Britain, Iceland, Cuba and Malta?" The answer is simple: they are all island states.
Most of the entire state is occupied by one island, which gave it a name. The area of the island of Cuba is 105 thousand square kilometers. The second largest island - Huventud, formerly called Pinos - has an area of only 2,200 square kilometers.
Pros and Cons of Location
Of course, such an unusual geographical location of Cuba brings considerable benefits, but also causes many difficulties.
The relief on the island is very complex. There are gently sloping beaches, vast valleys, impenetrable jungles, dangerous swamps, and also quite high mountains, for example, Turkino peak has a height of more than 2 kilometers.
The climate here is very warm, tropical. Yes, it’s not an easy task to survive a hot midday in the summer - the temperature reaches + 35 ... + 38 degrees Celsius, which, in total with high humidity, can bring down even a person who is familiar with the heat. But in winter it does not happen cold - even at night the temperature does not drop below + 12 ... + 15 degrees.
This climate allows you to do without massive buildings, heating and other very serious costs. Fertile land allows you to grow anything by harvesting 2-3 crops per year.
In addition, the location in the middle of the Caribbean makes Cuba a convenient port - ships often go here from Europe to North or South America, and vice versa.
The downside is a large number of hurricanes, frequent storms. Often, coastal residents have to leave their homes in order to go into the depths of the island, fleeing hurricanes with showers.
For a long time, constant heat and tropical humidity were the causes of dangerous epidemics. However, to date, the situation has been taken under control. The fact is that healthcare in Cuba is simply excellent. If you compare with other countries in America (both South and North), it turns out that local medicine is second only to Canada, confidently bypassing the United States and even more so Mexico and Brazil. And this despite the fact that health care is completely free, while in the United States, even for minor procedures, you have to pay a lot of money.
Native flora and fauna
If we talk about the pros and cons of the geographical location of Cuba, then it is worth noting the unique animal and plant world.
As befits a tropical island, a considerable part of it is covered with real jungle. In total, about 3,000 different plants grow here - both evergreen and deciduous. Moreover, half of them are endemic, that is, they do not grow more anywhere in the world. A government program aimed at landscaping the island has led to the fact that today 30% of the land is covered by forests - against 14% several decades ago.
But mammals are not very many. You can find here rodents of jutia, Cuban crabfish, deer (were imported from other countries), as well as 23 species of bats.
On the contrary, there are a lot of birds. The almost complete absence of predatory animals led to the island becoming a bird paradise. 360 species of birds live here, 20 of them are endemic. Flamingos, hummingbirds, blackbirds, nightingales, parrots, vultures and many other birds chose this place as their home.
The climate is great for reptiles and amphibians. It is difficult to walk through the forest or the coast without meeting various frogs, snakes (mostly non-poisonous), turtles, crocodiles and many others.
State economy
The Cuban government is diligently developing various sectors of the economy, exporting a wide variety of goods - from elite cigars and nickel, which is mined here in large quantities, to sugar and tropical fruits (plantations occupy a large part of the country).
There is also oil, albeit not in the largest quantity, and tourism is also booming. Ports also make a significant contribution to the country's economy.
In general, the economic and geographical position of Cuba could be the key to the prosperity of the whole people. Alas, American sanctions, introduced back in 1960, cause enormous damage to the country - according to various sources, Cuba loses from 1.5 to 16 billion dollars a year.
And yet, per capita GDP is, according to 2010, 9900 dollars. For comparison - in our country, this figure is 8900 dollars.
Army of cuba
As already mentioned, Cuba is also called Liberty Island. But freedom is never given for nothing. And the locals are ready to fight for it to the last. The government supports them and is constantly building up the army. For a relatively small population (11.2 million people), the army is quite large. The total number of military personnel is 49 thousand people. To this it is worth adding 39 thousand reservists who have undergone appropriate training. Civil defense forces reach 50 thousand people. You should also take into account the presence of various paramilitary groups, which include almost 40 thousand people. In addition, if necessary, the state will be able to mobilize up to 3.8 million soldiers in a matter of months.
Tanks are represented by Soviet developments - from T-34-85 to PT-76. Their total number is 900 cars. For comparison: the Bundeswehr, the most powerful army in Europe (after the Russian one), boasts about 1,050 tanks, and far from all of them are modern.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. Now you have learned more about the geographical position of Cuba, its impact on the climate and economy of the country. And at the same time we read a little about the history and even the Armed Forces of Liberty Island.