Overview: Cuba can portray itself as the archetypal image of a Caribbean
island with its sandy, palm-fringed shores washed by crystal-clear
waters and cooled by breezes carrying the scent of frangipani,
mango and guava. But Cuba has so much more to offer those who
venture away from its beaches to the towns and cities and their
Spanish colonial architecture and grand plazas, where classic
automobiles labour along streets and country roads, and the
hip-swaying sounds of salsa music fill the night air. Together with
cigar smoke and rum cocktails, baseball, and everywhere visual
references of the 1959 revolution, these picture-postcard portraits
of Cuba tell a more complete tale of the largest island in the
Caribbean. Christopher Columbus discovered Cuba on his way back to Spain
after his second voyage to the New World in 1492 and was the first
European to remark on its beauty. Today, the island state is
starting to exploit its glorious attractions and offers visitors an
alternative Caribbean holiday. Cuba is so large that it allegedly confused Columbus, who
thought he had discovered a continent and not an island. It sits at
the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico; the main island is 746 miles
(1,200km) long with an irregular coastline that offers hundreds of
bays and beaches. The years of political isolation have protected
Cuba from mass tourism; the main towns and villages retain a
crumbling colonial charm and are generally devoid of resorts that
blight some of its neighbouring islands. With its history and great choice of natural attractions Cuba
has much to offer. But most visitors agree that Cuba is a country
so individual and extraordinary, that to be truly understood and
appreciated it has to be experienced in person.
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