What is the population of Cuba?

Cuba has a population of about 10.94 million, the #88 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.

Cuba covers 109,884 km², ranking #107 by area, with about 100 people per square kilometre.

Which countries border Cuba?

Cuba shares a land or maritime border with United States, United Kingdom.

What is the largest city in Cuba?

Havana is the largest city in Cuba, with a metropolitan population of about 2.17 million.

What is the highest mountain in Cuba?

The highest summit recorded for Cuba in YearMaps is Pico Turquino at 1,974 m (6,476 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.

Cuba Map — Cities, Rivers & History

Interactive Map of Cuba

5.2

Centred on Havana at 23.1339° N, 82.3661° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.

About Cuba

Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country in the Caribbean. It comprises the eponymous main island as well as 4,195 islands, islets, and cays. Situated at the convergence of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean, Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula, south of both Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola, and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean by area and the third-largest by population, after Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Culturally, Cuba is considered to be part of Latin America. Its capital and largest city is Havana.

Cuba was inhabited as early as the 4th millennium BC, with the Guanahatabey and Taíno peoples present at the time of Spanish colonization in the 15th century. Cuba's population descends primarily from three groups: pre-Columbian indigenous peoples, chiefly the Taíno and Ciboney, Spanish settlers and immigrants (mainly from Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Galicia, and Asturias), and sub-Saharan Africans brought through the transatlantic slave trade. The territory remained part of the Spanish Empire until the Spanish–American War of 1898, after which it was occupied by the United States and gained independence in 1902. A 1933 coup toppled the democratically elected government of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada and began a long period of military influence, particularly by Fulgencio Batista. In 1940, Cuba implemented a new constitution, but mounting political unrest culminated in the 1952 Cuban coup d'état. Batista's autocratic government was eventually overthrown in January 1959 by the 26th of July Movement, during the Cuban Revolution. The revolution established a communist government under Fidel Castro that remains to this day. Castro's government became a major point of contention between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War; the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis is widely considered to be the closest the world has come to a nuclear war.

During the 1970s through the late 1980s, Cuba intervened in numerous conflicts in support of anti-colonial and Marxist governments or movements across Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. According to a CIA declassified report, Cuba had received $33 billion in Soviet aid by 1984. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Cuba faced a severe economic downturn in the 1990s, known as the Special Period. In 2008, Castro retired after 49 years; Raúl Castro was elected his successor.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Cuba (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Geography and Climate of Cuba

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the arrival of Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492, as the country was developed as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement, and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from Spain in 1898, and after three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902. Cuba then experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He handed off the presidency to his younger brother Raul CASTRO in 2008. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office in 2018. DIAZ-CANEL was appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party in 2021 after the retirement of Raul CASTRO and continues to serve as both president and first secretary. Cuba traditionally and consistently portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its socioeconomic difficulties. As a result of efforts begun in 2014 to reestablish diplomatic relations, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries in 2015. The embargo remains in place, however, and the relationship between the US and Cuba remains tense. Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the US via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. In 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay. Irregular Cuban maritime migration has dropped significantly since 2016, when migrant interdictions at sea topped 5,000, but land border crossings continue.

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida.
Climate: Tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)
Terrain: Mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast.
Highest point: Pico Turquino 1,974 m.
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m.
Coastline: 3,735 km.
Land borders: Total: 28.5 km; border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 28.5 km.
Natural resources: Cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land.
Land use: Agricultural land: 61.7% (2023 est.); arable land: 28% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 6.3% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 27.4% (2023 est.); forest: 34.9% (2023 est.); other: 3.5% (2023 est.)
Natural hazards: The east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common.
Geographic note: Largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles.
Languages: Spanish (official)
Religions: Christian 58.9%, folk religion 17.6%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, Muslim <1%, other <1%, none 23.2% (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups: White 64.1%, Mulatto or mixed 26.6%, Black 9.3% (2012 est.)
Economy: Still largely state-run planned economy, although privatization increasing under new constitution; widespread protests due to lack of basic necessities and electricity; massive foreign investment increases recently; known tobacco exporter; unique oil-for-doctors relationship with Venezuela; widespread corruption.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

Cuba in Numbers

Population: 10.94 million
GDP: US$107.4 billion
GDP per person: US$9,605
Life expectancy: 78.3 years
Population growth: -0.39% a year
Population density: 106 per km²
Urban population: 77.2%
Surface area: 109,884 km²
Forest cover: 34.9%
Arable land: 28.0%
Access to electricity: 100.0%
Internet users: 70.5%

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

Cuba in Depth

History

Humans first settled Cuba around 6,000 years ago, descending from migrations from northern South America or Central America. The arrival of humans on Cuba is associated with extinctions of the island's native fauna, particularly its endemic sloths. The Arawakan-speaking ancestors of the Taíno people arrived in the Caribbean in a separate migration from South America around 1,700 years ago. Recent archaeogenetic evidence indicates that this expansion largely replaced the earlier pre-ceramic populations of the island with almost no genetic admixture between the groups. Unlike the previous settlers of Cuba, the Taíno extensively produced pottery and engaged in intensive agriculture.

Geography

Cuba is an archipelago of 4,195 islands, cays and islets located in the northern Caribbean Sea at the convergence of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It lies between latitudes 19° and 24°N, and longitudes 74° and 85°W. Key West, Florida, is about 150 km (93 miles) across the Straits of Florida to the north and northwest, and The Bahamas (Cay Lobos) 22.5 km (14 mi) to the north. Mexico lies 210 km (130.5 mi) west across the Yucatán Channel (to the closest tip of Cabo Catoche). Haiti is 78 km (48.5 mi) east and Jamaica 148 km (92 mi) south.

Economy

The Cuban state asserts its adherence to socialist principles in organizing its largely state-controlled planned economy. Most of the means of production are owned and run by the government, and most of the labor force is employed by the state. Recent years have seen a trend toward more private sector employment. By 2006, public sector employment was 78% and private sector 22%, compared to 91.8% to 8.2% in 1981. Government spending is 78.1% of GDP. Since the early 2010s, following the initial market reforms, it has become popular to describe the economy as being, or moving toward, market socialism. Any firm that hires a Cuban must pay the Cuban government, which in turn pays the employee in Cuban pesos (CUP).

Demographics

According to the official census of 2010, Cuba's population was 11,241,161, comprising 5,628,996 men and 5,612,165 women. Its birth rate (9.88 births per thousand population in 2006) is one of the lowest in the Western Hemisphere. Although the country's population has grown by about four million people since 1961, the rate of growth slowed during that period, and the population began to decline in 2006, due to the country's low fertility rate (1.43 children per woman) coupled with emigration.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Cuba (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Cuba: Key Facts

Key facts about Cuba
Currency	Cuban peso
Official language	Spanish
Head of state	Miguel Díaz-Canel
Head of government	Manuel Marrero Cruz
Form of government	unitary state
Calling code	+53
Internet domain	.cu
Highest point	Pico Turquino
Lowest point	Caribbean Sea
Established	10 December 1898

Facts from Wikidata Q241 (CC0).

History of Cuba: Empires and States

The atlas records 5 polities whose mapped territory included part of Cuba, from The Spanish Empire in 1516 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Cuba, in chronological order
Polity	Period here	Extent
The Spanish Empire	1516–1899 CE	Nearly all
Kingdom of Spain	1519–1899 CE	Nearly all
United States of America	1900–1910 CE	Nearly all
Republic of Cuba	1905–1959 CE	Nearly all
Communist Cuba	1960–2024 CE	Nearly all

Historical Maps of Cuba

Cuba on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Cuba

Cuba is the largest Caribbean island. The country has nine World Heritage Sites, as well as beaches, colonial architecture and distinct cultural history. It has had a communist government since the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and has been under a US embargo ever since.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Cuba (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Cuba

26 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Cuba
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Havana	2.17 million	Ciudad de la Habana	National capital
2	Santiago de Cuba	555,865	Santiago de Cuba	Admin-1 capital
3	Camagüey	347,562	Camagüey	Admin-1 capital
4	Holguín	319,102	Holguín	Admin-1 capital
5	Guantánamo	272,801	Guantánamo	Admin-1 capital
6	Santa Clara	250,512	Villa Clara	Admin-1 capital
7	Las Tunas	203,684	Las Tunas	Admin-1 capital
8	Bayamo	192,632	Granma	Populated place
9	Pinar del Rio	186,990	Pinar del Río	Admin-1 capital
10	Cienfuegos	186,644	Cienfuegos	Admin-1 capital
11	Matanzas	146,733	Matanzas	Admin-1 capital
12	Ciego de Ávila	142,027	Ciego de Ávila	Admin-1 capital
13	Manzanillo	128,188	Granma	Admin-1 capital
14	Sancti Spíritus	127,069	Sancti Spíritus	Admin-1 capital
15	Palma Soriano	102,826	Santiago de Cuba	Populated place
16	Güines	68,935	La Habana	Populated place
17	Artemisa	68,073	La Habana	Populated place
18	Morón	66,060	Ciego de Ávila	Populated place
19	Colón	63,882	Matanzas	Populated place
20	Sagua la Grande	62,073	Villa Clara	Populated place
21	Placetas	55,408	Villa Clara	Populated place
22	Nuevitas	54,022	Camagüey	Populated place
23	Banes	53,104	Holguín	Populated place
24	San Antonio de los Baños	42,724	La Habana	Populated place
25	Caibarién	39,140	Villa Clara	Populated place

The other 1 (population, region, role)

Nueva Gerona · 25,566 · Isla de la Juventud · Admin-1 capital

Highest Mountains in Cuba

1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Cuba
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Pico Turquino	1,974 m	6,476 ft	North America

Pico Turquino

Mountain · 1,974 m

Pico Turquino is a mountain rising to 1,974 metres (6,476 ft) in Cuba, in the North America region.

Pico Turquino (Spanish pronunciation: [ˌpi.ko tuɾˈki.no]), sometimes erroneously spelled as Pico Torquino, is the highest point in Cuba. It is located in the southeast part of the island, in the Sierra Maestra mountain range in the municipality of Guamá, Santiago de Cuba Province. It is the only place in Cuba where snowfall has been officially recorded, which last fell in February 1900.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Pico Turquino (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation: 1,974 m (6,476 ft)
Global rank: #421 of 641 indexed
Region: North America (#87)
Subregion: West Indies
Country: Cuba
Coordinates: 19.9895°, -76.8358°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Pico Turquino ranks #421 by elevation, below Picacho la Laguna (1,980 m) and above Qiajivik Mtn (1,963 m).

Ranges:: Blue Ridge (North America), Ouachita Mountains (North America)
Neighbouring summits:: Mount Alvernia (63 m), Pic la Selle (2,680 m), Pico Duarte (3,098 m)
Settlements below:: Bayamo (48 km), Manzanillo (49 km), Palma Soriano (91 km)

View on the live map

More about Pico Turquino

History

The peak was first mentioned (under the name "Tarquino") on a map drawn by Geert de Kremer in the late 16th century. The first documented ascent of the peak was in 1860 by Fred W. Ramsden, a twenty-year-old Englishman then living in Santiago de Cuba. The climb was not widely publicized at the time. In 1915 the Swedish botanist Erik Leonard Ekman climbed the mountain and speculated that he was probably the first person to have done so. The following year, in response, Ramsden's son published a letter his father had written to his own mother describing the original ascent.

A bust of José Martí sculpted by Jilma Madera was placed on the peak in 1953 to celebrate his centenary.

Fidel Castro and his soldiers summited the peak in 1957 during their insurgency.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Pico Turquino (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Pico Turquino: Key Facts

Key facts about Pico Turquino
Topographic prominence	1,974 m
Mountain range	Sierra Maestra

Facts from Wikidata Q1145743 (CC0).

Ports in Cuba

24 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in Cuba
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Cardenas	49.4 m	Small	Caribbean Sea	large vessels
2	Felton	49.4 m	Small	Caribbean Sea	large vessels
3	Nueva Gerona	49.4 m	Very Small	Caribbean Sea	large vessels
4	Cabanas	45.7 m	Minor	Caribbean Sea	medium vessels
5	Isabela de Sagua	45.7 m	Small	Caribbean Sea	large vessels
6	Tunas de Zaza	45.7 m	Very Small	Caribbean Sea	medium vessels
7	Casilda	45.7 m	Minor	Caribbean Sea	large vessels
8	Puerto Padre	42.1 m	Small	Caribbean Sea	large vessels
9	Jucaro	42.1 m	Very Small	Caribbean Sea	large vessels
10	Santiago de Cuba	42.1 m	Minor	Caribbean Sea	large vessels

The other 14 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)

Mariel · 38.4 m · Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Media Luna · 38.4 m · Very Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Ceiba Hueca · 38.4 m · Very Small · Caribbean Sea · medium vessels
Manzanillo · 38.4 m · Very Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Cayo Moa Grande · 34.7 m · Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Cienfuegos · 34.7 m · Major · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Antilla · 31.1 m · Major · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Puerto Guantanamo · 31.1 m · Major · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Guayabal · 31.1 m · Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Bahai de la Habana · 31.1 m · Major · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Nicaro · 27.4 m · Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Matanzas · 27.4 m · Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Manati · 23.8 m · Small · Caribbean Sea · large vessels
Bahia de Sagua de Tanamo · 12.8 m · Major · Caribbean Sea · large vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cuba

7 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cuba
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Old Havana and its Fortification System	1982	Cultural	(iv) (v)
2	Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios	1988	Cultural	(iv) (v)
3	Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca	1997	Cultural	(iv) (v)
4	Desembarco del Granma National Park	1999	Natural	(vii) (viii)
5	Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba	2000	Cultural	(iii) (iv)
6	Historic Centre of Cienfuegos	2005	Cultural	(ii) (iv)
7	Historic Centre of Camagüey	2008	Cultural	(iv) (v)

Largest Islands of Cuba

1 island recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.

Largest Islands of Cuba
#	Name	Area	Type
1	Cuba	107,643 km²	Island

Cuba

Island · 107,643 km²

Cuba is an island in North America (West Indies), covering an estimated 107,643 km².

Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country in the Caribbean. It comprises the eponymous main island as well as 4,195 islands, islets, and cays. Situated at the convergence of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean, Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula, south of both Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola, and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean by area and the third-largest by population, after Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Culturally, Cuba is considered to be part of Latin America. Its capital and largest city is Havana.

Cuba was inhabited as early as the 4th millennium BC, with the Guanahatabey and Taíno peoples present at the time of Spanish colonization in the 15th century. Cuba's population descends primarily from three groups: pre-Columbian indigenous peoples, chiefly the Taíno and Ciboney, Spanish settlers and immigrants (mainly from Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Galicia, and Asturias), and sub-Saharan Africans brought through the transatlantic slave trade.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Cuba (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Feature class: Island
Mapped extent: 107,643 km²
Size rank: #56 of 445 islands
Region: North America
Subregion: West Indies
Coordinates: 20.6027°, -76.4497°

Summits:: Pico Turquino (1,974 m), Mount Alvernia (63 m), Pic la Selle (2,680 m)
Ranges:: Blue Ridge (North America), Ouachita Mountains (North America)
Settlements:: Bayamo (32 km), Holguín (37 km), Palma Soriano (64 km)

View on the live map

More about Cuba

Geography

Cuba is an archipelago of 4,195 islands, cays and islets located in the northern Caribbean Sea at the convergence of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It lies between latitudes 19° and 24°N, and longitudes 74° and 85°W. Key West, Florida, is about 150 km (93 miles) across the Straits of Florida to the north and northwest, and The Bahamas (Cay Lobos) 22.5 km (14 mi) to the north. Mexico lies 210 km (130.5 mi) west across the Yucatán Channel (to the closest tip of Cabo Catoche). Haiti is 78 km (48.5 mi) east and Jamaica 148 km (92 mi) south.

History

Humans first settled Cuba around 6,000 years ago, descending from migrations from northern South America or Central America. The arrival of humans on Cuba is associated with extinctions of the island's native fauna, particularly its endemic sloths. The Arawakan-speaking ancestors of the Taíno people arrived in the Caribbean in a separate migration from South America around 1,700 years ago. Recent archaeogenetic evidence indicates that this expansion largely replaced the earlier pre-ceramic populations of the island with almost no genetic admixture between the groups. Unlike the previous settlers of Cuba, the Taíno extensively produced pottery and engaged in intensive agriculture.

Demographics

According to the official census of 2010, Cuba's population was 11,241,161, comprising 5,628,996 men and 5,612,165 women. Its birth rate (9.88 births per thousand population in 2006) is one of the lowest in the Western Hemisphere. Although the country's population has grown by about four million people since 1961, the rate of growth slowed during that period, and the population began to decline in 2006, due to the country's low fertility rate (1.43 children per woman) coupled with emigration.

Economy

The Cuban state asserts its adherence to socialist principles in organizing its largely state-controlled planned economy. Most of the means of production are owned and run by the government, and most of the labor force is employed by the state. Recent years have seen a trend toward more private sector employment. By 2006, public sector employment was 78% and private sector 22%, compared to 91.8% to 8.2% in 1981. Government spending is 78.1% of GDP. Since the early 2010s, following the initial market reforms, it has become popular to describe the economy as being, or moving toward, market socialism. Any firm that hires a Cuban must pay the Cuban government, which in turn pays the employee in Cuban pesos (CUP).

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Cuba (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Cuba: Key Facts

Key facts about Cuba
Area	109,884 km²
Population	10,985,974 (2023)
Highest point	Pico Turquino
Surrounded by	Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico

Facts from Wikidata Q241 (CC0).

Visiting Cuba

Cuba is the largest Caribbean island. The country has nine World Heritage Sites, as well as beaches, colonial architecture and distinct cultural history. It has had a communist government since the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and has been under a US embargo ever since.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Cuba (CC BY-SA 4.0).

States and Provinces of Cuba

1 first-level divisions with their own map.

Villa Clara map4 cities

Countries Bordering Cuba

Land and maritime neighbours.

More Maps in North America

Cuba: Quick Answers

What is the capital of Cuba?: The capital of Cuba is Havana.
What is the population of Cuba?: Cuba has a population of about 10.94 million, the #88 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is Cuba?: Cuba covers 109,884 km², ranking #107 by area, with about 100 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is Cuba in?: Cuba is in North America.
Which countries border Cuba?: Cuba shares a land or maritime border with United States, United Kingdom.
What is the largest city in Cuba?: Havana is the largest city in Cuba, with a metropolitan population of about 2.17 million.
What is the highest mountain in Cuba?: The highest summit recorded for Cuba in YearMaps is Pico Turquino at 1,974 m (6,476 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.