Cuba
Background Information
Cuba was discovered by Christopher Colombus in the early days of 1492 and was originally colonized by Spain. the US then claimed Cuba after the Spanish American war in 1898. Cuba then revolted against the US government led by Fidel Castro and Fulgencio Batista was placed as head of state or also known as a dictator. Cuba is 935 miles from the US, and it is surrounded by water on all sides as well. The overall wealth of Cuba as a country is very low compared to other nations.
Weather and Natural Hazards
Cubas climate is very humid and hot pretty much year-round because of its close proximity to the equator. This also means that Cuba also has a lot of rain fall and its rainy season is between May and October. With these environmental factors taken in, some of the environmental issues Cuba faces is soil erosion, deforestation, flooding, and air pollution.
Impacts of Environmental Challenges
Cuba is very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change from rising sea levels, increase in temperature, and a decrease in precipitation. Cuba's government is working had to battle climate change issues by means such as plans to better protect them from hurricanes and adapting to the rising sea levels and extreme droughts. The rising sea level is the biggest concern to the agricultural part of Cuba.
History, People, and Culture
In 1492, Christopher Columbus would claim Cuba as its own while on his maiden voyage. The colony of Cuba finally gained its independence in 1908. Cuba as a country has always been very unstable from the government and economic standpoint and it all boiled over in 1956. This began when Fidel Castro and Che Guevara led an army of guerilla fighters to overthrow the US government. This later led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and it almost caused a war between the US and Cuba and the Soviet Union. Cuba has nearly 11.21 million people living in the country. Havana is the capital of Cuba and is the most populated area having around 2.1 million people within the city. In the country of Cuba, it is mandatory for kids to go to school up until the 9th grade. Cuba has the highest literacy rate in the world, unlike the US. Citizens of Cuba tend to become truck drivers, salespeople, doctors/ health professionals and bartenders. In Cuba, nearly 59% of Cubans population follows Roman Catholic Christianity, and around 24% is non-religious. In Cuba and other Latin American countries fashion plays a huge roll in making them who they are. Their fashion style includes bright colors, elegant designs/patterns, and for the girls they include big skirts.
Animal and Plant Life
Cuba is home to many different types of animals and plants. Some of these animals include, the Cuban Ground Iguana, Land Crab, Cuban Crocodile, Cuban Finch, Cuban Treefrog, Cuban Solenodon, Desmarest Hutia, Cuban Tody, Spinner Dolphin, and the Cuban Trogon. Some of the plants located in Cuba are the Royal Poinciana, Desert Rose, Garden Croton, Red Frangipani, and the Artillery Plant.
Natural Resources that are Available
Some of the most prevalent natural resources available in Cuba are nickel, Cobalt, petroleum, arable land, forest, incredible landscapes, and rich biodiversity. Nickel is Cuba's number 1 major natural resource. Nickel is used for many different products such as magnets, rechargeable batteries, electric guitar strings, and microphone capsules. In just 2021 alone Cuba mined 49.9 thousand metric tons of nickel.
Recent International Attention of the Country
The latest international attention Cuba got was when it got git by hurricane Idalia that led to downed trees, caused widespread flooding, and knocked out electricity across the whole island.
List of References
