COUNTRY REPORT — CUBA AT A GLANCE

* Cuba has a population of about 11 million and a total land mass of 110,922 sq. km. It comprises the Island of Cuba (the largest in the Caribbean), the Isle of Youth and 1,600 keys and tiny islands.

* Three main mountain ranges are present, in the eastern, central and western parts of the country. The eastern range contains Turquino Peak which, at 1,974 metres, is the highest point on the island.

* The climate is warm and humid, with 330 sunny days per year and a mean annual temperature of 25C.

* A Suzuki jeep can be rented for US$40 per day. When available, gasoline costs about US90 cents per litre.

* Cubans recently were granted the right to hold U.S. dollars. The official exchange rate is one peso to the dollar.

* Geologically, Cuba is one of the more complicated areas in the Caribbean. It is a typical island arc terrain, the oldest rocks being Jurassic. * Mining is limited to three nickel laterite operations (Nicaro, Che Guevara and Moa) in the northeast and two copper mines (El Cobre in the southeast and Matahambre in the west).

* Since the revolution (1959-61), exploration has been monstly focused on nickel laterite deposits. During the 1980s, the Soviets and their east bloc neighbors helped Cubans explore for other commodities. Much of this work was academic in nature, with a strong emphasis on petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry.

* Cuba has a highly skilled and well-educated workforce. Most areas are accessible by road. One drawback is the electrical power system; almost all parts of the country are experiencing power outages, lasting up to 16 hours per day in some places. The outages are primarily due to fuel shortages at generating stations.