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Republica de Cuba, independent republic located in the Caribbean Sea, the most westerly of the Greater Antilles group, some 145 km (south of Florida (U.S.A), comprising Cuba and Isla de la Juventud, (formerly Isle of Pines), and more than 1600 small coral cays and islets. It's the largest and the lest commercialised island in the Caribbean and one of the world's last bastions of commu-nism. Cuba is surrounded by: the Straits of Florida and the Yucatán Channel and Hispaniola (Haiti and Republica Domini-cana), Jamaica, the Bahama Islands and Mexico. Say "Cuba", and think of 'Fidel Castro', 'Havana' or 'cigars' but everybody's image of Cuba is different. For some the allure is of a tropical paradise and others remember its past decadence: stories of Hemingway, cheap rum, gambling, wild dances and cigars. Then there are the revolutionaries: José Martí, Castro and Che Guevara. This is perhaps the most powerful image of them all: Cuba freeing itself from its colonial past and then daring to stand up to the most powerful country in the world. Despite (or because of) the US embargo and the state of the Cuban economy in the 1990s, Cuba remains determined to survive and will not be bullied. A tourism revolution is transforming this once isolated country with an ever-increasing range of flights and hotels opening up previously inaccessible corners.

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Culture

The island's relative political isolation has prevented it from being overrun by tourists, its old towns remain remarkably unspoilt. Havana (La Habana) is the largest city in the Caribbean and the center of all things Cuban. Despite its turbulent history, Havana suffered little damage in the country's wars and revolutions and stands today much as it was built 100 years ago or more. There's an air of faded glory about the city as big '50s and '60s American automobiles still dominate the streets, and paint and plaster peel off everywhere. The city is peppered with glorious Spanish colonial architecture, much of which is under restoration. Havana has a swinging nightlife, with historic theatres, cabarets, nightclubs and music venues. There's less traffic and less commercialisation than in the average Latin American city.

But from the rough brilliance of Old Havana to residential areas ranging from shabby to demanding demolition, the exuberant friendliness of Havana's inhabitants is what shines through. Cuba's second biggest city Santiago de Cuba is Havana's rival in literature, music and politics, and is regarded as the 'cradle of the revolution' because of the pivotal role it played in overthrowing the Batista regime. It has unlike other Cuban towns, has a noticeable Caribbean flavour due to the influence of the French planters and Haitians who settled there in the last century. The city's distinctive character is also due to its isolation from Havana, and has its own colourful history. The city houses Cuba's oldest palaces and museums including the Casa de Diego Velázquez and the Museo Municipal Bacardí. It overlooks the Bahía de Santiago de Cuba and many houses feature lacy ironwork balconies, pointed windows and narrow external staircases.

The Cementerio Santa Ifigenia is the final resting place of many famous revolutionaries, including José Martí. Trinidad is the most precious colonial town, where nothing has changed for at least a hundred years; you can walk around its cobbled streets and imagine yourself back in the 19th century when prosperity came from the sugar mills surrounding the town. It remained a backwater haven for smugglers until the late 18th century. Smugglers brought slaves and gold from British-controlled Jamaica, but all this changed in the early 19th century when a slave revolt in Haiti caused French planters to flee to Trinidad. It boomed until the Wars of Independence devastated the region's sugar plantations and the town again fell into obscurity.