The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. U.S. intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from Spain in 1898 and, following three-and-a-half years of subsequent U.S. military rule, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel Castro led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul Castro. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul Castro to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office on April 19, 2018.

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The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4-6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the U.S. embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its difficulties. Over the past decade, there has been growing communication with the Cuban Government to address national interests. As a result of efforts begun in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Cuban Government, which were severed in January 1961, the U.S. and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries on July 20, 2015. However, the embargo remains in place.

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Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the U.S. via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. On January 12, 2017, the U.S. and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy – by which Cuban nationals who reached U.S. soil were permitted to stay – facilitating the repatriation of Cuban migrants. Illicit Cuban migration has since dropped significantly. In FY 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted 1,606 Cuban nationals at sea. Also in FY 2017 there were 20,995 Cuban migrants that presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the U.S.

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SOURCE:  CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.  WORLD FACTBOOK.  APRIL 30, 2019