[kyoo-buh; Sp. koo-vah] 
| a republic in the Caribbean, S of Florida: largest island in the West Indies. 10,999,041; 44,218 sq. mi. (114,525 sq. km). Capital: Havana. |
| (formerly, esp. in creole-speaking cultures) a name given at birth to a black child, in accordance with African customs, indicating the child's sex and the day of the week on which he or she was born, as the male and female names for Sunday (Quashee and Quasheba), Monday (Cudjo or Cudjoe and Juba), Tuesday (Cubbena and Beneba), Wednesday (Quaco and Cuba or Cubba), Thursday (Quao and Abba), Friday (Cuffee or Cuffy and Pheba or Phibbi), and Saturday (Quamin or Quame and Mimba). |
Cu·ba (kyōō'bə)  (click for larger image in new window) An island country in the Caribbean Sea south of Florida. Originally settled by Arawak Indians, it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 and was colonized by Spain beginning in 1511. Spain relinquished its control of Cuba in 1898 as a result of the Spanish-American War, and following a three-year occupation by U.S. forces, the island became self-governing in 1902. Fulgencio Batista dominated the government of Cuba from 1933 until 1959, when he was ousted by Fidel Castro. Havana is the capital and the largest city. Population: 11,400,000. Cu'ban adj. & n. |
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.
Note: The sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor led to the Spanish-American War in 1898.
Note: 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.
Note: 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.
Note: 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.
Note: In 1980, Cuban refugees began pouring into the United States when Castro allowed free emigration.
Note: The collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has left Cuba as one of the last communist states.
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