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Cuba

Socio/political Facts:

  • Population: 11.32 million
  • Capital: La Havana
  • Official language: Spanish
  • Area: 42,426 square miles
  • Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party Socialist Republic

Fun Facts:

  • Christmas was banned for 30 years. From 1969 to 1997 after Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to the country.
  • Cuba has a literacy rate of 99.8%, one of the highest in the world.
  • Men playing dominoes in the street is a common sight in most Cuban neighborhoods. Dominoes is a popular Cuban past-time and social activity.
  • Santeria is the second most popular religion after Catholicism.

Baseball Facts:

  • 201 MLB players
  • Baseball was introduced to Cuba in 1864 when students returned home from the United States with a bat and ball.
  • A baseball league was established there in 1878
  • The Cuban winter league that played until Fidel Castro took power in 1959 and abolished all professional sports.
  • Cuba won the first two gold medals awarded in baseball at the Olympics, first in Barcelona (1992) and then in Atlanta (1996) before losing to the United States in the championship game in Sydney (2000).

Baseball & Softball Stats (Impact):

  • 100 kids benefited
  • 3 programs
  • 1 city