Northwest Caribbean.

GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October.)

110,860 sq km (42,803 sq miles).

11.3 million (UN estimate 2005).

102 per sq km.

Havana. Population: 2.2 million (2006).

Cuba is the largest Caribbean island, about the size of England, and the most westerly of the Greater Antilles group, lying 145km (90 miles) south of Florida. A quarter of the country is fairly mountainous. West of Havana is the narrow Sierra de los Organos, rising to 750m (2,461ft) and containing the Guaniguanicos hills in the west. South of the Sierra is a narrow strip of 2,320 sq km (860 sq miles) where the finest Cuban tobacco is grown. The Trinidad Mountains, starting in the centre, rise to 1,100m (3,609ft) in the east. Encircling the port of Santiago are the rugged mountains of the Sierra Maestra. A quarter of the island is covered with mountain forests of pine and mahogany.

Socialist Republic. Gained independence from Spain in 1898.

Raul Castro since 2008.

Long-term dictator Fidel Castro Ruz, premier 1959-76 and president since 1976, finally stepped down as Cuba's leader in February 2008. He had withdrawn from public life due to ill health in 2006, naming his brother Raul Castro as acting head of state. Raul was confirmed as leader shortly after Fidel's announcement.

It marks a fascinating point in the country's history. The constitution of Cuba, most-recently amended in 2002, guarantees that the Communist Party (PCC) should remain not only the sole legal party in Cuba but also ‘the leading force of society and state'. However, beginning with Eisenhower in 1959, George W Bush is the 10th US president to predict the regime's imminent downfall.

The official language is Spanish.

Roman Catholic majority. There are also minority Afro-Cuban religions.

110/230 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style flat two-pin plugs are generally used, except in certain large hotels where the European round two-pin plug is standard.

A handshake is the normal form of greeting. Cubans generally address each other as compañero, but visitors should use señor or señora. Some Cubans have two surnames after their Christian name and the first surname is the correct one to use. Normal courtesies should be observed when visiting someone's home and a small gift may be given if invited for a meal. Cuban men rarely wear shorts away from the beach. Visitors doing so are not frowned upon, but they may receive the odd sideways glance. Women should cover their legs and shoulders if visiting churches. Cuban women tend to dress up for evenings out.