The Republic of Cuba (
IPA
:
/ˈkjuːbə/
,
Spanish
:
Cuba
(
help
·
info
)
or
República de Cuba
(
help
·
info
)
IPA
:
reˈpuβlika ðe ˈkuβa
), consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the
Greater Antilles
),
Isla de la Juventud
and several adjacent small islands. Cuba is located in the northern
Caribbean
at the confluence of the
Caribbean Sea
, the
Gulf of Mexico
and the
Atlantic Ocean
. Cuba is south of the eastern
United States
and
The Bahamas
, west of the
Turks and Caicos Islands
and
Haiti
and east of
Mexico
. The
Cayman Islands
and
Jamaica
are to the south. The national flower is
Hedychium coronarium
J. Koenig, most often known as "flor de mariposa" (Butterfly Flower) and the national bird is "Tocororo" or "Cuban Trogon" from the family of Trogonidae.
Cuba is the most populous insular nation in the Caribbean. Its
people
,
culture
and customs draw from several sources including the aboriginal
Taíno
and
Ciboney
peoples, the period of
Spanish colonialism
, the introduction of
African slaves
, and its proximity to the United States. The name "Cuba" comes from the
Taíno
language the exact meaning of which is unclear, but may be translated either "where fertile land is abundant" (cubao
) or "great place" (coabana
). The island has a
tropical climate
that is moderated by the surrounding waters; however, the warm temperatures of the Caribbean Sea and the fact that the island of Cuba sits across the access to the Gulf of Mexico combine to make Cuba prone to frequent
hurricanes
. Cuba's main island, at miles (,km) long, is the world's th largest. |