Cuba trivia: 47 questions and answers

1492. Columbus sighted Cuba on 27 October 1492, during his first voyage, and landed the next day. Baracoa was founded in 1511 and Havana moved to its present site in 1519.

Baracoa. Baracoa, near the eastern tip of the island, was founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511 and was Cuba's first capital. Trinidad followed in 1514, Havana moved to its bay in 1519 and Cienfuegos was founded in 1819.

José Martí. José Martí organised the 1895 war of independence from exile and was killed at Dos Ríos on 19 May 1895. Céspedes and Agramonte were leaders of the earlier Ten Years' War, and Batista was the president overthrown in 1959.

The Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. After 13 tense days, it agreed to remove them in exchange for a US promise not to invade Cuba.

True. True. The Maine sank on 15 February 1898. The cause is still debated, but the event helped lead to the Spanish–American War that April.

False. False. In 1868 Carlos Manuel de Céspedes proclaimed independence and began the Ten Years' War, but Spain kept Cuba. The Republic of Cuba was founded on 20 May 1902.

True. True. About 1,400 exiles, trained and funded by the US government, landed on 17 April 1961. Cuban troops and militias defeated them by 19 April.

Old clothes. Ropa vieja means 'old clothes', perhaps because the shredded beef looks like rags. Fried cow is vaca frita, Moors and Christians is moros y cristianos, and rice with chicken is arroz con pollo.

Black beans. The Moors are the black beans and the Christians are the white rice, cooked together in one pot.

Green plantains. Tostones are slices of green plantains, fried, flattened and fried again until crisp. In Cuba they are also called chatinos or tachinos.

Daiquiri. Daiquirí is a beach and former iron mine near Santiago de Cuba. The daiquiri is usually credited to an American mining engineer who worked there around 1898.

Mint. A mojito is made with mint. In Cuba it is usually a local kind called yerba buena, with a light, citrus-like scent.

True. True. A traditional Cuban meal is not served in courses: rice, beans, meat and plantains arrive at the same time.

True. True. Havana is the mojito's home city, although exactly how the drink was invented is still debated.

Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos, a port on the south coast founded in 1819, is called La Perla del Sur, the Pearl of the South. Matanzas, Varadero and Pinar del Río are in the north and west.

Matanzas. Matanzas has seventeen bridges over three rivers, and its poets earned it the name Athens of Cuba.

Santiago de Cuba. Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city after Havana. Camagüey is third, Santa Clara fifth, and Trinidad is a small colonial town.

True. True. After the pirate Henry Morgan burned the city in the 1600s, it was redesigned like a maze. Its old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008.

Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro. The Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro, begun in 1589, stands across the harbour mouth from Old Havana. San Pedro de la Roca guards Santiago Bay, El Cobre is a church and the mausoleum is in Santa Clara.

Tobacco. Farmers in the Viñales Valley still grow tobacco by hand using methods centuries old, and UNESCO listed it as a cultural landscape in 1999.

Mogotes. The rounded limestone hills are called mogotes and can be up to 300 m tall. Cenotes are water-filled sinkholes, tepuis are table mountains in South America, and mesas are flat-topped hills.

Germany. Germany. The park is named after the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt, who visited Cuba in 1800 and 1801.

9. As of 2026 Cuba has 9 World Heritage Sites, including Old Havana, Trinidad and the Valle de los Ingenios, the Viñales Valley and Alejandro de Humboldt National Park.

True. True. The Malecón runs for 8 km from the harbour mouth to the Almendares River. Building began in 1901.

False. False. The name means 'Valley of the Sugar Mills'. In the 1700s and 1800s it had over fifty sugar mills, worked by enslaved people.

It is the smallest known bird. It is the smallest known bird: the bee hummingbird, or zunzuncito, is only about 5 to 6 cm long.

The Cuban trogon (tocororo). The Cuban trogon (tocororo), found only in Cuba, is the national bird. Its red, white and blue feathers match the Cuban flag.

Baseball. Baseball is Cuba's most popular sport, followed by football. It has been the most played sport on the island since the 1870s.

Isle of Pines. It was called the Isle of Pines (Isla de Pinos) until 1978. Hispaniola, Isla Mujeres and Cayman Brac are islands belonging to other countries.

Syphilis. In 2015 Cuba became the first country validated by the WHO for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and syphilis.

True. True. Pico Turquino is the only place in Cuba where snowfall has been officially recorded. It last fell in February 1900.

True. True. Hemingway lived at Finca Vigía, about 24 km from Havana, for much of the 1940s and 1950s.

False. False. The main island, about 1,250 km long, is the largest island in the Caribbean and the 17th-largest in the world.

A bus. In Cuba a guagua is a bus. The word came from the Canary Islands and is said to imitate the sound of a horn.

A privately run restaurant. A paladar is a privately run restaurant, often run by a family. They were first allowed in the 1990s and became much more common after 2010.

Great, wonderful. Chévere means great, wonderful. It is one of several Cuban words of African origin.

True. True. Asere is an informal word for friend or mate, of African origin.

Buenas tardes. Buenas tardes is used from about noon until dark. Buenos días is good morning, buenas noches is good evening, and mucho gusto means pleased to meet you.

How much does it cost?. ¿Cuánto cuesta? means How much does it cost? It is useful at markets and stalls.

La cuenta, por favor. La cuenta, por favor means The bill, please. ¡Buen provecho! wishes someone a good meal, and con permiso is used to squeeze past people.

True. True. Like other Caribbean Spanish speakers, many Cubans turn a final 's' into a soft 'h' sound or drop it, which is why Cuban Spanish can sound fast to learners.

At official Cadeca exchange houses. Money may be exchanged only at official Cadeca exchange houses. Exchanging it anywhere else is illegal and can lead to a fine or prison.

106. The police number is 106. In Cuba 104 is for an ambulance and 105 for the fire service.

Within 72 hours. The D'Viajeros form must be completed within 72 hours before you enter Cuba. It gives you a QR code to show on arrival.

True. True. Since 6 June 2026 international cards are no longer accepted, so visitors are advised to bring enough cash, such as US dollars or euros, for their whole stay.

False. False. The Cuban peso cannot be exchanged outside Cuba. Visitors bring US dollars or euros and change them at Cadeca exchange houses.

True. True. Hurricanes can strike from June to November, bringing floods and cutting power, water and flights.