Cuba is usually known for its complicated and controversial politics, but this country has plenty of other interesting fun facts that have nothing to do with the Castro family or a tumultuous political past.
13 Random Fun Facts About Cuba
1. Christmas did not become an official holiday in Cuba until 1997, in preparation for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba in 1998 and to work towards greater religious freedom
2. Cuba is often called El Caimán or El Crocodrilo, which is Spanish for Alligator because the aerial view resembles an alligator.
3. The prehistoric fish, the Manjuarí, is now only found in Cuba.
4. Cuba is the most populated country in all of the Carribean, with more than 11 million residents.
5. Cuba has the highest doctor to patient ratio in the world. There are so many doctors in Cuba, that doctors are often sent abroad to countries with a great need of medical professionals.
6. Cuba holds one of the highest literacy rates in all of Latin America.
7. During the 1950s, Cuba published 58 daily newspapers. The number has since been reduced to a little under 20.
8. Bacardi rum was originally manufactured in Cuba. However, the brand moved to Puerto Rico after Fidel Castro’s takeover.
9. Ernest Hemingway wrote “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “the Old Man and the Sea” while he lived in Cuba.
10. Cuba has one of the lowest birth rates in all of the Western Hemisphere.
11. Cuba is full of US cars from the 1950s. This is because they’re the only cars Cuban citizens can legally own. Only pre 1959 cards that were seized from their original owners can be privately owned and worked on. All newer cars are owned by the government.
12. Cuba is home to the Bee Hummingbird, which is the world’s smallest bird. An adult will only grow to approximately 2 inches in length.
13. In 2000, Fidel Castro unveiled a John Lennon Statue in John Lennon Park and declared the musician a “true revolutionary.”
Did you know any of these fun facts about Cuba? Can you add anymore of your own?
Infographic: 13 Random Fun Facts About Cuba
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