Cuba, the Pearl of the Antilles Quiz

Answer: Kingdom of Kublai-Kan (China)

Christopher Columbus was familiar with the Marco Polo journeys. Therefore, he believed he had landed in the kingdom of Kublai-Kan as described by Marco Polo. It was also documented in his diaries that when he saw the island of Cuba, he stated, "It is the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen".

Answer: Caobana

The original Cubans were vegetable farmers and fishermen of mollusks and turtles, who originally named their land "Caobana", resembling the word "Cubana". The name "Cuba" originated from this native dialect. Many cities in Cuba also bear their native dialect names such as Camajuani, Guanacayabo and Baracoa.

Answer: Spanish

The official language of Cuba is Spanish. Fifteen percent of the residents in Cuba also speak Haitian Creole, which is the main language of the people of Haiti. Basque is a language spoken by the inhabitants of the Pyrenees which border the countries of Spain and France.

Answer: One

The Cuban flag consists of three blue stripes, two white stripes, and a red triangular emblem with one white star in the center. The red triangle stands for freedom and equality for all.

Answer: La Habana

La Habana is the capital of Cuba and the largest city on the island with over 11 million inhabitants in 2012 data. Santiago de Cuba was the second most populated Cuban city in 2012, with approximately 500,000 inhabitants. Varadero is an internationally known beach visited by worldwide tourists on a yearly basis. Manzanillo is a port city in Cuba.

Answer: sugar, tobacco, coffee, nickel

Cuba's most exported products include sugar, tobacco, coffee and nickel.
Sugar export has actually declined over the years, but has remained one of the top exported products. China, Canada and Spain participate in trade with Cuba.

Answer: Single Party State Communism

Cuba's government has long been controlled by the Communist Party originally led by President Fidel Castro. The government was controlled by the Castro brothers in 1958 after they overthrew the previous president, Fulgencio Batista.

Answer: The Cuban missile crisis involved Russian rockets being delivered and stationed in Cuba.

In October 1962, the United States government was made aware by reconnaissance planes that Russian missiles were secretly being stationed and pointed at the United States by the Cuban government. After much negotiation, an agreement was reached between President John F. Kennedy and Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev to remove the missiles from Cuba, and that the United States would not intervene in Cuba's affairs.

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Former President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower initially allocated millions of U.S. dollars and planned the training of troops in South America to prepare an invasion to Cuba. President John F. Kennedy was made aware of this after he won the Presidency.

Answer: Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba in March 2012. His three day itinerary included meeting with the Castro brothers and holding an outdoor religious service in the city of Santiago de Cuba. He was not the first Pope to have ever visited the island. Pope John Paul II previously visited Cuba in January 1998.