Compare Cuba (2007) - Cayman Islands (2008)

Compare Cuba (2007) z Cayman Islands (2008)

	Cuba (2007)	Cayman Islands (2008)

Administrative divisions	14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara	8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western
Age structure	0-14 years: 18.8% (male 1,100,672/female 1,042,327) 15-64 years: 70.5% (male 4,019,648/female 4,016,429) 65 years and over: 10.7% (male 554,043/female 660,924) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: 20.3% (male 4,746/female 4,730) 15-64 years: 71% (male 16,135/female 16,964) 65 years and over: 8.6% (male 1,892/female 2,133) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock	vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming
Airports	165 (2007)	3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 70 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 31 (2007)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 95 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 71 (2007)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 110,860 sq km land: 110,860 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 262 sq km land: 262 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania	1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 2,810 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2006.	The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries, and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies, but when the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.
Birth rate	11.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	12.6 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $32.41 billion expenditures: $34.28 billion (2006 est.)	revenues: $423.8 million expenditures: $392.6 million (2004)
Capital	name: Havana geographic coordinates: 23 07 N, 82 21 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	name: George Town (on Grand Cayman) geographic coordinates: 19 18 N, 81 23 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)	tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)
Coastline	3,735 km	160 km
Constitution	24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002	1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Cuba conventional short form: Cuba local long form: Republica de Cuba local short form: Cuba	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cayman Islands
Death rate	7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	4.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$16.62 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20 billion owed to Russia (2006 est.)	$70 million (1996)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US	none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Michael E. PARMLY; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-3700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Dagoberto RODRIGUEZ Barrera; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease	none
Economic aid - recipient	$87.8 million (2005 est.)	$390,000 (2004)
Economy - overview	The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. Since late 2000, Venezuela has been providing Cuba oil on preferential terms, and it currently supplies about 98,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel, including some 20,000 medical professionals. In 2006, high metals prices continued to boost Cuban earnings from nickel and cobalt production. Havana continued to invest in the country's energy sector to mitigate electrical blackouts that have plagued the country since 2004.	With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 68,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 2003, including almost 500 banks, 800 insurers, and 5,000 mutual funds. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 2.1 million in 2003, with about half from the US. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Electricity - consumption	12.27 billion kWh (2005)	372 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	14.65 billion kWh (2005)	400 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m
Environment - current issues	air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation	no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments
Environment - international agreements	party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation	-
Ethnic groups	mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%	mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%
Exchange rates	Convertible pesos per US dollar - 0.9231 (2006) note: Cuba has three currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP), the convertible peso (CUC), and the US dollar (USD), although the dollar is being withdrawn from circulation; in April 2005 the official exchange rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1), both for individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) for each CUC sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC bought; enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1 ratio.	Caymanian dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 0.8496 (2006)
Executive branch	chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100% note: due to an ongoing health problem, Fidel CASTRO Ruz provisionally transferred power to his brother Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz on 31 July 2006 in accordance with the Cuban Constitution; Fidel CASTRO has not yet reclaimed control of the government	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Stuart JACK (since 23 November 2005) head of government: Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS (since 18 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor Leader of Government Business
Exports	NA bbl/day	0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee	turtle products, manufactured consumer goods
Exports - partners	Netherlands 21.8%, Canada 21.6%, China 18.7%, Spain 5.9% (2006)	mostly US (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 4% industry: 24.8% services: 71.2% (2006 est.)	agriculture: 1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	11.1% (2006 est.)	0.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	21 30 N, 80 00 W	19 30 N, 80 30 W
Geography - note	largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles	important location between Cuba and Central America
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999	offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe
Imports	NA bbl/day	2,698 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals	foodstuffs, manufactured goods
Imports - partners	Venezuela 26.6%, China 15.6%, Spain 9.6%, Germany 6.4%, Canada 5.6%, Italy 4.4%, US 4.3%, Brazil 4.2% (2006)	US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2006)
Independence	20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	17.6% (2006 est.)	NA%
Industries	sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals	tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture
Infant mortality rate	total: 6.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	6.2% (2006 est.)	4.4% (2004)
International organization participation	ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	8,700 sq km (2003)	NA
Judicial branch	People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly)	Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal
Labor force	4.847 million note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2006 est.)	23,450 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 20% industry: 19.4% services: 60.6% (2005)	agriculture: 1.4% industry: 12.6% services: 86% (1995)
Land boundaries	total: 29 km border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba	0 km
Land use	arable land: 27.63% permanent crops: 6.54% other: 65.83% (2005)	arable land: 3.85% permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2005)
Languages	Spanish	English
Legal system	based on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legal concepts, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	British common law and local statutes
Legislative branch	unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats; members elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609	unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats; 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 77.08 years male: 74.85 years female: 79.43 years (2007 est.)	total population: 80.2 years male: 77.57 years female: 82.87 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2002 census)	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)
Location	Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida	Caribbean, three island (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) group in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 12 ships (1000 GRT or over) 35,030 GRT/51,388 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 3, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1) registered in other countries: 16 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 11, Spain 1) (2007)	total: 124 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,953,923 GRT/4,597,716 DWT by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 11, chemical tanker 41, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 4 foreign-owned: 122 (Denmark 3, Germany 17, Greece 23, Italy 10, Japan 6, Norway 2, Singapore 10, Sweden 1, UK 9, US 41) (2007)
Military - note	Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR): Revolutionary Army (ER), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2007)	no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	3.8% (2006 est.)	-
National holiday	Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January (1959)	Constitution Day, first Monday in July
Nationality	noun: Cuban(s) adjective: Cuban	noun: Caymanian(s) adjective: Caymanian
Natural hazards	the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common	hurricanes (July to November)
Natural resources	cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land	fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism
Net migration rate	-1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	17.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2007 est.)
People - note	illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border	-
Pipelines	gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2006)	-
Political parties and leaders	Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]	United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; note - no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	11,394,043 (July 2007 est.)	46,600 note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	0.273% (2007 est.)	2.496% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways	total: 4,226 km standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified) note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2006)	-
Religions	nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented	United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.056 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.001 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.838 male(s)/female total population: 0.992 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.003 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.951 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.887 male(s)/female total population: 0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	16 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; wireless service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos which effectively limits mobile cellular subscribership domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of switches digitized by end of 2006; fixed telephone line density remains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular service expanding but remains at only about 2 per 100 persons international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)	general assessment: reasonably good system domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003; introduction of competition in the mobile-cellular market in 2004 international: country code - 1-345; landing point for the MAYA-1 submarine telephone cable network that provides links to the US and parts of Central and South America; submarine cable provides connectivity to Jamaica; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use	972,900 (2006)	38,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	152,700 (2006)	17,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	58 (1997)	4 with cable system (2004)
Terrain	mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast	low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Total fertility rate	1.6 children born/woman (2007 est.)	1.89 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	1.9% (2006 est.)	4.4% (2004)
Waterways	240 km (2007)	-

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