The modern nation of Cuba, located in the Caribbean, emerged as an independent country following the Spanish-American War of 1898, which led to the end of Spanish colonial rule.

The subsequent period of American influence, culminating in the formal independence of Cuba in 1902, initiated a complex process of national identity formation.

This identity is characterized by a blend of Indigenous Taíno, African, and Spanish cultural elements, reflecting a unique multicultural heritage.

[23] According to Cuba's Oficina Nacional de Estadisticas ONE 2012 Census, the population was 11,167,325 including: 5,570,825 men and 5,596,500 women.

Based on genetic testing (2014) in Cuba, the average percentages of European, African and Native American ancestry in those auto-reporting to be white were 86%, 6.7%, and 7.8%, respectively.

They are primarily made up of ethnic Chinese who are descendants of indentured laborers who came in the 19th century to build railroads and work in mines.

As a result, descendants of the Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua and other now-extinct indigenous peoples of Florida have been assimilated into the mainstream Cuban population.

Since 1959, over two million Cubans have left the island, primarily to Miami, Florida, where a vocal, well-educated and economically successful exile community exists.

As of 2023, the United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey showed a total population of 1,450,808 Cuban immigrants.

[44] After the founding of the republic in 1902, a considerable migration (over 1 million) arrived from the Iberian peninsula to the island, between them were more than a few former Spanish soldiers who participated in the wars, and yet it never created an obstacle for the respect and affection of Cubans, who have always been proud of their origins.

[45] In December 2008, Spain began accepting citizenship applications from the descendants of people who went into exile after its brutal 1936-39 Civil War, part of a 2007 law meant to address the painful legacy of the conflict.

[6] Under the law, the descendants had until December 2011 to present themselves at the Spanish embassy in their home country and turn in documentation that proves their parents or grandparents fled Spain between 1936 and 1955.

This ended in 1959 when de facto leader Fulgencio Batista was ousted by revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro.

[citation needed]Miguel Díaz-Canel succeeds the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro, making him the first non-Castro leader of Cuba since the revolution in 2018.Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel y Bermúdez (Spanish: [mi.ˈɣel ˈdi.as kaˈnel]; born 20 April 1960) is a politician and engineer who is the third first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba.

Well known Hispanic music styles such as mambo, salsa, rumba, cha-cha-chá, bolero, and son originated in Cuba.

Cuban literature includes some of the most well-known names of the islands, such as writer and independence hero José Martí in the late 19th century.

More contemporary Cuban authors include Daína Chaviano, Pedro Juan Gutiérrez, Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, Zoé Valdés and Leonardo Padura Fuentes.

According to a US State Department report,[52] some sources estimate that as much as 80 percent of the population consults with practitioners of religions with West African roots, such as Santeria or Yoruba.

Santería developed out of the traditions of the Yoruba, one of the African peoples who were imported to Cuba during the 16th through 19th centuries to work on the sugar plantations.

The flag of Cuba is red, white, and blue; and was first adopted by Narciso López on a suggestion by the poet Miguel Teurbe Tolón.