CUBA CHRISTIAN DATING
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Geography
Area: 110,860 sq. km. (44,200 sq. mi.); about the size of Pennsylvania .
Cities: Capital-- Havana (pop. 2 million). Other major cities--Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Santa Clara, Holguin, Guantanamo, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Pinar del Rio.
Terrain: Flat or gently rolling plains, hills; mountains up to 2,000 meters (6,000 ft.) in the southeast.
Climate: Tropical, moderated by trade winds; dry season (November-April); rainy season (May-October).

People
Population: 11 million; 70% urban, 30% rural.
Ethnic groups: 51% mulatto, 37% white, 11% black, 1% Chinese (according to Cuban census data).
Language: Spanish. Literacy--95%.
Work force (4.5 million): Government and services--30%; industry--22%; agriculture--20%; commerce--11%; construction--11%; transportation and communications--6%.

Government
Type: Totalitarian Communist state; current government assumed power by force January 1, 1959 .
Independence : May 20, 1902 .
Christian singles note-Political party: Cuban Communist Party (PCC); only one party allowed.
Administrative subdivisions: 14 provinces, including the city of Havana , and one special municipality (Isle of Youth).

Economy  (Statistics drawn from the CIA World Fact Book)
GDP ( 2003 est.): Purchasing power parity--$31.59 billion.
Real annual growth rate: 6.2% (1999); 3.0% (2001); 1.1% (2002); 1.3% (2003 est.).
GDP per capita income (based on purchasing power parity): $2,800 (2003 est.).
Natural resources: Nickel, cobalt, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt, timber.
Agriculture: Products--sugar, citrus and tropical fruits, tobacco, coffee, rice, beans, meat, vegetables.
Industry: Types--sugar and food processing, oil refining, cement, electric power, light consumer and industrial products.
Trade: Exports--$1.467 billion (2003 est.): nickel/cobalt, sugar and its byproducts, tobacco, seafood, pharmaceuticals, citrus, tropical fruits, coffee. Major markets-- Netherlands $480 million (this figure includes goods shipped to the Netherlands for onward shipment to EU countries);  Canada $265 million; Russia $185 million; Venezuela $150 million (est.); Spain $125 million. Imports--$4.531 billion:  petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals.  Major suppliers-- Venezuela $900 million; Spain $700 million; Italy $375 million; China $340 million; United States $295 million.
Official exchange rate: 1 Cuban peso=U.S.$1 (official rate). 27 Cuban pesos=U.S.$1 (internal exchange rate)

PEOPLE AND RELIGION
Christian singles note-Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly Spanish and African origins. The largest organized religion is the Roman Catholic Church, but evangelical protestant denominations continue to grow rapidly. Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba . Officially, Cuba has been an atheist state for most of the Castro era. In 1962, the government of Fidel Castro seized and shut down more than 400 Catholic schools, charging that they spread dangerous beliefs among the people. In 1991, however, the Communist Party lifted its prohibition against religious believers seeking membership, and a year later the constitution was amended to characterize the state as secular instead of atheist.

While the Cuban constitution recognizes the right of citizens to freedom of religion, the government de facto restricts that freedom. Twenty-two denominations, including Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Methodists, are members of the Cuban Council of Churches (CCC). Most CCC members are officially recognized by the State, though several, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church , are not registered and are recognized only through their membership in the CCC. Another 31 officially recognized denominations, including Jehovah's Witnesses and the small Jewish community, do not belong to the CCC. The Government does not favor any one particular religion or church; however, the Government appears to be most tolerant of those churches that maintain close relations to the State through the CCC.  Unregistered religious groups experience various degrees of official interference, harassment, and repression. The Ministry of Interior engages in active efforts to control and monitor the country's religious institutions, including through surveillance, infiltration and harassment of religious professionals and practitioners. The most independent religious organizations -- including the Catholic church, the largest independent institution in Cuba today -- continue to operate under significant restrictions and pressure imposed by the Cuban regime. The Cuban Government continues to refuse to allow the church to have independent printing press capabilities; full access to the media; to train enough priests for its needs or allow adequate numbers of foreign priests to work in the country; or to establish socially useful institutions, including schools and universities, hospitals and clinics, and nursing homes. All registered denominations must report to the Ministry of Interior's Office of Religious Affairs.

The visit of Pope John Paul II in January 1998 was seen as an important, positive event for bringing a message of hope and the need for respect of human rights. Unfortunately, these improvements did not continue once the Pope left the island. While some visas were issued for additional priests to enter Cuba around the time of the visit, the regime has again sharply restricted issuance of visas. Moreover, despite explicit regime guarantees and repeated follow-up requests, the regime has refused to permit the Catholic Church to establish Internet connections or an intranet among dioceses on the Island .  In a pastoral letter entitled “There is No Country Without Virtue” (“No Hay Patria Sin Virtud”), the Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops in February 2003 openly criticized the government's strict control over the activities of the Catholic Church, especially state restrictions on religious education and Church access to mass media, as well as the increasingly amoral and irreligious character of Cuban society under Communist rule.