Famous landmarks in Cuba

Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean Sea, about 150 kilometres south of Florida. It is the largest island in the Caribbean, along with many smaller islands around it. Its capital is Havana, and about 10 to 11 million people live there. Cuba is known for its colourful old cities, classic 1950s cars, lively music and dance, tobacco fields, sandy beaches and rare wildlife.

On My Earth Toy you can visit three landmarks in Havana: El Capitolio, a domed capitol building; Morro Castle, the old fortress guarding the harbour entrance; and Castillo de la Real Fuerza, one of the oldest stone forts in the Americas. Look for the Cuban crocodile too, which lives only in Cuba's swamps.

Geography and nature

Cuba is long and narrow, more than 1,200 kilometres from end to end. Much of it is flat or gently rolling farmland, with mountain ranges such as the Sierra Maestra in the southeast. In the west, the Viñales Valley has rounded limestone hills called mogotes rising from tobacco fields. The Zapata Swamp is home to the Cuban crocodile. Cuba also has the bee hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world.

People, languages and culture

Spanish is the official language. Cubans have Spanish, African and other roots, and this mix created famous music and dance styles such as son, rumba and the cha-cha-chá, which grew into salsa. Baseball is the most popular sport. Rice and black beans, plantains and roast pork are common foods. In Havana, many old American cars from the 1950s are still lovingly repaired and driven.

History in a nutshell

The Taíno and other Indigenous peoples lived here when Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. Spain ruled Cuba for about four centuries, growing sugar on plantations worked by enslaved Africans. After wars of independence and the Spanish–American War of 1898, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902. In 1959 a revolution led by Fidel Castro took power, and Cuba became a communist state with close ties to the Soviet Union.