Cuba

American  

[kyoo-buh, koo-bah] / ˈkyu bə, ˈku βɑ /

noun

1. a republic in the Caribbean, south of Florida: largest island in the West Indies. 44,218 sq. mi. (114,525 sq. km). Havana.

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Cuba British  

/ ˈkjuːbə /

noun

1. a republic and the largest island in the Caribbean, at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico: became a Spanish colony after its discovery by Columbus in 1492; gained independence after the Spanish-American War of 1898 but remained subject to US influence until declared a people's republic under Castro in 1960; subject of an international crisis in 1962, when the US blockaded the island in order to compel the Soviet Union to dismantle its nuclear missile base. Sugar comprises about 80 per cent of total exports; the economy was badly affected by loss of trade following the collapse of the Soviet Union and by the continuing US trade embargo. Language: Spanish. Religion: nonreligious majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Havana. Pop: 11 061 886 (2013 est). Area: 110 922 sq km (42 827 sq miles)

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Cuba Cultural  

1. Republic consisting of the island of Cuba and other nearby islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico. Its capital and largest city is Havana.

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The sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor led to the Spanish-American War in 1898.

In 1961, under the administration of John F. Kennedy, American-trained Cuban exiles attempted to invade Cuba, landing at the Bay of Pigs, only to be easily defeated by Castro's forces. The Kennedy administration was sharply criticized for the Bay of Pigs fiasco.

In 1980, Cuban refugees began pouring into the United States when Castro allowed free emigration.

Fidel Castro took control of the Cuban government in 1959. The United States broke off relations with Cuba in 1961, after Castro exhibited strong left-wing leanings, established a system of military justice, and confiscated American investments in banks, industries, and land. Cuba then formed a close attachment to the Soviet Union.

The collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has left Cuba as one of the last communist states.

The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 occurred as a result of a Soviet buildup of medium-range missiles (capable of striking targets in the United States) in Cuba.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Cuban
  adjective

Example Sentences

A strong earthquake struck off the coast of western Cuba on Monday, with AFP journalists in Havana reporting 20 seconds of shaking that forced Cubans out of buildings and into the streets.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

In Miami or Madrid, they became industrious exiles, sending remittances back to their families in Cuba.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

This system wasn’t pretty, and Cuba stayed desperately poor, but the communist regime survived.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Canada's national carrier, which in February announced a pause on Cuba flights until November, said it wanted to give customers more certainty regarding the prospect of future travel.

From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026

Look what he got from the Americans—a pledge not to invade Cuba and the removal of the missiles in Turkey.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin