Cuba Facts for Kids

Cuba facts: Colonial cities, Vintage cars and Caribbean beaches

What you will find on our Cuba Facts for Kids page:

Now let's discover more interesting facts about Cuba which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids. We will start with some quick basic facts and then will learn more about the largest island country in the Caribbean.

Cuba for Kids
Basic Facts

• Population: About 11 million people (2026)
• Capital: Havana with 2.1 million inhabitants 
• Name: Republic of Cuba
• Nickname: "Pearl of the Caribbean"
• Government: Socialist republic
• Official language: Spanish
• Religion: mainly Christians (65%, of these mainly Catholics)
• Currency: 1 Cuban peso (CUP) = 100 centavos
• National Symbols: Royal Palm Tree (national tree), the Cuban trogon also called tocororo (national bird), Mariposa flower (national flower)

• History: The first people of the area include the Indigenous Taino and the Ciboney (or Siboney) people who move there from South America. The Taino were farmers while the Ciboney people were hunter gatherers. Christopher Columbus landed on Cuba on 28 October 1492. Cuba was a Spanish colony until the Spanish-American war in 1898. The first Spanish settlement was founded in 1511. After the war, Cuba became a protectorate of the United States of America. On 20 May 1902, Cuba became an independent republic. After the Cuban Revolution, the country came under communist rule. The country was led by Fidel Castro from 1959 until 2006, when he handed power over to his brother Raúl Castro. Since 2019, the president of Cuba has been Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Cuba Map & Location
Where is Cuba?

Cuba is a country in the Northern Hemisphere and is part of the North American continent. Cuba is an island nation at the northwestern end of the Caribbean island chain and the largest in the Caribbean Sea.

The island nation lies about 150 km/ 90 miles south of Key West in Florida/ USA and about 210 km/ 130 miles east of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Where is Cuba?

Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean and bigger than all the Caribbean islands combined!

This island country is close to many neighbouring countries: the USA and the Bahamas are to the North and Northwest, Mexico to the West, Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Hispaniola island are to the East and Jamaica is to the South.

Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba and more than 1,600 smaller islands, islets and cays.

The island stretches about 1,250 km/ 776 miles from east to west but is quite narrow with only about 191 km/ 118 miles at its widest point and as little as 31 km/ 19 miles at its narrowest!

Cuba Facts
Cuba Geography

The largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba is about the same size as England and Wales combined. Cuba is also slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Pennsylvania or Bulgaria and slightly larger in area than Guatemala.

The largest city of Cuba is the capital city Havana which is located in the northeast of the island. The capital city is home to about 2 million people. All other cities are much smaller and have less than half a million inhabitants including Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey.

Cuba's capital city Havana

Cuba is divided into 15 provinces plus one special municipality which is Isla de la Juventud, the country's second largest island.

There are various landforms in Cuba and the terrain is varied. About three quarters of the island are covered by lowlands or rolling plains, which makes it ideal for farming, especially sugar cane is farmed in Cuba.

Valle de los Ingenios

Mountains cover about one quarter of the island. There are three main mountain ranges:

• Sierra Maestra in eastern Cuba with the highest and most rugged mountain range and Cuba's highest peak, Pico Turquino.
• Sierra del Escambray in central Cuba which rises to 1,156 m at Pico San Juan.
• Sierra de los Organos in Western Cuba with dramatic limestone hills in the Vinales Valley

The Viñales valley in Cuba is known for its karst landscape with unique limestone formations. Here you can explore mogotes, a unique mountain formation which consists of isolated hills with very steep walls and caves. 

Mogotes in Cuba's Viñales Valley

Playa Paraiso

Playa Paraiso on Cayo Largo del Sur is one of the most famous beaches in the world. However, Cuba is known for many picturesque beaches and cays. Many beaches can be easily reached from Havana, such as the scenic Playas del Este and Playa Santa María del Mar. Popular Varadero beach is about 2 hrs from the capital city.

Amongst the most popular with visitors and locals from Santiago de Cuba are Playa Siboney (Siboney Beach) and Playa de Berraco. 

Cuba Facts
Climate

Cuba has a subtropical climate with two main seasons:

• Dry season from November to April with warm, sunny days and cool nights. There is very little rain during these months.
• Wet season from May to October with hot and humid weather and rain. This is also hurricane season.

The temperatures range between 22°C/ 72°F and 32°C/ 90°F throughout the year.

As the Caribbean island is situated in the hurricane belt, Cuba is struck by a hurricane roughly every 3 years. However, Cuba has developed an advanced hurricane preparedness system which is widely seen as one of the best in the world. 

Flooding after Hurricane Irma struck in 2017 - image by Inspired by Maps/ shutterstock.com

The Cuban warning system focuses on evacuation and warning and is excellent and the preparedness protects many lives, contrary to the lack or less effective warning systems that are used on many other Caribbean islands.

Facts about Cuba
Geo Superlatives

• Cuba has the longest coastline of all Caribbean islands. The coastline is 3,735 km/ 2,320 miles long.
• The largest island of the archipelago is Cuba, the mainland, and the second largest is called Isla de la Juventud. 
• The highest mountain in Cuba is Pico Turquino which is 1,974 m/ 6,476 ft high. This mountain is located in the Sierra Maestra mountains in eastern Cuba.
• Cuba's longest river is the Cauto River (Rio Cauto) with 370 km/ 230 miles. The river flows through the provinces of Granma and Santiago de Cuba. Zaza and Sagua la Grande are the other main rivers in Cuba.
• Cuba has many waterfalls. While the highest waterfall is Salto Fino with about 305 m/ 1,000 ft, the often cited El Nicho waterfall and cascades in Cienfuegos seem to be the most popular location for visits.

El Nicho waterfall - image by Robert Harding Video/ shutterstock.com

• Cuba's deepest cave Cueva Martin Infierno contains the world's largest stalagmite, which stands 67 metres tall!
• The largest natural freshwater lake of Cuba is Laguna de la Leche (Milk Lagoon) in Ciego de Avila province. The lake has a milky-white appearance which is caused by limestone deposits.
• The Zapata Swamp (Cienaga de Zapata) in central Cuba is the largest wetland in the Caribbean. This is one of the most important bird habitats in the Americas and is home to over 175 bird species!

Cuba Facts 
Attractions and Landmarks

Cuba is an attractive, but often overlooked, tourist destinations in the world. The country has many incredible places to explore, from colonial cities frozen in time, to dramatic limestone mountains and coral reef islands.

Cuba houses the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites of any Caribbean nation with 9 fabulous and unique sites to discover including the Vinales Valley, Old Havana and Trinidad.

Old City Centre in Havana - image by Kamira

Havana: The capital city located in the northwestern region of the country is a wonderful introduction to the country. Old Havana was founded in 1519 and is one of the best-preserved Spanish colonial city centres in the Americas. The old part of the city is called Habana Vieja. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The historic buildings are painted in pastel colours. When you walk through the cobblestone streets it feels like stepping back in time! 

Capitol in Havana

Havana's parliament building, called Capitolio Nacional, has recently been restored and the golden cupola can be seen from afar. El Capitolio is modelled after the United States Capitol in Washington D.C./ USA and even is slightly higher and bigger than the building of the US Capitol that was constructed already in 1800. The parliament building also houses a planetarium and the three museums in there are all worth a visit.

Trinidad in Cuba

Trinidad: The town in central Cuba is known as the country's best preserved town and thus is often described as an open-air museum with its Spanish colonial architecture and pastel coloured buildings. The town was founded in 1514 and became wealthy from enslaved labour in the 18th and 19th centuries. The nearby Valley de los Ingenious (meaning "Valley of the sugar mills") was once the centre of the sugar and tobacco industry and ruins of about 70 old sugar mills can be visited in the area. 

Manaca Iznaga Tower in the Valle de los Igenios - image by Jerome LABOUYRIE/ shutterstock.com

Santa Clara: The university city in central Cuba is known for Marta Abreu who initiated the building of several schools, the theatre, a power plant and the train station as well as care homes for children and the elderly in this city in the 19th century. The city today is a cultural hub. The rebel and revolutionist of the Cuban revolution, Che Guevara is buried in Santa Clara.

National palace in Santa Clara

Santiago de Cuba: The second largest city of Cuba is located in the eastern part of the island and is famous for the huge cathedral and for its historic fortress San Pedro della Roca. 

Castle in Santiago de Cuba

Cuba's historic towns and cities offer many fascinating museums and insights about life in a country where today communism is part of the constitution.

And then there are lots of outdoor activities to enjoy as well, such as hiking, biking, swimming, sailing and exploring the more than 600 Cuban beaches.

Family outing in Varadero

Cayo Largo del Sur: With some of the most stunning beaches in the world, this Cuban cay has white sandy beaches. This is one of the most famous resort islands and located in the South of Cuba. Playa Paraiso is a picture perfect beach just as the name tells us, Sirena beach, which is also absolutely stunning, is the most popular beach on Cayo Largo.

Cayo Largo del Sur: Playa Sirena in Cuba

Cuba Facts for Kids
Cuba Economy

Cuba has a unique developing economy which is currently going through a severe crisis. The country is one of the few remaining socialist states with a centrally planned economy. The state owns and runs most businesses and industries, which makes it very different from most countries, where private businesses and free markets dominate. 

Even though in recent years the private sector is expanding, most people suffer from an extreme shortage of basic living supplies. There are frequent power cuts and there is very little fuel for transport.

Cuba faces significant economic difficulties due to the US Embargo that locals refer to as 'el bloqueo' (the blockade). Since 1962, the USA has had a trade and financial embargo (blockade) on Cuba. This means there is very limited trade with the USA. The main trading partners of Cuba are China, Spain, Canada and Russia. Cuba had a dual currency until recent reforms in 2021 and the country frequently faces electricity cuts, also called blackouts, that last many hours per day.

People pay for staple food and supplies with coupons from their libreta. A libreta is a ration book with coupons for monthly food supplies such as rice, sugar, meats and basic supplies such as cooking fuel. Food and basic supplies are rationed due to above-mentioned economic challenges.

Fresh vegetables at a market stall in Havana

Cuba's main industry sectors are agriculture, tourism, mining, especially nickel and cobalt, and manufacturing.

The main agricultural products are sugar and citrus fruits, tobacco, rice, bananas and beans. For many centuries, sugar was Cuba's most important industry. In the 1970s, Cuba was the world's largest sugar exporter.  

Cuba sugarcane harvest

Tourism is now Cuba's single most important source of foreign currency. About 2.4 million visitors, mainly from Canada, visited Cuba in 2023.

Cuba is also known for "exporting" doctors and healthcare workers as the country runs medical missions in about 60 countries. More than 25,000 Cuban healthcare workers are estimated to work overseas, many of them work in developing countries in Africa and Latin America in exchange for payment or goods or oil.

There are only a few larger cars in Cuba. And those that can be seen driving around in the streets of Havana are often considered old-timers. Car buffs will love to see all the American cars from the 1950s. The import of foreign cars was restricted under Fidel Castro and after the 1960s mainly Russian and Chinese cars were imported to the island.

Today, new cars are very expensive and spare parts for the older models are not available anymore. Many Cubans simply cannot afford to buy a new car so they either drive their old cars as long as they run. Only a few people are able to buy a small car.

Cars used for public transport in Havana

Cuba Facts for Kids
Cuban People & Culture

Cuba is a diverse and vibrant nation with a rich cultural heritage that has been shaped by its Indigenous Taino and Ciboney people, the Spanish colonisers, African enslaved people, and later the Chinese and other immigrants. The Cuban people are very welcoming and friendly.

The Cuban culture is influenced by the Spanish, African, Caribbean and Taino cultural traditions. Cuba is known for its unique music style and dances such as the rumba, mambo and cha-cha-cha which originally come from Cuba.

Music

Cuba has also had an enormous influence on world music. The musical traditions blend Spanish guitar with African rhythms and percussion. 

Cuban musicians

Here are some music styles that are known all over the world.

• Son Cubano is the original Cuban music style and the roots of salsa!
• Salsa has developed from Son in the 1960s-70s and is now danced around the world. Salsa actually developed largely in New York among Caribbean musicians.
• Mambo was developed in the 1940s in Havana and then became a dance craze all over the world.
• Cha-cha-cha was invented in Cuba in the 1950s and is one of the most popular Latin dances
• Rumba is Afro-Cuban music and dance that UNESCO has inscribed on its Intangible Heritage list

Language

The official language in Cuba is Spanish, which most people speak with a Cuban dialect. 

Cuban Spanish has its own distinctive accent and vocabulary, influenced by African languages and local slang. Some unique Cuban Spanish words:

Sport

Baseball is considered the national sport of Cuba. Cubans also enjoy playing soccer, basketball, volleyball and some are interested in boxing.

The national baseball and volleyball teams are especially strong and have won several Olympic medals!

Famous People in Cuba

Famous people in Cuba include:

• José Martí (1853-1895) is Cuba's greatest national hero. Poet, writer and revolutionary hero who fought for Cuban independence from Spain. 
• Celia Cruz (1925-2003) is known as the "Queen of Salsa" and one of the most influential Latin musicians.
• Javier Sotomayor (born 1967) is a high jumper who set the world record of 2.45 metres in 1993. He is the only person to ever clear 2.44 m/ 8 ft or higher and this is the longest-standing field event world record!
• Dulce María Loynaz (1902-1997) was one of Cuba's most celebrated poets and writers. In 1992 she won the Premio Cervantes, which is the highest literary award in the Spanish-speaking world, aged 89 years!
• Alicia Alonso (1920-2019) is one of the greatest ballerinas in history. The Cuban dancer, who was almost completely blind, founded the Cuban National Ballet
• Fidel Castro (1926-2016) is the revolutionary leader who overthrew the government in 1959 and ruled Cuba for almost 50 years
• Che Guevara (1928-1967) is the Argentine-born revolutionary who fought alongside Castro. His face is one of the most recognised images in the world.

A famous American writer, Ernest Hemingway, lived in Cuba for over 20 years from 1939 until 1960. He loved the country so much he dedicated his Nobel Prize award in 1954 to the Cuban people. His Nobel Prize medal is stored in a shrine in El Cobre. His home near Havana, called Finca Vigia, is now a museum.

Cuba Facts
Food in Cuba

Cuban food is a blend of Spanish, African and Caribbean cooking styles. Most dishes use simple ingredients: black beans, rice, plantains, tropical fruits and root vegetables. Meat is costly and not always available. Fresh green salads, fruits and vegetables, however, are used widely in the Cuban cuisine.

Cuban dish 'ropa vieja'

Among the most popular dishes is ropa vieja. This dish is usually considered the Cuban national dish. It consists of shredded beef cooked in a rich sauce with tomatoes, peppers and onions. The name, meaning 'Old Clothes' in Spanish, comes from the shredded beef that looks similar to a pile of torn, frayed rags! It is believed to have originated with poor Cuban families who shredded any leftover meat to stretch it further.

Other typical Cuban dishes include:

• moros y cristianos: the name of this dish literally means 'Moors and Christians', and refers to the black beans and the white rice. This dish is found throughout the country and is a common meal served in Cuban restaurants.
  
• frijoles negros: the dish is made with black beans that have been cooked with garlic, onions and bell peppers and a bay leaf until the beans are tender. Black beans are eaten in many Cuban dishes.
• lechon asado: this dish consists of slow roast pork, usually a whole pig is marinated in sour orange and garlic and then slow roasted. Lechon asado is a special dish eaten at celebrations
• ajiaco: a traditional Cuban beef stew made with root vegetables and meat. The dish dates back to  indigenous Taino cooking
• tamales: these corn dough parcels that are stuffed with spiced pork and wrapped in corn husks and then steamed. This dish originally stems from indigenous people and is eaten in many Caribbean countries.

Cuba Facts
Animals in Cuba

Cuba is an island and thus many animals evolved there in isolation over millions of years. Many of the species that developed here are not found anywhere else on our planet! These so-called endemic species include the Cuban rock iguana, the Cuban Amazon parrot (loro) and the bee hummingbird, the zunzuncito, which is the smallest bird in the world.

Cuban zunzuncito

The tiny Bee Hummingbird is so small that it is often mistaken for a large insect and sometimes gets caught in spider webs! The zunzuncito is only about 5–6 cm long, smaller than a human thumb. Their eggs are tiny too, about the size of coffee beans. Hummingbirds beat their wings about 80 times per second and produce a buzzing sound like a bee. Zunzun is Spanish and the word sounds a bit like a buzzing bee.

The national bird is the Cuban Trogon, called tocororo in Spanish. Its red, white and blue feathers match the Cuban flag. 

Tocororo

The largest land mammal in Cuba is the Cuban hutia which looks a bit like a large furry rat. The hutia lives in forests and rocky coastal areas and grows up to 60 cm/ 2 ft. long!

Cuban hutia

Cuba is home to many endangered animals too. Among them are the Cuban crocodile, and the Almiqui, a small shrew-like creature that is one of the two venomous mammals in the world.

Cuba Facts
FAQs

Where is Cuba located?

Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean Sea. It lies south of Florida (USA), east of Mexico and west of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

How large is Cuba compared to other Caribbean islands?

Cuba is bigger than all other Caribbean islands combined

What language do people speak in Cuba?

The official language is Spanish. Cubans speak a special form called Cuban Spanish, which has its own accent and expressions.

What is Cuba's national sport?

Baseball is played in Cuba by more than 60% of the population. The popular sport has 

Why is Cuba's economy unusual compared to most countries?

Cuba is a socialist state where the government owns and runs most businesses and industries.

What is unique about Cuba’s healthcare system?

Cuba has a large public healthcare system and sends thousands of doctors and nurses to work in other countries as part of international medical missions.

Why are there so many old American cars in Cuba?

Many classic American cars from the 1940s and 1950s are still used in Cuba because car imports were restricted for decades. People carefully repair and maintain these old vehicles.

What is Cuba's national bird, and why was it chosen?

The Cuban Trogon also called tocororo was chosen for its red, white and blue feathers that match the Cuban flag!

Why is Cuba sometimes called the "Pearl of the Caribbean"?

Cuba is called the "Pearl of the Caribbean" because of its beautiful beaches, tropical climate, and important location in the Caribbean Sea.

***

We hope you enjoyed reading our Cuba Facts for Kids. Make sure to bookmark this page, as we plan to add on more information. Feel free to contact us if your school would like to work on a school project about Cuba (animals, food, people, traditions, games, sport etc.) with us and we will publish your students' work.

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Cuba Facts for Kids
Resources

• Cuba Tourism Portal. "Cuba Facts - Geography of Cuba". CubaTravel. Last accessed 11 March 2026
• Visit Cuba. "Discover the five best beaches". VisitCuba.com Last accessed 11 March 2026
• Ashley Coates. "Is this the end of the road for Cuba's classic cars?" The Independent. 9 February 2017. Last accessed 11 March 2026

Picture credits on Cuba Facts for Kids: Shutterstock.com 

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