Our journey brings us to Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean, famous for its vintage cars, rhythmic music, and colorful colonial architecture. There are around 11 million people living here, and the capital is Havana, a city where the air is filled with the sound of salsa and the sea breeze from the Malecón. The official language is Spanish.

Cuba covers about 110,860 square kilometers, or 42,800 square miles. To imagine its size, the country is roughly the same size as the state of Virginia in the U.S., or it is approximately the same size as Bulgaria. The island is long and narrow, often compared to the shape of a crocodile.

The most popular sport is Baseball, which is a national obsession, though Boxing is also incredibly popular and the country has produced many Olympic champions. Their national animal is the Tocororo, a beautiful bird whose feathers are red, white, and blue—the same colors as the national flag!

The flag consists of five horizontal stripes of blue and white with a red triangle on the left containing a single white star, where the blue stripes represent the three old divisions of the island, the white represents the purity of the cause, and the red triangle stands for the blood shed for freedom.

The food is a flavorful fusion of Spanish, African, and Caribbean cuisines. You must try Ropa Vieja, which translates to “old clothes” because the shredded beef and vegetables look like torn fabric, but it tastes delicious! Another staple is Moros y Cristianos, a savory dish of black beans and rice that you will find on almost every dinner table.

Cuba is like a living museum, especially in Havana, where thousands of American classic cars from the 1950s are still used as everyday taxis. The country is the birthplace of world-famous dances like the Mambo, Cha-cha-chá, and Danzón. It is also home to the Bee Hummingbird, which is the smallest bird in the entire world—it’s so tiny that it’s often mistaken for a bee! In the Viñales Valley, you can see giant limestone hills called mogotes rising out of the green tobacco fields. Cuba also has one of the highest literacy rates in the world and is famous for its doctors, who travel all over the globe to help during medical emergencies.

From the white sand beaches of Varadero to the rolling hills where the world’s finest tobacco grows, Cuba is a land of spirit and timeless charm. ¡Gracias! That means “Thank you!”