Cuba Study Abroad

Study Abroad in Cuba

Studying Abroad in Cuba is available in a variety of different forms including etc.

Cuba Overview

Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1899 with military aid from the Americans, who played a dominant role in Cuban politics and industry for the next six decades. During this period, Americans were drawn to Havana by its flamboyant lifestyle, especially during prohibition when the city turned into the playground of America.

However, corruption was rife and the population became restless. A group of guerrillas under the leadership of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara finallysucceeded in liberating the island in 1959 and the Americans fled, taking much of Cuba's wealth with them. Today, the Cubans welcome Americans and you will find many American back packers or tourists, however the US do have restrictions on Americans traveling into Cuba.

The Cuban economy is tentatively expanding, helped by the government allowing its citizens to hold US Dollars, once illegal, which has created consumer demand and also a big increase in tourism, Cuba's main industry. The Cubans continue to be upbeat and the infectious smiles of the residents of Havana persist as the music pulsates and the rum flows - Cuba libre!

** Please note the program in Cuba is offered by Languages Abroad, not AmeriSpan. This program is not available to US citizens. **

Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is Havana's rival in literature, music and politics, and is regarded as the 'cradle of the revolution' because of the pivotal role it played in overthrowing the Batista regime. It's the second biggest city in Cuba and, unlike other Cuban towns, has a noticeable Caribbean flavor due to the influence of the French planters and Haitians who settled there in the last century. The city houses Cuba's oldest palaces and museums including the Casa de Diego Velázquez and the Museo Municipal.

Baracoa
Baracoa sits on a headland between two picturesque bays near Cuba's easternmost point, Cabo Maisí. Founded in 1512 by Diego Velázquez, this is Cuba's oldest European settlement. The town was accessible only by sea until the 1960s when a road finally connected it to the outside world.

Pinar del Río Province
Hikers, speleologists and naturalists will love this westernmost part of the country. Cordillera de Guaniguanico runs along the length of the province and the region boasts a plethora of limestone caves, some 26km long, and rivers that dive underground through the limestone bedrock. This is perhaps the most beautiful part of Cuba, and there are terrific scuba-diving opportunities off the province's coast with excellent yacht anchorages, clear waters, spectacular corals and great expanses of empty white-sand beaches.

Music
African slaves brought rhythms and ritual dances to Cuba. Cuban music today is incorporates guitars, tres (a small Cuban stringed instrument with three pairs of strings), double bass, bongos, claves, maracas and voice. Mambo, bolero, salsa and chachachá music is the most popular.