The economy
The state plays the primary role in the economy and controls practically all foreign trade. The government has undertaken several reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase labor incentives, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The liberalized agricultural markets introduced in October 1994, at which state and private farmers sell above-quota production at unrestricted prices, have broadened legal consumption alternatives and reduced black market prices. Government efforts to lower subsidies to unprofitable enterprises and to shrink the money supply caused the semi-official exchange rate for the Cuban peso to move from a peak of 120 to the dollar in the summer of 1994 to 23 to the dollar by yearend 1997. New taxes introduced in 1996 helped drive down the number of self-employed workers from 208,000 in January 1996 to 176,000 by September 1997. Havana announced in 1995 that GDP declined by 35% during 1989-93, the result of lost Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The drop in GDP apparently halted in 1994, when Cuba reported 0.7% growth, followed by increases of 2.5% in 1995 and 7.8% in 1996. Growth slowed again in 1997, to 2.5%, in part due to a poor sugar harvest. Export earnings declined 3% in 1997, to $1.9 billion, the result of lower sugar export volume and lower world prices for nickel and sugar. Imports remained unchanged in 1997 at $3.2 billion. Tourism plays a key role in foreign currency earnings. The disparity between those at the top of the ladder and those at the bottom has increased markedly in the past 10 years. Living standards for the average Cuban remain at a depressed level compared with 1990.

Columbus landed here in 1492. Claimed by the Spanish in the 1600's, Cuba became home to pirates who preyed on Spanish galleons laden with gold. Today, walking the streets of Havana, 17th century Spanish architecture transports visitors to a world of enduring grandeur.

With a population of 11 million - the largest in the Caribbean - 20% of Cubans live in Havana. But wherever you travel in Cuba, the warmth of the Cuban people add immensely to the traveler's storehouse of delightful experiences.

In colonial times, it was regarded as the "key to the Gulf and back mural of the Indies". Because of its geographic position in the Caribbean Sea, it became the most important city of the kingdom of Spain to this part of the world.

Diving
Cuba, an extensive archipelago surrounded by many-hued waters, is a feast for the eyes of visitors, and once they dive into their warmth and take a look at the world around them, it becomes a fascinating obsession.

Right at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico, you will find the Big Island and its cohort of myriad's of keys and islets which, all together, make up over 5000 kilometers of coasts, washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on the north and by the Caribbean Sea on the south. Standing on a large, exuberant and totally virgin coral reef, Cuba is a sunken paradise for those with a passion for diving. The waters around the Cuban archipelago are characterized by their gentleness -- mild tides and no strong currents -, their warmth - over 24⁰C all year round -, their virgin condition - no pollution and well-preserved bottoms -, the diversity of its underwater flora and fauna, and the total absence of aggressive animals. All this makes the coral reef the best preserved ecosystem in the country, with an average horizontal visibility of 40 meters. The Cuban reef forms a submarine string of coral around the entire archipelago, both north and south of the island. It is made up mainly of full-grown corals. Rocky buttresses of manifold structures are shaped by these corals, some incredibly resembling majestic castles or gothic pillars. They are the habitat and refuge of other marine species such as sponges in the guise of cups, tubes or branches; sumptuous gorgonians that sway with the waves; algae of capricious growth, and in the crevices and pits: octopus, sea urchins, starfish, polychetes and crustaceans. And amid this submerged tropical garden, colorful fish rhythmically make their way looking for sustenance.