Cuba's New Boss

For the first time in half a century, Cuba has a new leader--though he has the same last name as the old leader: Castro. Last week, 81-year-old Fidel Castro, announced that he was stepping down as Cuba's president. On Sunday, Cuba's parliament dutifully picked Fidel's younger brother, 76-year-old Raul, to be the nation's new president.

The change came as no surprise. Fidel "temporarily" passed the reigns of power to Raul 19 months ago and hasn't been seen in public since. Before that, Raul Castro was Cuba's No. 2 figure. In fact, he's been a key player in the nation's communist revolution from the start.

Same as the Old Boss?

Still, pundits and policy wonks are buzzing about the changes Cuba's leadership change might bring. Some even wonder about the possibility of a thaw in relations with the United States, which has enforced an economic embargo against Cuba since 1961.

That was the same year the United States backed the Bay of Pigs Invasion, a botched attempt to overthrow Fidel's government (which had overthrown a U.S.-backed regime two years earlier). Then came the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war and convinced many Americans never to trust Fidel Castro, who was allowing the Soviet Union to build nuclear missile bases just 90 miles (145 km) from the United States.

U.S.-Cuba relations have hardly improved since. Whether they will with a new Castro in charge remains to be seen. Meanwhile, we decided it was time to size up contemporary Cuba and to put its current news in historical context. Tomorrow and Wednesday, we'll look back at Cuba's history, from ancient times to Castro's rise. Today, we'll size up the island nation by the numbers.

Cuba, By the Numbers

42,800 – Cuba's total area, in square miles (110,860 sq km). That makes Cuba a little smaller than Pennsylvania and a little larger than Iceland. Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean by land area.

11.4 million – Cuba's total population. That makes Cuba a bit more populous than Greece or Portugal and a bit less populous than Pennsylvania or Ohio.

1.4 million – Number of Cubans in the United States, including people born in Cuba and people born elsewhere who identify themselves as "of Cuban origin" (according to a 2004 U.S. Census report). More than two-thirds of these folks live in Florida, where new refugees arrive daily.

One-third – Conservative estimate for the percentage of Cuba's gross domestic product (GDP) that disappeared between 1989 and 1993, when aid from the Soviet Union and other communist countries dried up. Basically, a nation's GDP is the value of all the goods and services it produces in a given year. Without communist backers and buyers--and with the U.S. embargo tightening around it--Cuba's economy took a fall from which it is still struggling to recover.

165th out of 169 – Cuba's rank on the "Worldwide Press Freedom Index," published by Reporters without Borders. Cuba placed just above Iran and just below Burma. In addition to repressing the press, the Cuban government stands accused of multiple human rights abuses.

99.8 percent – Cuba's literacy rate, according to the CIA. Though freedom is in short supply, both education and health care have long been priorities in Cuba. Cuba's infant mortality rate is lower than that of the United States, and Cuba now exports doctors to Venezuela, which sends oil in return.