Essay Example on My family on my mother's side is Cuban

My family on my mother's side is Cuban My great grandfathers grew coffee sugar cane and tropical fruits on their farms They lost everything when Fidel Castro took over as Cuba's dictator My grandparents emigrated to the US in the 1960s and left everything behind I wanted to learn more about this country since it is a part of my heritage Cuba is an island in the West Indies It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico Cuba is the largest in the whole island chain It is 90 miles south of Florida 48 miles west of Haiti and 87 miles north of Jamaica There are at least 15 provinces in Cuba and Havana is one It is also the capital of Cuba Cuba has a tropical climate The annual mean temperature is 79 F It does not have any extreme temperatures due to trade winds The dry season lasts from November to April The rainy season is from May to October The annual precipitation is 54 inches During June through November Cuba is exposed to hurricanes The strong winds and heavy rain have been known to cause damage throughout the island 

The government in Cuba is totalitarian A totalitarian government has direct control or influence over the public and private lives of its people In 1976 Cuba adopted a constitution which stated that Cuba as an independent and socialist state called for the control of the market and provided free education and health care From 1959 to 2008 Fidel Castro was the dictator of Cuba In February 2008 Fidel gave up his power to his brother Raúl Castro The Cuban flag consists of the colors red blue and white There are a total of five horizontal lines and an equilateral triangle The three blue stripes represent the three military districts of Cuba that were dominated by Spain in the 19th Century The two white stripes stand for the purity of the independence ideal The triangle stands for liberty equality and fraternity The red stands for all the bloodshed in the independence struggle The white star La Estrella Solitaria stands for the way to freedom and was taken from Texas The design of the flag is similar to the Puerto Rican flag except the colors are reversed In Cuba the men wear jeans or cotton pants and a T shirt or a Guayabera which is a Mexican wedding shirt The women wear short skirts or tight jeans with a blouse or a T shirt called a pullover All the clothing is very colorful Schoolchildren in Cuba must wear uniforms The employees at some public services and hotel shops must also wear uniforms At least 22 of the people in Cuba are nonreligious The number of believers in Santería the main religious movement is unknown but can include between one half or seven tenths of the population The Santería religion can include many traditions from the West African mainly Yoruba origin Orishas or divine emissaries are prayed to by believers At least 47 of Cubans are Roman Catholic Protestants represent a small rapidly growing population 

There is only a handful of Jews and Muslims in Cuba There are many different major holidays in Cuba but Revolution Day is the most important Revolution Day marks when in 1953 Fidel Castro first raided the barracks of the Batista dictatorship Revolution Day is celebrated on July 26th Cuba's Independence Day was a very crucial holiday before Revolution Day The main language spoken in Cuba is Spanish but there are other languages spoken One of the languages is Lucumí Lucumí is spoken by those who practice the Santería religion Lucumí is a secret Yoruboid language used by the Niger Congo family The other language is an Indian tribe origin that has been passed down in many other languages Mainly Africans contribute to the soft nasal accent Ropa Vieja shredded beef is the main food in Cuba Most people enjoy this dish with rice and beans Most people in Cuba eat pork empanadas yucca boiled cassava yucca frita fried cassava and aceitunas alinadas marinated olives Cuban foods are rich and flavorful The spices and cooking techniques are similar to those of Spain and Africa I enjoyed learning more about my family history I was able to find out more about the government that I have heard about in my grandparents stories The information I found on location climate and religion of Cuba also helped me discover more about the country that my family is from References 1 Caribbean Destinations N e www caribbeanislands com au Accessed 3 Dec 2017 2 Cuba Encyclopedia Britannica 2017 N e www britannica com Accessed 3 Dec 2017 3 Dress Code in Havana 2017 N e www havana guide com Accessed 3 Dec 2017 4 Food in Cuba N e www foodbycountry com Accessed 3 Dec 2017 5 Havana Museums N e www cuba junky com Accessed 3 Dec 2017 6 The World Factbook CIA 6 Sept 2017 N e cia gov library publications resources the world factbook geos cu html Accessed 3 Dec 2017