Common description
The island of Cuba, the island of Juventud and other 1,600 adjacent islands and islets form the Cuban archipelago. It is located in the western part of the Caribbean Sea, and because of its geographical location it was called the Key to the New World and the Outpost of India. The closest areas to Cuba are the island of Espanola, home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, 77 km to the east; Bahamas - 140 km northwest; Jamaica - 146 km to the south; The United States lies 180 km to the north and Mexico 210 km to the west.
The total area of the Cuban archipelago is 110,992 km2, of which almost 105,000 km2 is the island of Cuba, the largest of the Greater Antilles. Cuba could hold three islands of Espanola, nine islands of Jamaica and twelve islands of Puerto Rico.
Cuba is a long and narrow island, which is compared in shape to a caiman. "A long green lizard / with eyes made of water and stone," said poet Nicholas Guillen. The length of the island is 1250 km, the width varies from 32 to 210 km. Its northernmost point is the island of Cruz del Padre, the southernmost is Cape Punta del Ingles; the extreme point to the east is Cape Kemados, and the extreme point to the west is Cape San Antonio. On the shores of the island there are 290 natural beaches, which by their characteristics are quite safe for swimmers.
The Cuban archipelago lies in the tropics of Cancer, which is the border of the subtropical zone of the planet. The climate here is subtropical. The archipelago is washed by a warm sea current - the so-called Cuban counter current. Its thermal influence is reinforced by two other currents crossing the Caribbean Sea in opposite directions. Together they form the Gulf Stream - the "Great Blue River" - in the waters of which you can catch large marlins.
There are no poisonous or dangerous animals in Cuba. Polymites - mollusks with a bizarre and noticeable color of the shell - are found only in Cuba. Sunsuncito, or the bird-fly, the smallest bird in the world, lives here. Singing birds abound. It is estimated that the number of plant species exceeds eight thousand.
The total area of the Cuban archipelago is 110,992 km2, of which almost 105,000 km2 is the island of Cuba, the largest of the Greater Antilles. Cuba could hold three islands of Espanola, nine islands of Jamaica and twelve islands of Puerto Rico.
Cuba is a long and narrow island, which is compared in shape to a caiman. "A long green lizard / with eyes made of water and stone," said poet Nicholas Guillen. The length of the island is 1250 km, the width varies from 32 to 210 km. Its northernmost point is the island of Cruz del Padre, the southernmost is Cape Punta del Ingles; the extreme point to the east is Cape Kemados, and the extreme point to the west is Cape San Antonio. On the shores of the island there are 290 natural beaches, which by their characteristics are quite safe for swimmers.
The Cuban archipelago lies in the tropics of Cancer, which is the border of the subtropical zone of the planet. The climate here is subtropical. The archipelago is washed by a warm sea current - the so-called Cuban counter current. Its thermal influence is reinforced by two other currents crossing the Caribbean Sea in opposite directions. Together they form the Gulf Stream - the "Great Blue River" - in the waters of which you can catch large marlins.
There are no poisonous or dangerous animals in Cuba. Polymites - mollusks with a bizarre and noticeable color of the shell - are found only in Cuba. Sunsuncito, or the bird-fly, the smallest bird in the world, lives here. Singing birds abound. It is estimated that the number of plant species exceeds eight thousand.
Сlimate
Cuba's climate, temperate tropical, is greatly mitigated by warm sea currents that wash its shores, which allows you to relax on the island all year round.
The island has almost only two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. The division into dry and rainy seasons is quite conditional. The tropical dry season lasts from November to April, and the rainy season - from May to October. But in March there may be a heavy tropical downpour, and in June - September for weeks will be dry sunny weather. The average annual temperature is + 26 ° C. The average annual water temperature on the coasts is + 25 ° C in winter and + 28 ° C in summer. The main inconveniences occur in autumn during the so-called hurricane season, which lasts from October to November. But hurricanes in Cuba are irregular, and rarely last two years in a row in the same area and at the same time. So the probability of good weather in the fall is also very high, and the chance of getting into the hurricane is quite small.
The island has almost only two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. The division into dry and rainy seasons is quite conditional. The tropical dry season lasts from November to April, and the rainy season - from May to October. But in March there may be a heavy tropical downpour, and in June - September for weeks will be dry sunny weather. The average annual temperature is + 26 ° C. The average annual water temperature on the coasts is + 25 ° C in winter and + 28 ° C in summer. The main inconveniences occur in autumn during the so-called hurricane season, which lasts from October to November. But hurricanes in Cuba are irregular, and rarely last two years in a row in the same area and at the same time. So the probability of good weather in the fall is also very high, and the chance of getting into the hurricane is quite small.
Currency
The official currency of Cuba is the Cuban peso. 1 peso is equal to 100 centavos. There are two types of pesos: the "ordinary" peso, for domestic payments, and the convertible peso, which is paid by tourists and which is officially equated to the US dollar. In Cuba in 2004 it was forbidden to use US dollars, so the main unit of payment for tourists was the convertible peso. It can be purchased for 25 "regular" pesos. The convertible peso has no value in other countries. When exchanging US dollars in Cuba, 10% tax is levied. You can also use credit cards, the main thing is that payments do not pass through banks located in the United States.
Cuba 
