Cuba

Cuba is one of the most powerful nations in Latin America. It is one of a handful of Communist states, practicing socialist policies, in the world in the early 21st century. For much of its modern history, Cuba has had a difficult relationship with the United States. As such, despite its commitment to internationalism, Cuba is in some ways isolated from much of the world.

Prior to colonization, Cuba was inhabited by the Arawak peoples. The land was sighted by the explorer Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) in 1492. After that, Spanish colonists began to settle in Cuba, eventually decimating most of its Indigenous populations through conquest and the introduction of diseases to which Native populations had no natural immunity.

Colonial Cuba's...