|
Current Weather
in Cuba:
General: Cuba,
officially the Republic of Cuba (Spanish: Cuba
or República de Cuba, IPA: [re'pußlika
ðe 'kußa]), consists of the island of
Cuba (the largest of the Greater Antilles), the
Isle of Youth and 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.
Cuba is the most populous country
in the Caribbean. Its 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 island has a tropical climate that is moderated
by the surrounding waters; the warm currents of
the Caribbean Sea and its location between water
bodies also make Cuba prone to frequent hurricanes.
Currency: The peso (ISO
4217 code: CUP, sometimes called "national
peso") is one of two official currencies
in use in Cuba, the other being the convertible
peso (CUC). Cuban currency has no official value
outside the country. The peso (CUP) is used by
tourists only for staple and non-luxury products.
However, local citizens are paid most of their
wages in pesos and have to pay everyday expenses
in CUP.
For some accounting purposes
the exchange rate is set at 1 CUP = 1 CUC. However,
for practical purposes, the exchange rate is that
applied by the Cuban banks and Cadecas (exchange
bureaux). From 18 March 2005, that rate has been
set at 24:1 when exchanging CUC for CUP and 25:1
when going from CUP to CUC.
The convertible peso
is currently pegged at $1.08 USD and is used for
luxury products and services. All other exchanges
rates are set in relation to the CUC.
Language: Spanish
- Current estimation accounts up to 400 million,
making Spanish the third language in the world
in number of speakers (after English and Mandarin
Chinese) and the most widely spoken and studied
Romance language. It is arguably the most widely
studied foreign language for native speakers of
English due to its perceived sense of practicality
in a largely globalized 21st Century, as both
languages have similar numbers of native speakers,
Spanish is also widely dispersed in the Western
Hemisphere and has a large population in Europe,
and is spoken in many countries. It is also the
most widely studied foreign language in Brazil,
which is almost entirely surrounded by Spanish-speaking
nations.
Spanish originated as a Latin
dialect along a remote crossroads strip among
the Cantabria, Burgos and La Rioja provinces of
Northern Spain (cf. Glosas Emilianenses in San
Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja). From there,
its use gradually spread inside the Kingdom of
Castile, where it eventually became the principal
language of government and trade. It was later
brought to America and other parts of the world
in the last five centuries by Spanish explorers,
colonists and empire-builders. Spanish is one
of six official working languages of the United
Nations and one of the most used global languages,
along with English. It is spoken most extensively
in North and South America, Europe, and certain
parts of Africa, Asia and Oceania. Within the
globalized market, there is currently an international
expansion and recognition of the Spanish language
in literature, the film industry, television (notably
telenovelas) and mostly music.
|
