| | '''Cuba''' is an island located in the [[Caribbean Sea]], 90 miles south of [[Florida]]. It is the only [[Communist]] country in the Western Hemisphere. | | '''Cuba''' is an island located in the [[Caribbean Sea]], 90 miles south of [[Florida]]. It is the only [[Communist]] country in the Western Hemisphere. |
| | Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly [[Spanish]] and [[African]] origins. The largest organized religion is the [[Roman Catholic Church]], but evangelical [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations continue to grow rapidly. Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. Officially, Cuba has been an [[atheist]] state for most of the Castro era. In 1962, the government of [[Fidel Castro]] seized and shut down more than 400 Catholic schools, charging that they spread dangerous beliefs among the people. In 1991, however, the [[Communist]] Party lifted its prohibition against religious believers seeking membership, and a year later the constitution was amended to characterize the state as secular instead of atheist. | | Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly [[Spanish]] and [[African]] origins. The largest organized religion is the [[Roman Catholic Church]], but evangelical [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations continue to grow rapidly. Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. Officially, Cuba has been an [[atheist]] state for most of the Castro era. In 1962, the government of [[Fidel Castro]] seized and shut down more than 400 Catholic schools, charging that they spread dangerous beliefs among the people. In 1991, however, the [[Communist]] Party lifted its prohibition against religious believers seeking membership, and a year later the constitution was amended to characterize the state as secular instead of atheist. |