|
1
- Political Status
Political regime :
Cuba is a
one-party people's democratic republic.
The President of the State Council is Mr Fidel
Castro Ruz, he has been in office since the 3rd
December 1976. Before that he was Prime Minister
since 1st January 1959.
The President is in charge of a 30 member State
Council and a Council of Ministers.
There are 589 members in the National Assembly who
are elected by the Municipal Assemblies for a five
year term of office.
There is only one political party, the Cuban
Communist Party (PCC), with Mr Castro as its first
secretary.
The government is communist. the capital is
situated in Havana.
The constitution dates from 24th February 1976 and
was modified in 1992.
There are 14 provinces and a special
municipality.
The voting age is 16, and voting is done by general
election.
The judicial power is held by the Tribunal Supremo
Popular
The capital is situated in Havana.
Historical
outline :
Cuba was
discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
It was colonized by Spain from 1511.
1517 : statute authorizing the importation of black
slaves
1762 : British occupation (one year)
1868 : first war of independence, called the 'Ten
Year War'
1869 : the first Republic of Cuba
1878 : re-establishment of Spanish colonization
1886 : abolition of slavery
1895 : second war of independence
1898 : intervention of the United States against
Spain. Cuban independence.
Cuba became an independent republic on 20th May
1902 after the defeat of Spain. It remained closely
dependent on the Americans both diplomatically and
economically. Its judicial system is based on both
Spanish and American law with elements of communist
theory.
From 1925 to 1933 parity was established between
the peso and the dollar.
At this time the country was ruled by the dictator
Gerardo Machado
1934 : coup led by Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar
1953 : first offensive by partisans of Fidel
Castro, who overthrew Batista on 1st January
1959.
13th February
1960 : first trade agreement with the Soviet
Union
19th October 1960 : American embargo on trade with
Cuba
17th April 1961 : the Bay of Pigs, the American
landing was a failure
October 1962 : the island is blockaded by the USA
to deny entry to Soviet rockets
1965 : the
official creation of the Cuban Communist Party
1972 : Cuba joins the CAEM, a group of Marxist
countries and becomes a member of Comecon, a
communist trade block
12th October 1991 : the 4th Congress of the Cuban
Communist Party was held in Santiago. Fidel Castro
established Marxist orthodoxy on the
island.
15th March 1993 :
Fidel Castro is re-elected for a five year term of
office as President
26th July 1993 :
the dollar is legalized in Cuba
20th February
1993 : the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs
makes an official visit to Cuba to discuss
continuing the supply of petrol to the island
4th March 1994 : Canada (André Ouellet)
agrees to give aid to Cuba
5th September 1995 : Cuba concludes a trade
agreement with Russia to exchange 1.7 million tons
of sugar against 3 million tons of
petrol
24th February
1996 : 2 civil aviation Cessnas belonging to
America are shot down by 2 Cuban Migs.
November 1996 :
Fidel Castro meets Pope Jean Paul II in Rome
November 1999 : the Ibero-American summit was held
in Havana.
2
- Geographical situation
Cuba is the
biggest island in the West Indies, encircled by the
Mexican Gulf, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean
at about 180 kms from the south of Florida.
It is surrounded by over 1500 small islands, e.g.
the archipelegos of Camarguey and Cannaeros, Sabana
and the Jardines de la Reina.
The biggest river
is the Rio Canto which is 240 kms long.
There are several mountains in the east and the
Sierra Maestra range stretches over the south east
of the island. The highest peak is the Pico
Turquino at 1,994 m.
The total surface
of the country is 110,920 square kilometers. There
are 3,735 kms of coastline.
The Guantanamo
naval base was conceded for perpetuity to the
United States in 1903.
It is situated on the south eastern part of the
island, covers 1,116 sq. kms. and holds 2,500
Americans.
The lease can only be ended by mutual agreement or
if the Americans leave the base.
3
- Economy
Cuba is
the biggest country in the Caribbean, but it is
classified as a poor country.
It is a developing agricultural and industrial
nation, which suddenly lost its economic aid from
the ancient Soviet bloc. In 1989 Cuba was doing 72%
of its external trade with the Soviet Union and 90%
with the Comecon.
Its relations with the Comecon concerned exchanges
of merchandise but also means of financing and long
term projects.
These agreements disappeared with the dissolution
of the Eastern bloc.
Excluded from the
World Bank, the IMF and the IBD by the United
States, Cuba is obliged to borrow at extremely high
short term rates (nearly 19%).
This situation has been made even more detrimentary
by the fact that the market value of the main
sources of export revenue, sugar and nickel, are
lower than that of petrol which is the main item
imported.
The tripling of the price of petrol and the fall in
the international market value of sugar (in spite
of a good harvest, +20%), which is still the main
Cuban product exported, have created a gulf in the
deficit of the balance of current operations by
over 100% compared to 1999.
This deficit is equal to the amount of foodstuffs
imported into the island.
(The lack of petrol in the country means people
have to use bicycles; 50% of the buses can't run
because of lack of fuel and spare
parts.)
The fact that the
value of nickel has held up and the rise in the
exports of tobacco have partly compensated in the
loss in the sugar harvest.
The country is
counting heavily on the developement and the
expansion of tourism, its revenues rose by 30% in
1999 (in 1998 the income was 1.8 billion dollars
for 1.4 million tourists).
Tourism is the principal source of foreign currency
together with the money sent in by emigrants to
their families.
A campaign to
economize energy and the growing use of natural gas
have helped in limiting petrol importation.
This will to increase national production is aimed
at all the sectors to try and restrict imports.
It is a strategy which necessitates the renewal of
existing installations and factories and the
creation of new ones.
The exportation
of non-traditional products has increased (e.g.
pharmaceuticals), particularly towards the
Caribbean where relations with the Caricom (a
grouping of 15 Caribbean countries in a common
market with a common custom tariff) have been
consolidated.
Relations with
Washington remain a deciding factor for the
economic future of Cuba, still under American
embargo.
The re-opening at the end of 1999 of some flights
from New York and Los Angeles (for the moment it
only involves some charter flights), then the
decision taken in June 2000 to authorize some
limited sales of American food and medicines to
Havana, seem to forecast a progressive lifting of
the embargo.
This relative
improvement in relations should encourage the flow
of foreign investments which the country needs to
loosen external constraints.
A liberal regime to repatriate profits and
dividends makes investment attractive, particularly
since it can be done in all the sectors, except for
health, education and national defense.
But the slowness of the structural reforms, which
are indispensable in domains like price fixing or
exchange rates, will hold back Cuba's economic
developement in the middle term.
The banking
sector has been modernized and an effort has been
made to improve the management and the efficiency
of public enterprises.
In 1993 the Cuban
regime authorized people to work for
themselves.
A few months later it gave Cubans the right to own
dollars.
In October 1994 it was made legal to sell
agricultural products on free markets.
Nowadays, the peasants have to give 80% of their
production to the official market and they can sell
the other 20% for their own benefit.
The developement
of individual enterprise, which concerned
particularly the creation of restaurants, has
slowed down.
The dollarization of a part of the Cuban economy
has worsened the inequality between those who have
access to dollars and the rest of the population
who survive with difficulty on Cuban
pesos.
It is forbidden
for foreign companies to employ Cubans
directly.
The company has to pay the employee's salary, in
dollars, to Acorec, a State organism, which pays
the employee in pesos.
In Cuba, people
are often obliged to have two sources of income or
two jobs.
Economic
Statistics
|
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
|
economic
growth (%)
|
2.5
|
1.2
|
4.2
|
5.0
|
|
inflation
(%)
|
1.9
|
2.9
|
5.0
|
5.1
|
|
public
balance/GDP (%)
|
-1.7
|
-2.3
|
-3.0
|
-2.8
|
|
rate of
unemployment
|
6.8
|
6.6
|
7.0
|
6.5
|
|
exports
(billions $)
|
1.8
|
1.4
|
1.5
|
1.7
|
|
imports
(billions $)
|
4.1
|
4.2
|
4.9
|
5.7
|
|
balance
of trade (billions $)
|
-1.6
|
-2.5
|
0.3
|
0.2
|
|
current
balance/GDP (%)
|
-2.2
|
-1.9
|
-2.2
|
-2.6
|
|
external
debt (billions $)
|
11.4
|
12.5
|
12.6
|
12.9
|
General information
|
global
GNP 1999
|
9.02
billion $
|
|
GDP per
capita
|
1,250
dollars
|
|
Purchasing
power parity (PPP)
|
3,250
dollars
|
|
Growth
of GNP per capita
1990-1997
|
+1.0%
per annum
|
|
Households
with PPP +$30000pa
|
90,000 =
3%
|
|
Households
with PPP +$15000pa
|
245,000
= 8%
|
|
Households
with PPP -$5000 pa
|
1,060,000
= 34%
|
|
Aid
1998
|
0.183
billion $
|
|
Tourist
revenue 1998
|
1.626
billion $
|
Exports
:
Products exported
are sugar, nickel, shells, tobacco, medical
products, citrus fruits and coffee.
Trade partners are : Russia 15%, Canada 9%, China
8%, Egypt 6%, Spain 5%, Japan 4%, Morocco
4%.
To try and
increase exportation, the Cuban government has been
developing Free Trade Zones since 1996. These zones
have attracted companies specialized in commercial
activities and services.
The aim is now to create industrial zones.
Three zones already exist, Berroa, Wajay and Mariel
and a fourth one, Cienfuegos is envisaged. For the
moment there are 317 foreign companies installed in
these free zones which have generated a turnover of
50 million dollars in exports.
Imports
:
$5.7 billion's
worth of goods are imported, these are mainly
petrol, foodstuff, machines and chemical
products.
The main part of the imports come from Europe
51,28% (Spain 22%, France 11%), Latin America
17.2%, Japan 0.9% and Canada 10%.
Customs duties
are among the lower average of those practised in
Latin America, but the system of price fixing by
the state (by mutiplying with a coefficient of 2.4)
makes the imported products very
expensive.
4
- Agriculture
The 1994
agricultural reform dismantled 300 big State
farms.
Some 4,000 co-operatives and 100,000 small private
properties which have a usufructuary right to the
land provide 67% of the production (tobacco, rice,
coffee ...).
While the food crops, mostly rice, potatoes and
maize, remain stable and are still not sufficient
to feed the population, the sugar crop, which is
the country's main export product, increased by 20%
in 1999.
But this result must be put into context : the
sugar production had dropped in 1997 and 1998 due
to bad climatic conditions.
The 1999 sugar production remains 10% lower than
the 1996 one.
In the early
1990s the lack of petrol, fertilizer and tyres made
the labouring of the land very difficult. Normally
20% of the surface should be replanted every year,
but there has not been sufficient means.
The plants have grown old and need a good dose of
fertilizer.
The present harvest is approximately 30 tons per
hectare, while in Peru for instance, the harvest is
100 tons per hectare.
The agricultural
sector employs 23% of the working population and
contributes 62% of the GNP.
28% of Cuban territory is farmland.
Coffee, cocoa,
sugar cane and tobacco are the main crops. In all
8,960 square kilometers are irrigated.
33% of the farmed land, 1,100,000 hectares, are
devoted to sugar cane.
Sugar
:
The sugar sector (the Minza, Dept of Sugar) is in
reality an economy within the economy :
- there are over 156 sugar factories, 113 in
working order, but all urgently need to be
modernized
- the sector has tens of thousands of train wagons
and more than 7000 kms of railway line
- 500,000 people are employed in the sector and at
least 1.5 million Cubans depend on it.
Today the goverment is encouraging research in
productivity and diversification rather than just
pushing production.
Tobacco
:
Solutions have to be found concerning the
inadequacies of the production system, over the
last years there has been both overproduction
(particularly in 1998) while certain parts of the
market were out of stock.
The Altadis group, which is a merger between the
Seita and Taacalera (French and Spanish tobacco
companies) have taken over 50% of the Cuban cigar
distribution of the Corporacion Habanos SA,
creating a new company Habanos SA, which will
consolidate the commercialization of the famous
brands.
Rum :
Havana Club (50% belonging to the group Pernod
Ricard and 50% to Cubaron the Cuban producer) have
sold 15 million bottles in 1999 making the brand
the highest selling brand of spirits in the world
for the last three years.
Potatoes and
beans are grown as well as several fruit :
pineapple, avocados, bananas, watermelon and citrus
fruit. Rum and honey are also produced.
Agriculture
(in millions of tons, head, m³ for timber)
|
Production
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
Rating
|
|
wood
|
2.756
|
2.756
|
2.756
|
-
|
-
|
|
cocoa
|
0.002
|
0.001
|
0.002
|
0.002
|
|
|
coffee
|
0.017
|
0.020
|
0.021
|
0.021
|
|
|
sugar
cane
|
41.300
|
38.900
|
35.000
|
35.000
|
8
|
|
maize
|
0.104
|
0.126
|
0.130
|
0.130
|
21
|
|
oranges
|
0.283
|
0.482
|
0.400
|
0.400
|
-
|
|
potatoes
|
0.365
|
0.330
|
0.330
|
0.330
|
-
|
|
rice
|
0.369
|
0.419
|
0.420
|
0.420
|
-
|
|
cattle
|
4.601
|
4.606
|
4.650
|
4.650
|
-
|
|
sheep
|
0.310
|
0.310
|
0.310
|
0.310
|
-
|
|
pigs
|
2.400
|
2.400
|
2.400
|
2.400
|
|
|
fishing
|
0.110
|
0.123
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Fishing : essential for the country, an
average of 100,000 tons fished which includes
lobster, crayfish and shrimps which have an
international reputation.
There is a real potential in
aquaculture.
Forests :
there are forests of mahogany, oak, pine, palm
trees and ebony.
Forest covers 17% of the country, but not much of
it is exploited.
5
- Industry
Cuban industrial
activities are : petrol refining, textile
manufacturing, chemical products, paper and wood
products, fertilizers and agricultural
machinery.
In the energy
sector petrol extraction is a State priority, as is
the developement of other natural resources,such as
gas and nickel.
Thanks to new
foreign investment in the form of joint-ventures,
petrol production has increased by 25%, reaching 3
million tons.
Cuban crude oil is heavy and sulphurous and is used
in the electricity power stations, covering more
than half the island's electricity needs.
The oilfields in the Mexican Gulf, in spite of
their depth, should be producing 80% of their
potential by 2005.
In 1999 local petrol also covered 100% of the needs
in cement production which reached 2 million
tons.
The government
also wants to modernize its thermal power stations
and build new sections.
They are also modernizing eight Soviet units of 100
megawatt electrical production and three Czech
units of 125 megawatts.
Cuban is the
sixth biggest producer of nickel in the world. It
has the biggest open deposits in the world. The
production of nickel was 70,000 tons in 1999.
Cuba also covers 12% of the world's market needs in
cobalt.
According to the
Cuban committee 'estadal de estadisticas' the
industrial sector represents 40% of the global
social production.
The major
exception to the setbacks in Cuban industry, such
as the nickel factory in Moa which is not used, the
nuclear power station in Jaragua which was
abandonned after it was built, the Cienfuegos
refinery which is nearly completed and which will
not be exploited, is the pharmaceutical industry
which is of a high quality.
6
- Other sectors
Since its revival in the early 90s, the tourist
sector has created over 250,000 jobs directly and
indirectly. It would appear today to be the
motivating force of change on the island.
In 1999 Cuba recorded a 13% growth in tourism, the
WTO elected Cuba the "country of the year 1999" for
the Caribbean due to the increase in the number of
visitors.
The Cuban authorities have made a lot of effort in
their promotion to attract a more diversified
clientele, particularly European.
Tourism revenue represents 53% of the country's
foreign currency.
Tourism generates infrastructural needs in
transport, telecommunications and water
distribution.
The number of airline companies flying to Cuba is
constantly on the increase, there were 48 in 1997,
52 in 98 and 57 in 99.
Tourism also stimulates national production in
industry and agriculture.
Local production now covers 51% of the needs,
compared to only 18% in 1990.
In 2000 Cuba should go over the 2 million tourist
mark, 1.6 million visited the country in 1999 - a
result which placed Cuba at the forefront of the
Caribbean destinations.
Canadians make up the biggest number (276,300)
followed by Germans (182,200).
Cuba is hoping to receive as many as 7 million
tourists by 2010, this idea is creating a frenzy of
hotel building. At the moment there are 34,000
rooms, managed by 21 hotel chains, 17 of which are
foreign, these foreign chains are more and more
numerous on the Cuban market (Sol Melia, Tryp, Riu
and Iberostar (Spanish), Accor, Club Med, Pasea
(French), Golden Tulip (Dutch), LTI (German),
Sandals, Superclubs (Jamaican), Leisure
(Canadian).
All these operators agree that Cuba is the
destination of the future.
Other sectors are
also developing.
The State is trying hard to modernize
telecommunications and a 500 - 800 million dollar
investment programme is underway, with 500,000
replacements and new lines.
The real estate
sector is progressively opening up to
foreigners.
The number and
breakdown of foreign companies installed in Cuba
(on 2nd March 2000) :
Spain 191, Panama 112, Canada 48, Italy 41, Mexico
38, France 32, Germany 20, Holland 17, Venezuela
15, Virgin Islands 15, Japan 13, Britain 10,
Switzerland 10.
French companies
installed in Cuba:
Telecommunications : Alcatel
Airline companies: Air France, AOM
Foodstuffs : Pernod Ricard, Bourgoin, Souflet
Agriculture : Seita/Altadis
Pharmacy, Agrochemicals : Aventis
Tourism : Accor, Pansea, Club Med
Energy : Total, Elf, Babcock, Devexport
Trading : Sucres & Drenrées, Dreyfus
Construction : Bouygues
Banks : BNP, Société
Générale
Automobile : Peugeot, Citroën
7
- Population
There are
11,200,000 inhabitants in Cuba.
The population density is 99 inhabitants per sq.
km.
78% of the population is urban.
Havana, the capital has a population of
2,300,000.
The population is originally Spanish but over half
of the population has black origins :
51% halfcasts, 37% whites, 11% black, 1%
Chinese.
- 0 - 14 year
olds : 21.65%,
-15 - 64 year olds : 69.12%,
- 65 years and over : 9.23%.
life expectancy : 76.19 years
demographic
growth 1997-2015 (%) : +0.4
infant mortality (%) : 0.7
energy consumption per capita TOE : 1.45
population without drinking water (% pop) : 7
population without sanitary installations (% pop) :
34
n° of doctors for 1000 inhabitants : 3.6
telephone lines per 1000 inhabitants : 34
mobile telephones per 1000 inhabitants : 0
private cars per 1000 inhabitants : 16
n° of computers per 1000 inhabitants :
54.1
adult illiteracy (%) : 4
secondary schooling/age sector (%) : 81
graduates/age sector (%) : 12
The number of people of working age (15 to 65
years) is 8.1 million, of which 5.5 million are
active (84% of them in industries and
services).
8
- Language
Spanish is the official language, but English and
French is also spoken in most of the hotels and on
tourist sites.
9
- Religion
Most of
the population is Roman Catholic (85%), there are a
few other minorities.
10
- Weights, measures &
.voltages
The
electricity is 110 volts single-phase with American
plugs which have flat prongs.
Take an adaptor with you.
The metric system is used.
11
- Money
The Cuban
currancy is the peso. 10FF = 1.3 Cuban pesos
(PC)
1 Peso = 1 $US approxi.
You don't need to have pesos as everything can be
paid in American dollars, and the prices are marked
in dollars. The peso is only used in places
reserved for locals.
Take small dollar notes with you, for transport
etc.
You can change your French francs into dollars in
most of the hotels.
Not many banks are open to tourists.
Credit cards are accepted nearly everywhere so long
as they are not from an American bank, travellers
cheques or a credit card from American Express will
be refused.
It is forbidden to take pesos out of Cuba.
Don't change your money in the
street.
12
- Main towns
Havana
: a
population of 2,600,000.
San Cristobal de La Habana, was named capital of
Cuba during a mass on 25th July 1519.
In spite of all Cuba's difficulties, Havana remains
an enchanting town, with the beauty of its baroque
palaces and its colonial houses, and the kindness
of the local people.
You have to look at it from Morro point when the
sun is setting and the pastel coloured
façades on the Malecon, which is a perfect
curve running 8 kms round the seafront, glow with
the reflection of the bright red sky.
The square around the Cathedral is surrounded with
18th century buildings, it is the centre of Havana
life. Unesco has declared the old town a World
Heritage site, the ex-managing director of Unesco,
M'Bow described Havana in this way : "churches and
convents, palaces and stately houses make up an
ensemble in which the harmony of forms, the bright
colours and the boldness of the architecture
combine to create an exceptional charm.
Here the Sevillian arcades open up to palm trees,
the bars at the Castilian windows are entwined and
curved, the ironmongery on the balconies and the
doorways with their columns jostle with elaborate
arcades made of exotic woods."
On the Prado, the wide street running through the
town where the most magnificent houses of Havana
are situated, the Capitol, an exact copy of the one
in Washington, and the American cars from the 1950s
are a constant reminder that one of this last
strongholds of communism is only a bit more than
150 kms off the coast of Florida.
Museo de la Revolucion : built in 1922, this old
palace of the dictator Batista is now the biggest
history museum in Cuba.
In
Cienfuegos
the Palacio de Valle, residence of a supremely rich
Spaniard, offers a surprising mixture of baroque,
kitsch and Moorish styles.
Santiago
de Cuba :
Nestled between the legendary Sierra Maestra and
the Atlantic, Santiago has an oriental feel to
it.
The historical centre of the town which sits in a
magnificent bay surrounded by mountains, contains
the superb Casa de Diego Velasquez, dating from
1522, the Bacardi museum and numerous palaces,
museums, churches and picturesque narrow
streets.
The heart of Santiago is the Cespedes Parque, under
the eye of the angel on the cathedral. Santiago was
where the conquistadors started out from and also
the cradle of the Revolucion.
Varadero
: a peninsula at only about three hours bus ride
away from Havana, the Varadero beach stretches over
20 kms and the temperature of its transparent sea
varies between 23° and 28°.
A third of Cuba's hotels are built on this strip of
sand.
Nothing much remains from the old town, only some
coloured wooden houses hidden among the hibiscus
and the icaqiers.
On the sea front the neo-classical palace of Dupont
de Nemours bears witness to the craziness of the
American billionaire and the extravagance of the
epoch.
Matanzas
: the old sugar capital, 42 kms from Varadero, has
an interesting historical centre as well as the
Cuevas de Blamar : caves 2 kms deep with an
underground river running through them.
Jammed in between two bridges, the Plaza de la
Vigia proudly displays its Sauto theatre where
great personalities, amongst which Sarah Bernhard,
have performed. Next to it the Palaccio Del Junco,
in neo-colonial style, is painted bright
blue.
Trinidad
: a quiet sleepy little town, which is considered
to be one of the most beautiful colonial towns in
Latin America.
Do a cultural and historical walking tour : the
plaza Mayor, all shades of sorbet, with its palm
garden, the convents (San Francisco...), the
churches (Santa Ana, Santissima Trinidad...), the
museums (palacio Cantero, palacio Brunet and the
Guamuhaya archeological museum).
Cayo
Largo : a 22
km long island situated 177 kms south of Havana.
Its corals and shipwrecks have made it a popular
diving spot.
Other towns are :
Holguin, Marianao, Camagüey, Santa Clara,
Nueva Gerona, Moa, Baracoa, Bayamo,
La Caloma, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de
Avila, Las Tunas, Guantanamo.
13
- Climate
The climate is
sub-tropical with temperatures from 18° to
35°C.
The sea temperature goes from 24 to 28°C.
The dry season is from November to May and the
rainy season from June to October.
Light winds keep the climate cool.
The best season to visit Cuba is from the end of
November to mid-April to avoid the rains.
On average once every two year there are hurricanes
on the east coast in September or
October.
Temperature
averages (max/min) :
................................J
...........F ..........M .......A ........M
..........J ..........J .........A ...........S
.........O .........N .........D
Santiago...........
28/18 ...28/18 ...29/19 ...29/20 ...29/21 ...31/22
...32/23 ...32/23 ...32/23 ...31/22 ...29/21
...29/20
Havana
.............26/18 ...26/18 ...27/19 ...29/21
...30/22 ....31/23 ...32/24 ...32/24 ...31/24
...29/23 ...27/21 ...28/19
Sea
temperatures :
Monthly average :
................................J
...........F ..........M .......A ........M
..........J ..........J .........A ...........S
.........O .........N .........D
Havana
................25 .........25 ..........26
.......26 .......26 .........27 ........28
.......28 ..........29........ 28 .......27
.........26
Santiago
.............25 .........25 ..........26 .......26
........27 ........27 ........28 .......29
..........29 .........28 ......27
.........26
14
- Fauna and flora
There are
mosquitoes on the coast in the summer.
Coconut crabs are very noisy and can keep you awake
if you are sleeping near the beach, but they are
not dangerous.
Other animals on the island include boars, deer,
crocodiles which have been bred there, iguanas
(which are not dangerous).
There are no poisonous snakes.
Birds include pelicans, parrots, the Tocororo (the
national bird which has the same colours as the
flag) and frigate birds.
Sea life include crayfish, tuna, barracuda,
urchins, turtles and sponges.
Flora :
Cuba has one of the richest island flora in the
world.
Over half is endemic : royal palm trees, coconut
trees, eucalyptus, pine trees, cedars, mahogany
trees, baobabs, mango trees, orange trees, sisal,
sugar cane.
There are rare flowers : orchids and mariposa,
Cuba's national flower, white and heavily perfumed,
which was a symbol of rebellion and purity during
the wars of independence.
15
- Working in the country
Before going
:
The language
:
It is advisable to take Spanish lessons or improve
your level.
The possibility of finding a good job will depend
on how well you speak the language.
There are several language institutes in France
which can quickly bring you up to a decent
level.
Formalities to
be completed if you are working for a French
company :
If your employer is a French or international
company you don't have to worry about
formalities.
Usually the administrative services deal with all
the formalities concerning the expatriate
staff.
Unless you are the only representative of your
company in the country (sales representative, or in
charge of a liaising office ...), in this case you
will have to deal with the formalities
yourself.
Preparing for
your departure and looking for a job :
You can start searching for information by writing
to French associations established in the country,
economic expansion services, commercial services of
foreign banks in France and French banks
abroad.
The French
consulate usually has a service dealing with jobs
and training, student grants and reinsertion in
France, and they can put you in touch with local
enterprises who are willing to accept French
personnel.
(See also
in the Practical Guide for the
Expatriate).
The French
Chamber of Commerce also offers information about
the job market, the most dynamic sectors of the
economy, and edits a bulletin for French companies
and local members.
You could publish a job application in this
bulletin.
The Trade
Commission in Cuba, or the CFCE in Paris can
furnish you with a list of French companies
established in Cuba.
Documents about
the country are usually available in the cultural
service of the Cuban Embassy in Paris.
You can however
prepare your trip in a more precise manner by
making a personal appointment with the Franco-Cuban
Chamber of Commerce in order to complete your
information and get professional advice.
While you are
hunting for information you could contact companies
directly by sending a spontaneous candidacy
proposing your services.
The international
departments of the Chambers of Commerce and
Industry often have information about the country
available.
Directories and useful dossiers from the country
can be helpful in getting information on sectors of
activity and the local economic life.
Where to find
job offers :
In the French press (Le Monde, Le France Soir,
Figaro, Moniteur du Bâtiment, expat magazine
...)
for French companies sending people
abroad.
In the
international press, in nearly all the bigger
dailies there exists a page or a selection of job
offers
(The European, The Guardian, Vacature, Coriere
della Sera, The Geneva Tribunal ..)
Leading
recruitment bureaus in Europe, and interim
companies sometimes offer international
jobs.
There are several
data banks specializing in job offers abroad on
Internet which are easily accessible.
Writing your
CV and covering letter :
Your dossier is a
determining element towards being recruited, it is
the first step towards obtaining an
interview.
The CV should be
very clear, typewritten, detailled, preferably
written in the language of the country and it
should be accompanied by a handwritten covering
letter.
Certain countries do not accord much importance to
handwriting, but it is advisable to write the
letter by hand whichever country it is addressed
to.
If the company is
French or the subsidiary of a French company, the
CV and the covering letter should still be written
in the language of the country.
Don't forget to
attach a recent photo, preferably one where you are
smiling.
Your
CV should be detailled, and have the addresses
and phone numbers of ex-employers on it so that the
company can easily verify the main points of your
candidacy.
This can save you from sending a pile of
photocopies and documents with it.
You can always present these documents later during
an interview if necessary.
If you are
thinking of sending a false CV, you should know
that a study from the Florian Mantione Institute
shows that 45% of the employers check up on CVs,
that 34% of the candidates are eliminated during
this verification and that 60% of the verifications
are made with the previous employer.
Whatever your reasons for 'adapting' your CV to
suit the ad, be warned that it won't help you
during the interview and could even cause you
prejudice.
The questions
to ask yourself before an expatriation :
What exactly is the job ?
What is the length of the contract ?
Is it for the whole family or with bachelor
conditions ?
What kind of life will you have locally ?
Have you thought about when you get back, how you
will manage financially to fit in again ?
Do you have the necessaries qualities to be an
expatriate ?
Qualities you
need to succeed :
emotional stability (so you can react quickly
in any situation)
autonomy (you can make decisions on your own in any
circumstance)
being mobile and being available for your job,
being able to relocate quickly
being good at meeting people (don't forget that the
expatriate is also an ambassador for his country
whether in his professional or his social life.
being adaptable (you can easily adapt to different
cultures, climates and life styles. )
being able to accept and understand different
cultures and cultural differences
tolerance and respect of other people's way of life
and way of living should be a natural part of your
character.
Your family
and recruiting :
Your partner should have the same ambitions as
you.
It is often an important factor in choosing an
expatriate.
In fact some recruitment bureaus or big firms when
they are recruiting, specially for long term
projects, insist on having an interview with the
wife to check that there are no problems in the
couple which could get worse abroad and maybe
disturb the mission.
Companies often propose that the whole family goes
together so that a good family balance is
kept.
During the
recruiting :
Punctuality and precision are appreciated
everywhere.
Be on time for your appointments.
Be well dressed
for your interview, whatever kind of job you are
trying for.
Your appearance will weigh with the
interviewer.
First interviews
are often very short but can last several hours if
your candidacy is interesting, depending on the
post offered, and if you have to do any
psychotechnical (graphological analysis) or
aptitude tests.
Be careful not to
appear pretentious about your know-how and don't
exaggerate your professional competence.
Don't forget that
nowadays the job market is a chronic problem nearly
all over the world, so take an interview
appointment seriously, jobs are not easy to come
by.
Emphasize your
real competence, your ease of adaption, your
mobility, your ability to work in a team, your
readiness to pool your experience.
The company
and the expatriate :
A lot of countries abroad like to have, and to
show that they have, expatriates on their
staff.
International personnel often bring in experience
and knowledge which can be very advantageous for a
company.
Salaries -
Salary requirements :
If the candidate doesn't know the prospective
country, it isn't always easy to negotiate a
salary, especially if the amount has already been
mentionned on the ad.
However, there is nothing to stop you from showing
your previous salary and from discussing the salary
offered. The recruiting agent or the employer may
appreciate knowing what for you is the minimum.
It is often difficult to compare salaries with
European ones.
The standard of living that you find abroad is not
always similar to the one you know in Europe and
sometimes if the salary is much higher you will
find that the cost of living is also.
This is one of the reasons, and there are several,
including social security conditions, why it is
better to go abroad with a European company.
French companies sending people overseas budget for
differences in the cost of living.
They can reassure the expatriate that his
purchasing power will at least be the same as in
France.
The 'basic French salary' can be paid either in
France or abroad, it is usually a choice, and an
allowance is paid for living expenses
(accomodation, food,...)
This compensation is based on the cost of living in
the country.
Taxes
(see the page in the expatriate guide)
If you are employed locally you will have to pay
taxes in the country.
If you have an international contract your salary
can be negotiated free of taxes.
In some countries income tax is deducted at source
by the company.
Accomodation -
company car - other fringe benefits :
It is nearly impossible to negotiate for a company
house if you are employed locally.
Getting a car depends on your job and your level in
the company.
In a local company it will be very difficult to
negotiate a paid return ticket to France every
year.
There again, if you are an expatriate working for a
French company you will get fringe benefits, a
house, car, travel allowance, return flights to
France ...
Usually international contracts give 15 days leave
in France every 3 months.
Working
conditions :
These are the local ones with all the attenuating
advantages and disadvantages if you are working for
a local company.
The expatriate is often considered as an immigrant
and has to deal himself with the local
formalities.
On the
administrative side the expatriate does not have to
worry about the formalities concerning the police,
customs, immigration, income tax, visa or consular
declaration.
French or European companies abroad always have an
administrative department which completes all the
formalities for its personnel and deals with any
problems which could arise.
Foreign companies
remain subject to the laws of the country in which
they are working.
Investing in
the country :
In Law 77, the conditions for setting up a company
are clearly defined and the "foreign investor must
bring in know-how, financing or new markets" and if
the investment project does not correspond to this
definition, it has no chance of being accepted.
To open a branch of your company in Cuba you have
to justify your commercial relations with Cuba for
at least the last three years and your company must
have already existed for at least five years.
If these conditions are fulfilled, you have to
apply to the Cuban Chamber of Commerce who have the
National Register of branches and commercial
agencies in Cuba.
Your dossier will be analysed by the Mincex (the
Dept of External Trade) which will deliver a
licence by decree. This licence is valid for 5
years and has to be renewed every three years.
16
- Formalities
to be
completed
For French nationals it is obligatory to get a
tourist card.
You can get this
document from the consulate or from the Office
Soleil de Cuba,
41 bd Montparnasse, 75006 Paris, tel 01 53 63 39
39.
You will have to show your passport which has to be
valid for at least six months after your return
date.
The card costs about 150 FF.
You can also
apply for one by writing and by sending a copy of
the first four pages of your passport, a stamped
addressed envelope and a covering letter indicating
your travel dates to Cuba, plus a cheque for the
sum of 17 euros.
Business visitors
or people staying with Cubans have to apply for a
visa (which cost 300euros environ).
The Cuban immigration makes you book and pay for
two nights in a hotel.
You also have to pay an airport tax of $15 when
leaving Cuba.
17
- Health
Hygiene
in the country :
The health system is totally state controlled.
Some hospitals have ultra-modern equipment and good
quality staff.
However it is difficult to find medicine on the
island and it is better to take along with you a
basic first aid box with any medicines that you
generally need (aspirin, etc).
There is a service reserved for foreigners at the
hospital Cira Garcia in Havana.
Vaccinations
:
None is
obligatory or even necessary.
Just make sure you are up to date on your usual
vaccines : tetanos, polio etc.
18
- Transport
There are 7,636
kms between Havana and Paris.
The flight time is approximately 9 hours and 40
minutes.
International flights arrive and take off from both
Havana and Varadero.
Companies
which have regular flights to Cuba
:
- Cubana de
Aviacion, four direct flights a week between Paris
and Havana, Holguin and Santiago
(tel 01 53 63 23 23)
- AOM : 4 direct flights a week between Paris and
Havana and Varadero
(tel 0803 00 12 34)
(Paris-Havana return flights from 3912 FF in
economy class).
- Iberia : 2 flights a day via Madrid (cost approx.
4000 FF return).
- VIASA : Tuesdays and Saturdays via Caracas.
- Air France : 5 direct flights a week between
Paris and Havana
Internal
transport :
The company
Cubana de Aviacion proposes internal flights for an
average cost of 400 FF per trip.
Transport is a problem in Cuba because of the lack
of petrol and spare parts.
The roads are in good condition and the system of
roadsigns are the same as in America.
There are a total of 26,477 kms of roads, 14,477 of
which are tarmac and 12,000 are gravel or dirt
roads.
The company
Viazul has an air-conditionned bus service between
the larger towns.
There are 12,623 kms of railway line.
There are 240 kms
of waterways.
The ports are Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo,
Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba.
The merchant navy has 48 ships in all plus 24 which
are under Panama, Cypriot, Maltese and Mauritian
flags.
Scooters and
bicycles are used in town - there is hardly any
public transport.
19
-Time differences
Time differences
with France are - 5 hours in winter and -6 hours in
summer.
20
- Telecommunications
Telephone
:
- To phone Cuba
from France dial 00 53 + the town code +
n°
Havana : 7, Santiago : 2, Vinales : 8, Varadero :
5
- To phone France
from Cuba dial 00 119 33
You can acquire a
pre-paid Etecsa card for $10 which gives you four
minutes (or $20)
which you can use in the Etecsa cabins.
Otherwise you can
phone or fax from the hotels.
Letters take approx. 3 weeks.
There are 229,000
phones in the country, that is only 2 per 100
people, it is one of the least developed networks
in the world.
Radio/Television
:
There are two
national television channels :
Lunes and Cuba Vision.
Radio stations :
AM 150, FM 5.
There are 2.14 million radios in the
country.
Press/Newspapers
:
The local
newspapers are the Trabajadores and the Granna
(which exists in a French version on subscription,
information/
01 45.67.55.35 at the Cuban Embassy in Paris).
21
- Airports
There are 9 airports: Havana, Varadero, Holguin,
Santiago, Cayo Largo, Isla de Pinos, Rio
Oriente,
Ciego de Avila, Vertientes and a 10th is being
built in Cayo Coco.
The José-Marti airport is half an hour out
of the centre of Havana.
Remember to keep
150 F to pay the airport tax when you leave.
22
- Car rental
The best way to
get around is to rent a car.
It is better to rent it before you leave France as
locally the demand is usually greater than the
supply.
There is no problem with petrol for a tourist, the
CUPET-CIMEX stations, which are reserved for
tourists, are open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week
throughout the island.
Petrol costs about 7 F a liter.
Rental costs between 500 and 600 dollars a
week.
The best known
rental agent is Havanauto, which is at the airport,
but there are other agencies in the bigger towns
like Havana. You can contact them from the tourist
offices which are situated in most of the
hotels.
Another
possibility is to use a particular, a
private car which you can rent for about $70 a day.
You can identify a particular by its number
plates : a normal short trip in one costs $8
against $12 in an official black taxi. The relics
of pre-Castro, these private vehicles are now part
of the national heritage.
Attention : take
out a comprehensive insurance, otherwise the
guarantee deposit is very high.
23
- Hotels & restaurants
All the
Cuban hotel structures are expanding rapidly.
Some hotels are far from perfect, but their
shortcomings are easily overlooked in view of the
beauty of the island and the hospitality of the
Cubans.
Some hotels in smaller towns, like Triniday or
Camaguay cannot be compared with international
hotels,
they are extremely simple.
Bed and breakfast :
a good cheap formula which helps you meet the
locals.
To reserve a room from Paris, go to the agency
Roots Travel, tel 01 42 74 07 07,
www.rootstravel.com, e-mail
cuba@rootstravel.com
Some hotels
worth recommending:
In
Havana,
choose a hotel which is part of the Habagnuanex
chain (tel 7 33 95 85) which specializes in
restoring palaces and historical residences in the
centre of the old town.
- Florida , in the heart of Habana Vieja, this
ancient building has just been renovated. 25
comfortable rooms around a colonial patio.
Calle Obispo, esq.
Acoba, Habana Vieja tel. 7 62 41 27
- Hotel Melia Cohiba, the most luxurious and the
most expensive, modern with lots of white marble,
pool, sauna, boutiques, 462 rooms
tel 537 33 36 36
- Hotel Sevilla, on the Prado, colonial style with
a Moorish influence, superb restaurant on the roof,
192 rooms
tel 537 33 85 60
- Hotel Nacional, in the Vedado district, 10
minutes from the centre,opulent colonial style, big
tropical garden, view on the port, 2 pools, tennis,
490 rooms.
Calle O, esq.21 tel 537 33 35 64
- Convento de Santa Clara, an old convent from the
colonial period reconverted into a charming
hotel.
Calle Cuba 610 between Luz and Sol, in Habana
Vieja,
In
Santiago
:
- la Casa Granda tel 53 2 268 66 00, overlooks the
Cespedes park in the centre of town, 55 rooms
- Hotel Santiage de Cuba tel 53 226 86 666, a
modern tower, pool, 302 rooms
In
Trinidad
the best is a
bed and breakfast, otherwise there are :
Las Cuevas, bungalows
Ancon, bungalows
Vinales
: Los Jazmines tel. 8 29 32 65
Rancho San Vicente tel 8 29 32 00/01
Zapata
Peninsula :
the Villa Guama tel 2 59 71 25
Baracoa
: El Castillo tel 2 14 21 03
Varadero
: Melia Varadero tel 535 66 70 13
Melia Las Americas tel 535 66 76 00
Hotel Bella Costa tel 535 66 72 10
Restaurants
:
The tourist office will reserve a table for you ;
you can eat excellent crayfish, sea food, tuna,
turtle, pork and beef and Creole cuisine.
There are also restaurants set up in private houses
(paladares), the only place where you can
eat cheaply (from $6), but they can only seat 12
people at the most.
Havana
- Bedeguita del Medio, a small typical restaurant
which was the favorite meeting place of several
famous people like Hemingway or Ava Gardner.
Calle Empedrado 207, Habana Vieja, tel 61 84 42
- El Patio, the gourmet restaurant in the hotel
Novotel Miramar, which has the reputation of being
the best in Havana
- El Ajjibe,in the Miramar district, this
restaurant is renowned for its large variety of
different chicken dishes, avenida 7 between 24 y
26, Miramar, tel 24 15 84
- The Floridita, considered one of the seven best
bars in the world, sea food specialities.
Calle Obispo 557, esq. Monserrate, Habana Vieja tel
63 10 63.
- El Tocororo, one of the best restaurants in the
country
Varadero
- Las Americas, in the old villa of the Dupont de
Nemours family
- Marina Gaviota,the crayfish specialist
24
- Your suitcase
It is
advisable to pack light clothing in cotton or linen
as it's very hot, but take along a sweater or
jacket for the evenings and the
air-conditioning.
It will also come in useful if you take a tour in
the mountains.
Pack a good sun cream and an anti-mosquito
cream.
If you are planning on walking trips take good
walking shoes.
Business men will be expected to wear a suit and
tie for meetings.
25
- Information
Public
holidays :
- 1st January :
New Year's Day, but also National Day
- 1st May : Labour Day
- the carnival of Cuba, which usually takes place
in Santiago or Havana during the week of 20th
July
- 25th, 26th, 27th July : Day of the National
Rebellion
- 10th October : beginning of the War of
Independence
- 25th December : Christmas Day
All the larger towns have CUPET-CIMEX petrol
stations which are reserved for tourists.
You can pay by credit card or dollars. I liter of
petrol costs approx. 1$US.
If you should have an accident contact immediately
the French Embassy and the organism Assistur
(tel : 33 88 59/33 80 87)
which is the only local representative of the
different foreign insurance companies.
26
- Banks
The Cuban banking system :
Previously the Banco Nacional was nearly the only
banking participant in the Cuban economy.
With the opening up of the Cuban economy and the
economic transformations which accompanied it the
authorities were obliged to reform the existing
banking system and create new banks.
The constitution of a more sophisticated banking
system forced the separation of the functions of
the central bank and the commercial bank (both
which had been co
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