Let’s find out more about a certain popular island as we check this list of 10 crazy facts about Cuba. The small island nation has been viewed as obscure by most people of the world. Cuba has been surrounded by world-changing events and has been the center of many news stories and controversies. Cuba is also home to some of the most popular products in the world. It is also known for one of the bloodiest and strongest revolutions ever recorded. Cuba became the hotbed of issue and war, with civil wars and the cold war conflict decades ago.
Despite all these somewhat controversial and even tragic events, Cuba has had their share of crazy and interesting things. Most of the facts we’ve listed today are actually some light-hearted stories you may want to tell your friends about. Some of what’s listed here may even be on par with the 50 Crazy Facts of Japan you won’t Believe. This is a country that has achieved many amazing world feats and produced a lot of world class athletes. You can also find diverse wildlife on this Caribbean island.
Despite the more popular locations near Cuba, the country still has a lot of interesting stories that are beyond the political and violent issues of its past. We’ll cover only the crazy, and you’ll probably double-back and decide for yourself if these things listed here are true. Without further ado, let’s start this list:
10. Prince Juan
Cuba wasn’t always called Cuba. The island was originally discovered by famous explorer Christopher Columbus, and he named it Isla Juana after the famous Prince Juan from Astoria. Locals, however, had always called it Cuba. Over time, Columbus seemed to have liked the original name as further entries in his journal had him calling the country Cuba.
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9. Indigenous People
A lot of the folks descending from the original indigenous people of Cuba are very few now. The country has been plagued with a lot of conflicts in the past. One of the conflicts that nearly wiped out the local civilization was a disease. The disease spread from visitors of Europe and afflicted the entire country. A few of the diseases they had to overcome were smallpox and measles.
8. British Colony
Cuba was better known as another colony put into the Spain’s large empire. Many history books don’t write down the time that the British overtook the country. The British campaign against Spain was successful in some areas as they had conquered them. Interestingly, the British decided to trade their rights to Cuba for Florida after a short hold.
7. Fidel Castro
One of the more popular names and faces around the world, Fidel Castro was a powerful and to some a tyrannical leader. He is considered as one of the historical and political faces in Cuba and you’ll see him referred to in a lot of pop culture outlets today.
6. Caribbean
Cuba is actually part of the famous Caribbean. A lot of the neighboring islands garner more attention as tourists deem them a lot friendlier compared to Cuba. With the large size of the country Cuba is considered to be the largest island in the whole Caribbean.
Cuba’s still filled with more interesting facts as we continue this list of 10 crazy facts about Cuba.
5. Christmas
Cubans understood what Christmas was and knew how to celebrate it properly. What’s crazy about it is that the government never really recognized it as a holiday. Previously, you had to work on the day of Christmas; this, of course, changed sometime in 1997.
4. Small Animals
Cuba is home to some of the smallest wildlife in the world. They have the smallest frog in the world measuring only 1 centimeter long. It is also home to the smallest bird in the world, the hummingbird. The hummingbird is known to grow to sizes of only 5cm.
3. Gold Medals
Cuba has won a good share of gold medals. They proudly display not one, not two, but seventy two gold medals. Amazingly, more than half of those gold accolades are products of boxing. Many are not aware of the fact that Cuba has produced a lot of star quality athletes.
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2. Hitchhiking
It is a government mandate to entertain hitchhikers in Cuba. If you are a government official or are driving a government car, you may get imprisoned if you decide to ignore hitchhikers. Cuba law specifically states that their government cars are legally obliged to pick up anyone wanting to hitch a ride.
1. No Poison
Unlike most of the countries in the world, Cuba has no venomous animal or poisonous plant living in it. Most of the wild and plant life are harmless, well to humans anyway. There is no record of death by poisonous organisms in the country.
There you have it our list of the 10 crazy facts about Cuba. You can never truly tell what amazing things a country possesses until you dig deep into its culture and history.
