Capital: Havana
Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara

Independence: 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902)
National holiday: Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)

Constitution: 24 February 1976

Legal system: based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (Prime Minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; President since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; proposed by the president of the Council of State, appointed by the National Assembly

Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly of People's Power: (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) elections last held February 1993; seats - 589 total, indirectly elected from slates approved by special candidacy commissions

Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular)

Political parties and leaders: only party - Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary
Member of: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Principal Officer Alfonso FRAGA Perez (since August 1992) represented by the Cuban Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Washington, DC
chancery: 2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, US Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: (202) 797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Principal Officer Joseph SULLIVAN
US Interests Section: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada Entre L y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana
mailing address: use street address
telephone: 33-3351 or 33-3543
FAX: no service available at this time
note: protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland - US Interests Section, Swiss Embassy

Flag: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white five-pointed star in the center

NOTE: The information regarding Cuba on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cuba Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cuba Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.