¿Cuánto sabes de…?

CUBA

¿Dónde está Cuba?

¿Dónde está Cuba?

How large is Cuba compared to Illinois?

Cuba is ¾ the size of Illinois.

How large is Cuba’s population compared to that of Illinois?

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Cuba’s population is almost as large as that of Illinois.

3.930.000

12.482.000 (2001 estimate)

11.379.000

What languages are spoken in Cuba?

Spanish - ~ 100%

Doh!

What is the capital city?Havana

Wow!

(population 2.3 million – almost a quarter of the entire population of the island!)

Reading tasks

Now scan the cultural reading on pp. 304-305 for the answers to the following questions:What is the unit of currency?Describe the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.What are the primary exports?Who were the taínos?

What is the unit of currency?

El peso cubano

Describe the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

Founded in 1948 by Alicia Alonso.

Operates a School of Dance.

The Dance Museum opened on the 50th anniversary of the Ballet.

“The National Ballet of Cuba (...) because of its energy and ability to combine classics with contemporary is placed today in one of the first places among the ballet companies of Europe and America. Its  future is attractive in a peculiar way.” http://www.balletcuba.cu/ingles/criticasing.asp

What is are the primary exports?

Exports

sugar cane

tobacco

nickel

Main trading partners

Venezuela

Spain

Canada

China

Russiahttp://www.cepec.softcal.cu/ingles/information/information.htm

Who were the taínos?

Los taínos

• Indigenous tribe that inhabited many Caribbean islands before the arrival of Columbus. Taínos still live in the region.

• “Taíno” means “good” in the language.

• The traditional Taíno greeting is “Taíno-ti’,” which means, “May the Good Great Spirit be with you.” http://www.taino-tribe.org/tedict.html

• The hummingbird is the sacred symbol of the Taíno people and represents their rebirth. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/Taino/photos/bird.html

Who was Celia Cruz?

La Reina de la Salsa

• Sold first recording in 1951

• Emigrated to the U.S. in 1960

• Won many awards, such as two Grammy Awards (1990 and 2000), a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Smithsonian Institution, and a “National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton. http://www.celiacruzonline.com/

Religion in Cuba• Officially an atheist state under Castro

• 47% Catholic (“85% nominally Catholic”); 4% Protestant (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian); 2% Santería

http://sg.travel.yahoo.com/guide/cuba

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/cuba/religion.htm

http://www.cubadomainsforsale.com/cuban-religion.html

• It is reported that over 700 new churches have been established since 1992 when Fidel Castro's past anti-religion policies eased and the Cuban government relaxed its official "atheist" status and relabeled the Cuban nation as merely

"secular” (http://www.cubadomainsforsale.com/cuban-religion.html) • Pope John Paul II was invited to visit the island in 1998 by the Cuban government and the Catholic Church.

Religious holidays in Cuba• Religious holidays were once banned by the Castro government but are now allowed.

• Christmas was abolished in the 1960s but was reinstated as an official holiday after the Pope’s visit in 1998.

• Other holidays associated with religion include:

• Nochebuena (Christmas Eve)

• Epiphany

• Semana Santa (Holy Week)

• Carnaval: celebrated before Lent in Havana and in July in Santiago to commemorate the Revolution

http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/cuba/holidays.html