FACTS

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida

Area (only Total: 110,860 sq km

Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)

Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast

Population: 11,423,952 (July 2008 est.)

Main Language (only first): Spanish

Government type: Communist state

Capital (Name): Havana

Capital (Time Difference): UTC-5

Independence: 20 May 1902

National holiday: Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January