CUBA VS UNITED STATES

CUBA VS UNITED STATES

One of the factors to achieving strong and effective relationships between different countries is to first appreciate the differences between such countries, although such differences sometimes will frustrate, confuse and lead to misunderstandings. That is not the obvious case however, because in some other instances will illuminate, necessitate growth, broaden the horizons and help citizens gain new insights. Peace and coexistence between countries can be best achieved when diversity of cultures and ways of life are fully appreciated. And this can only be achieved by first understanding the differences and similarities between the countries of concern. This paper compares and contrasts Cuba (Spanish speaking country) with the United States of America under perspectives.

Comparing and contrasting Cuba with the United States

Geographically, Cuba is in North America and it’s located in the Gulf of Mexico entrance. This area is specifically in western part of Caribbean Sea (20 – 23 degrees north latitude and 74 – 85 degrees west longitude)

Population:

Cuba’s population is approximately 11 200 000 people, with 101 people per km² (which is approximately 261people per mi²). Out of this population, 75% stays in urban areas while the rest in rural areas. Cuban population basically comprises of the descending Spaniards and Africans, also, there are Chinese and European immigrants like French and Poles. Compared to the United States, Cuba population is far much below. This is because the population of United States as per the statistics of 2017 stood at 325.7 million people.

Climate:

Cuba experiences a subtropical humid climate, with two defined seasons, the winter which runs from November to April, and summer which picks up from May to October. Annual temperatures of the country are 25°C, winter averaging 20°C while during summer between 26 to 27°C. It experiences annual average rains of 1 200 mm with approximately 30% of precipitations during winter while the remaining 70% during summer. On the other hand, and compared to the United States, unlike in Cuba where climate can be predicted in United states climate varies due to the differences in the latitude and geographical features range in the country.

National currency:

In Cuba, two currencies are used: Cuban Peso (CUP) and the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), but purchases of both goods and services are limited to Cuban Convertible Peso (1 CUC = 1.08 USD), although goods and services can also be acquired using Cuban Peso, this is only possible on streets but not in hotels, resorts or other recreation facilities. Contrally to Cuba, the main currency in the United States remains to be the USD

Religion:

The main religion in Cuba is Roman Catholic with some few Cubans practicing Protestant religions like Baptist and evangelists which are currently in their process of growth. There are other practiced religions like Afro-Cuban cults which originated from sincretismo in the Catholic religion in association with African religions which emerged with black slaves during slavery period. In the United States, the main religion is Christianity with majority being Protestants followed by the Catholics and then the rest like Muslims.

Economy:

Cuban economy relies mostly on agricultural activities, tourism and mining ; the main products which Cuba is well known for producing are raw sugar, alcoholic drinks, tobacco, nickel, citric, perfumery, coffee and products derived from fishing.

The GDP of Cuba economy is approximately 16 600 million pesos per annum with stocking of around 1 500 pesos per citizen. In their GDP creation, industrial sector is the most important economic activity, having a percentage of 29 out of the total economic activities.

The capital city of Cuba

The capital city of Cuba is Havana, a town which is not just like any other city. Besides being the capital city for the country, it also has the largest population. Records of the last official census indicated its population to be 2106146. Havana city is also Cuba’s greatest city in terms of area coverage, over 281 square miles to be specific. And breaking down to population, this city’s population density reads 7,490 citizens in square mile. Below is an image of this wonderful city.

The Cuban Flag

In any country, much can be understood from the representation of its flag, and especially the history of a country. Cuba too has a lot to be understood from its choice of Flag. Below is the country’s flag together with the meanings of different colors of it as well as the features.

            The flag has blue stripes which represents the department to which Cuban island had been placed during the time when the flag was designed. It has white stripes too to represent the purity, hard work, strengths and the independence of Cuban ideals. In consideration to features in this flag, there is a red triangle, to represent equality, bloodshed and the sacrifices which were made by the Cuban people to gain their independence as well as the rights which they enjoy up to date. The second feature evident in this flag is a white star. The white star represents was incorporated to be the sign of the new state to be added to the United States of America union when Cuban people were demanding to be allowed to join the USA, also, it is said to represent an absolute freedom of the Cuban state.

Holidays in Cuba

Some of the main holidays in United States are and not limited to Lincolns Birthday and the Election Date. In Cuba on the other hand, there are several holidays across the year which is made to remember and recall some events as well as important people in the history of the country. Among them are;

The Triumph Revolution and Victory Day

This holiday is celebrated on January 1st and 2^nd every year to remember the day when Fulgencio Batista’s government crumbled down. It is during the scenario that the Castro support team threw celebrations on the streets of big towns and cities. This day is important in Cuba as it marked the day of Castro’s takeover after years of dictatorship under the US government. The picture below is a show of celebrations directed to this day

The National Revolution Day

This holiday is usually celebrated on 26^th of July in every year to mark the day when Fidel Castro stormed into the Barracks of Moncada in Santiago. The Barracks acted as the main garrison for the Batista’s army. Although the attack was not successful as the Castro’s army was overpowered by Batista Army, the day has remained memorable in Cuba as it depicts a sign of bravery exercised by their leader, Castro. It is also considered as the very first step towards the Castro’s revolution as shown below

Foods and Diet

Traditional foods in US are mainly the Apple pie, The Hamburger and Clam Chowder. Cuba, just like any other country, has its own traditional foods which depict the culture of the country. Some of these foods are uniquely found in the country and not in any other state. Such foods are

Ropa Vieja

This type of cultural food in Cuba is one of the national dishes in the country; however it’s common in some other Caribbean areas like Panama. Basically, its prepared from vegetables with pulled or shredded beef as shown below

Sofrito

This is another main dish in Cuba which depicts the culture of the people in this country. Basically, the preparation for this dish varies from one person to another but typically is composed of aromatic ingredients which are cut into small pieces and then braised into cooking oil.

Mofongo

Mofongo is another common dish mainly witnessed in this Cuba which has fried plantains as its main ingredient. The plaints are picked when green and then fried before being smashed with garlic, salt and oil in a wooden Pilon using mortar and pestle device. The prepared dish is then traditionally served with fried stew and then chicken broth soup.

Music genre

Music genres are also part of the many differences which set Cuba different from some other countries like the United States.  The main music genres in US are Classical, Jazz and the country music. One of the unique music genres which identify Cuba uniquely is the Son Cubano. A quintessential Afro-Cuban form of music which refers to both singing as well as the dance styles involved. Son basically means sound or a basic song. The early version of this genre was a trio which composed of Claves, maracas, percussive set of shakers as well as wood sticks and a guitar. Later on, son orchestra evolved to incorporate a tres, six-string guitar which was modeled from a caustic guitar and different bongo drums.

Dance styles

Cuba having its origin in North America, some of the dance styles evident in Cuba are also part of United States dance styles. These include but not limited to Salsa, Cuban Motion and Bachata. Some of the common and unique dance styles evident in Cuba are the Salsa dance and the Habanera dance.

The Salsa dance

            This is perhaps the most popular dance in this country. Its origin is traced from Cuban sonand Afro-Cuban dance. It is characterized by some rhythm which is vigorous and body rolls which are accompanied by movements and turning of figures while the dancers hold each other. Although the dance exists in different types, it depends on the country were being performed basically. The Cuban salsa is known as Casino

The Habanera dance

This is a slow-paced dance which has its origin traced from back in 19^th century. It developed from the contra danza dance out of the French speaking immigrants influence. This dance largely differs from the rest of the Cuban dances and is characterized by slow-pace and delicate movements. It is a more moderate dance than other types of dances which are well known in Cuba.

Sports

Due to the historical link between Cuba and United States, Cubans participate in sports which are also popular in the North America continent rather than those adopted from traditional Latin America nations. Baseball has been the most popular although there are some other sports which are practiced in this country like boxing, volleyball and trekking.

Baseball is a bat and ball game which is played by two teams by taking turns while batting and fielding. It proceeds when one player inside the field, called pitcher throws the ball and the batting team tries to hit the bat. Mainly the objective of the offensive team is to hit the ball back into the field of play while that of the defensive team is to prevent the runners’ chance around the bases.