Cuba by Kai Lazos

1- Overview of Cuba

0615228001 — 2024-08-09 21:00:56 UTC

Cuba is located in the Caribbean sea, making it one of the three Spanish speaking countries located in the Caribbean. The average spoken language in Cuba is Spanish/Cuban Spanish, although a less common language in Cuba is Lucumi, which is a dialect of West African language Yoruba, but is used for religious purpose, which is why it is considered to only be a second language. Although Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, it spans 44,200 miles, making it a bit smaller that Pennsylvania. It's geography includes rolling farmland, mountains, urban metropolises, colonial villages, and white-sand beaches.

2- Current Events

0615228001 — 2024-08-16 20:56:59 UTC

A current event in Cuba is the amount of big protests that have been going on in Santiago de Cuba since the beginning of March. The protests were about the food shortages and the power outages they had been experiencing. Citizens of Cuba say they have been living is a terrible crisis since the early 90s.

3- Traditions

0615228001 — 2024-08-26 15:05:11 UTC

There are many interesting traditions in Cuba, such as the Santiago de Cuba Carnival, which is a festival celebrated in July to honor Santiago de Cuba's history and culture, and has been since at least the 17th century. Another great tradition in Cuba is New years, and although that is a national holiday, in Cuba, they also celebrate the Cuban Revolution. Something Cubans are also known for is their cigars, as it is a tradition to smoke one when celebrating something.

4- Tourism in Cuba

0615228001 — 2024-08-30 20:49:06 UTC

Cuba is well known for their enthusiasm on tourism, and welcome people to visit their country. Many people visit Cuba for their beautiful white sand beaches such as Playas del Este, Playa Varadero, and Playa Sirena. Some historical places that people tend to visit when taking a trip to Cuba are the Museo de la Revolucion, the Castle of the Three Kings of Morro, and La Catedral de la Virgen Maria de la Conception Immaculada de la Habana. Many tourists also like to go to Cuba's fun festivals if they can, such as the Havana Film Festival, the Carnival of Santiago de Cuba, and the Habanos Festival. Cuba gets about 3.7 million tourists on average every single year, as people love to visit the country for their rich traditions, culture, and the overall beautiful scenery the Caribbean island has to offer.

5- Food

0615228001 — 2024-09-23 05:05:06 UTC

Cuba has many different and delicious food options. Some of these dishes include Ropa Vieja, a flavorful shredded beef stew, Moros y Cristianos, a rice and black beans dish, and Picadillo, a dish with ground beef hash with olives, raisins, and sometimes capers. Some popular Cuban desserts are Tres Leches Cakes, Arroz con Leche, and Churros. Cuba has some very flavorful and popular dishes that many people love.

7- Music and dance

0615228001 — 2024-09-23 05:21:37 UTC

Music and dance is a very big part of a lot of Spanish speaking countries. Some of Cuba's most popular music genres are Son Cubano, Salsa, Rumba, and Bolero. Some of these genres have African influences or other Latin American styles thrown into the mix with a Cuban spins. Popular dance styles in Cuba can include Salsa, Danzon, Cha-Cha-Cha, and Mambo. You can see these dances and hear the music at the many little festivals that are thrown all over Cuba, especially in, but of course not limited to, Havana.

6- Sports

0615228001 — 2024-09-24 05:32:40 UTC

There are many different sports in Cuba that can be considered popular, such as boxing, volleyball, and soccer. Although the most popular sport in Cuba by far is baseball! Baseball has a very rich history in Cuba and is considered to be the country's national sport. Of course Cubans enjoy other sports, but these are just some of the most popular ones.

8- Highlights

0615228001 — 2024-09-27 18:58:09 UTC

Cuba is an absolutely beautiful country with amazing culture for multiple reasons. The scenery such as the beautiful white beaches, which was one of my favorite things I heard of while learning about this country, and is also one of tourists' many reasons to visit Cuba, along with their stunning architecture. I also really loved learning about the many different festivals they have, like the Havana Film Festival or the Carnival of Santiago de Cuba. Their culture is, from what I've read, an amazing thing to be able to experience, from their music styles of Salsa, Rumba, and many more, to the food from Cuba, like Picadillo, Ropa Veija, or my personal favorite, Tres Leches cake, all the way to the beautiful traditions they have as a country. Cuba, I feel, seems to be more celebrative of their culture than the U.S. is of their own. Although the U.S. does have some areas in which they have beautiful celebrations, Cuba just seems to celebrate much more than the U.S. and in much more fun ways, such as big festivals where they dance and listen to their coutries beautiful music. The U.S. and Cuba, although different from one another, are both very welcome to tourists and both have a very keen love for music! I think that I'd love to travel to Cuba someday, but more specifically Havana, as it seems to be a hotspot for all of the festivals and the heart of Cuba, and is known to be one of the most well known cities in all of Cuba, esspecially with it being the countries capital.