Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Up with Geography: Cuba

Country Name:
Cuba

Capital:
Havana

Continent:
None - it's an island; closest continent is North America.

Map:
Map of Cuba.

Neighbors:
The nearest neighbors are The Bahamas & the U.S. to the North, Haiti to the Southeast, Jamaica to the South, and Mexico to the West.

Water Borders:
Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea

Total Area:
42,426 square miles

Five Largest Cities:
Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Holguin, Guantanamo

Famous Geographical Point:
Isla de la Juventud

Famous Person:
Víctor Manuel García Valdés, painter (part of the "Vanguardia" movement)

Book Set In/About:
Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas

Arenas's memoir about growing up in Cuba, fighting for Castro until he became disillusioned, and finding himself persecuted for being gay and for criticizing the government. He would later flee to the USA, where he eventually committed suicide (after contracting HIV). Geez...

Movie Set In/About:
"Buena Vista Social Club" (1999), directed by Wim Wenders

A documentary about the music of Cuba.

Headline of the Day:
"Australia Embrace ‘Underdog’ Tag Against Pool Rivals Japan and Cuba at World Baseball Classic" on foxsports.com.au

2 comments:

Patricia said...

I had to google to be sure, but Before Night Falls was made into a movie in 2000. I wonder if the popularity of the Buena Vista Social Club helped get it made. Man, did the late 90s love that movie.

There are so many things to say about Cuba, but today I'm wondering what life on that island on the south side is like.

balyien said...

Buena Vista Social Club was so popular that when I saw the name, I couldn't believe I'd forgotten about it!

Whenever I think of Cuba, I remember that guy we both knew (I think?) who (allegedly) accidentally wandered onto the presidential palace grounds.