Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, archipelagos, 4,195 islands and cays surrounding the main island. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of both the American state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola, and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Havana is the largest city and capital. Cuba is the third-most populous country in the Caribbean after Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with about 11 million inhabitants.
Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, conquistador of Cuba
A painting of the British capture of Havana in 1762
Slaves in Cuba unloading ice from Maine, c. 1832
19th century view of Havana
An island country, island state, or island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically more stable than many continental states but are vulnerable to conquest by naval superpowers. Indonesia is the largest and most populated island country in the world.
A sign on South Tarawa, Kiribati discussing the threat of sea level rise to the island, with its highest point being only three metres above sea level.
Japan is an archipelago in Asia that constitutes one of the richest and most populated nations on Earth.
Singapore, an affluent and highly-developed sovereign island country by which its territories consists of a main island and other smaller islands