About Cuba

The beautiful island called Cuba is located in the Caribbean and is the largest island of the Antilles. In the north Cuba borders on the Gulf of Mexico, in the south lies the Caribbean Sea. Florida is only 140 km away.

Christopher Columbus often got lost - also on his first great voyage, when he discovered Cuba. He was actually supposed to find a sea route to India on behalf of the Spanish crown. Nevertheless, he wrote in his diary about Cuba: "The most beautiful island that human eyes have ever seen".

Even after the independent Republic of Cuba was founded in 1902, the USA retained considerable rights of intervention. Politically and economically, they continued to dominate the island, for example influencing the Cuban presidential elections.

This only really changed with the Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, who led the revolution between 1953 and 1959. On 13 February 1959, he then took over the office of Prime Minister. 

The tense relationship with the USA led to a trade, economic and financial embargo of the United States against Cuba, which still exists today, but was at least eased somewhat from 2015. 

There is a lot more to tell about the Cuban history, which would go beyond the scope here.