Cuba

Home> Countries> North America> Cuba

Country Name

Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba.

Location

Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea, The Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean meet. It is east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of both The U.S. state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Haiti, and north of both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

Capital

Havana.

Reason for Naming the country

Historians believe the name Cuba comes from the Taíno language, however "its exact origin is unknown". The exact meaning of the name is unclear but it may be translated either as 'where fertile land is abundant' (Cubao), or 'great place' (coabana). Fringe theory writers who believe that Christopher Columbus was Portuguese state that Cuba was named by Columbus for the town of Cuba in the district of Beja in Portugal.