Current Weather in Cuba:

General: Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba (Spanish: Cuba or República de Cuba, IPA: [re'pußlika ðe 'kußa]), consists of the island of Cuba (the largest of the Greater Antilles), the Isle of Youth and adjacent small islands. Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Cuba is south of the eastern United States and the Bahamas, west of the Turks and Caicos Islands and Haiti and east of Mexico. The Cayman Islands and Jamaica are to the south.

Cuba is the most populous country in the Caribbean. Its culture and customs draw from several sources including the aboriginal Taíno and Ciboney peoples, the period of Spanish colonialism, the introduction of African slaves, and its proximity to the United States. The island has a tropical climate that is moderated by the surrounding waters; the warm currents of the Caribbean Sea and its location between water bodies also make Cuba prone to frequent hurricanes.

Currency: The peso (ISO 4217 code: CUP, sometimes called "national peso") is one of two official currencies in use in Cuba, the other being the convertible peso (CUC). Cuban currency has no official value outside the country. The peso (CUP) is used by tourists only for staple and non-luxury products. However, local citizens are paid most of their wages in pesos and have to pay everyday expenses in CUP.

For some accounting purposes the exchange rate is set at 1 CUP = 1 CUC. However, for practical purposes, the exchange rate is that applied by the Cuban banks and Cadecas (exchange bureaux). From 18 March 2005, that rate has been set at 24:1 when exchanging CUC for CUP and 25:1 when going from CUP to CUC.

The convertible peso is currently pegged at $1.08 USD and is used for luxury products and services. All other exchanges rates are set in relation to the CUC.

Language: Spanish - Current estimation accounts up to 400 million, making Spanish the third language in the world in number of speakers (after English and Mandarin Chinese) and the most widely spoken and studied Romance language. It is arguably the most widely studied foreign language for native speakers of English due to its perceived sense of practicality in a largely globalized 21st Century, as both languages have similar numbers of native speakers, Spanish is also widely dispersed in the Western Hemisphere and has a large population in Europe, and is spoken in many countries. It is also the most widely studied foreign language in Brazil, which is almost entirely surrounded by Spanish-speaking nations.

Spanish originated as a Latin dialect along a remote crossroads strip among the Cantabria, Burgos and La Rioja provinces of Northern Spain (cf. Glosas Emilianenses in San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja). From there, its use gradually spread inside the Kingdom of Castile, where it eventually became the principal language of government and trade. It was later brought to America and other parts of the world in the last five centuries by Spanish explorers, colonists and empire-builders. Spanish is one of six official working languages of the United Nations and one of the most used global languages, along with English. It is spoken most extensively in North and South America, Europe, and certain parts of Africa, Asia and Oceania. Within the globalized market, there is currently an international expansion and recognition of the Spanish language in literature, the film industry, television (notably telenovelas) and mostly music.