Cuba facts

Cuba has two currencies. Moneda nacional (national money or the Cuban peso) is the currency that wages are paid in and some goods are sold in. The convertible pesos (CUC) is the currency tourists must exchange their dollars, euros, or other currencies for. Many goods are sold, even to Cubans, only in CUCs.05.04.2010

Fidel Castro. Castro's speech from 1960 at the United Nations was 4 hours and 29 minutes long. His longest speech on record in Cuba was 7 hours and 10 minutes in 1986 at the III Communist Party Congress in Havana.

Fidel Castro ruled Cuba for 52 years (1959-2011). He was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Commander in Chief of the country’s armed forces, Prime Minister (1959-1976) and President (1976-2008).

Santiago de Cuba. The capital of Cuba is Havana. The other largest cities are: Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Holguin, Guantánamo, Santa Clara.

Alberto Korda. The photograph portraying the bust of a thirty-one-year-old Che Guevara was taken by Cuban photographer Alberto Korda. The image, which became an unofficial international symbol for revolution, was taken at a rather somber gathering. On 5th March 1960, a memorial service was held in honor of the victims of the La Coubre explosions in Havana, Cuba. The photographer later said that he was drawn to Che’s magnetic persona and above all, his facial expression. He later said that the revolutionary’s face reflected grief and anger and showed “absolute implacability.”