Discover the special things about the paradise island of Cuba

1. Cuba - The island of paradise

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean Sea and the 17th largest in the world. Together with its neighbors, Cuba forms the Greater Antilles, an island chain formed millions of years ago by the collision of the Earth's tectonic plates. The island paradise of Baracoa, with its tropical forests, clear blue beaches, and creative cuisine, will give you a new perspective on Cuba.

2. Cubans created a lung cancer vaccine

After 25 years of research, Cuba began producing a lung cancer vaccine in 2001. The active ingredient is a protein that is produced in the human body when cancer becomes uncontrolled. “This vaccine can make cancer a chronic disease that can be controlled by creating antibodies against the protein that causes abnormal cell division,” said Dr. Gisela Gonzalez, who led the research project. “This vaccine cannot prevent lung cancer, but it can significantly improve the patient’s condition.”

On February 2, 1962, the US President told his press secretary, Pierre Salinger, to buy as many Cuban cigars as he could find. Salinger bought 1,200 before the economic embargo went into effect. Today, the embargo on Cuba has been eased, and US citizens can bring $400 worth of goods back from Cuba, but only a quarter of that value can be alcohol and tobacco.

4. The government offers free sex reassignment surgery.

Since 2008, the Cuban government has offered free sex reassignment surgery to its citizens. Belgium has been a long-term partner of Cuba in this field, providing pharmaceuticals and surgical support. All costs are covered by insurance. Cuba has one of the best health care systems in the world, with the second highest doctor-to-patient ratio in the world. Pictured: A transgender wedding in Cuba.

5. Coca Cola is not sold in Cuba

Buying a cold can of Coke to quench your thirst in Cuba is impossible, as the world-famous beverage is not available there. Along with North Korea, Cuba is the second country in the world to ban the sale of Coca-Cola. The ban lasted for nearly 60 years and was only lifted in 2015.

6. Cubans were not allowed to use cell phones until 2008.

Telecommunications in Cuba are extremely complicated. In 2010, Cuba had 1 million mobile phone users, compared to 621,000 in 2009. In 2008, the government allowed mobile phone use, resulting in 330,000 Cubans having access. Most Cubans cannot afford to use their phones freely because of the high cost of mobile service.

7. Cuba - the best health care in the world

Cuba, a country of 11 million people, has achieved some truly enviable health outcomes. Cuba has the lowest infant and under-five mortality rates and the highest life expectancy in the Americas, surpassing the United States on three counts. Cuba is also the first country in the world, according to the World Health Organization, to have eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. The Cuban government has established a comprehensive, universal health care system with a network of doctors, nurses, and home health workers who live in the same communities as patients.

8. Less than 5% of Cubans have access to the Internet

Despite being right next door to the United States, Cuba is one of the least connected countries in the world. Internet access is rare in Cuba. Until July 2015, only government employees and those willing to pay more than $4 an hour at hotspots could connect to the Internet. In the photo:An Internet access point in the capital Havana.

9. Unique Cuban cuisine

Cuban cuisine has a Spanish flavor, mixed with the Caribbean style. A typical meal of the people of this bay area will have dishes served at the same time, not one by one like in Western countries. In the photo: Paella Habana is a slightly sticky rice dish, rich in turmeric flavor, cooked with mussels, clams with shells, squid, shrimp, very attractive because of the colors of the decorative vegetables.

10. Writer Ernest Hemingway was an American citizen who loved Cuba very much.

The American writer Ernest Hemingway loved Cuba and often visited the country for vacation. During his stay in this Latin American country, the writer wrote two famous works, The Old Man and the Sea, and the novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. The writer's old house still exists in San Francisco de Paula, Havana, Cuba.