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The
Caribbean harbors a jewel in the Island of Cuba.
The tropical Island extends 750 miles and is
a beautiful mix of mountain ranges and plains.
There are hundreds of bays and sun drenched
beaches to explore. The main ports are l in
the provinces of Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo,
Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas and Santiago de Cuba.
Cuba
has no plants or animals that are lethal to
humans. The mountain ranges include the Sierra
Maestra to the East, the Cordillera de los Organos
to the West, and the Sierra del Escambray in
the central region.
The
elongated island of Cuba is the largest island
in the Caribbean and is bounded to the north
by the Straits of Florida and the North Atlantic
Ocean, to the northwest by the Gulf of Mexico,
to the west by the Yucatan Channel, to the south
by the Caribbean Sea, and to the east by the
Windward Passage.
The Republic comprises the entire island, including
many outlying islands such as the Isle of Youth,
with the exception of Guantanamo Bay, a naval
base that has been leased by the United States
since 1903.
The
economy of Cuba is based on state ownership
with some small scale private enterprise existing
at the fringes. Tourism has become one of the
largest sources of income for Cuba, and in 1993
the U.S. dollar was made legal tender (the country
operated under a dual-currency system); this
arrangement was, however, revoked on 25 October
2004.
The
Cuban economy was hit hard in the early 1990s
following the collapse of the Soviet Union and
the Comecon economic bloc, with which it had
traded predominantly. More recent problems include
high oil prices, recessions in key export markets
such as sugar and nickel, damage from hurricanes
(most recently an estimated 1 billion dollars
economic damage from hurricane Charley), depressed
tourism, and faltering world economic conditions.
In late 2003, and early 2004, both tourism levels
and nickel prices increased. One other factor
in the recovery of the Cuban economy is the
remittances of Cuban-Americans (which constitute
almost 3% of the Cuban Economy, by some estimates).
Cuba currently trades with almost every nation
in the world (including the U.S.).
Use the guides below to help you decide where
to go on your next holiday
Long-haul
destinations
Antigua Jamaica
Bahamas Kenya
Bangkok Luxor
Barbados Maldives
Cancun Mauritius
Cayo Coco Phuket
Cuba Sharm
El Sheikh Dominican
republic Sri Lanka
Gambia Tobago
Goa Varadero
Brazil Dubai
Grenada Cozumel
Hong Kong Huatulco
Puerto Vallarta
Riviera Maya
Seychelles St
Lucia Aruba
Short-haul destinations - coming soon
Spain
Turkey
Portugal
Bulgaria
Alanya
Algarve
Almeria
Benalmadena
Benidorm
Estepona
Fuengirola
Hisaronu
Icemeler
Madeira
Marmaris
Mojacar
Nerja
Olu Deniz
Puerto Banus
Roquetas De Mar
Salou
Torremolinos
Turkey
Croatia
Malta
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