ABSTRACT
About 11 million people inhabit the Republic of Cuba, a nation of more than sixteen hundred keys and islands located in the northwestern Antilles. The main island, Cuba, with a surface area of 105,007 square kilometers, is the largest of the Antilles. Most of the national population is descended from Spaniards (mostly from Andalucía and the Canary Islands) and Africans (mostly Bantu and Yoruba). Small populations derive from Caribbeans of other islands, French, and Chinese. Spanish is the official language, but some Cubans still speak several African-derived languages. Local religions include several derived from African religions, but the largest in membership is Roman Catholicism.
