t has been the worst time…. and the worst of times.  Cuba 1959 to 2006



                     The figures speak for themselves

 

1959

2006

Population 6 millions  $1,200 ( pesos)annual income per capita Dollar par with el peso  Third place in Hemisphere 15 telephone lines/100 persons  Second place in Hemiphere 450 Watts  electric energy/person 2,800 calories daily/person Second in Hemisphere 76 lbs. of meat annually/person second in Hemisphere(  consumption) 47 eggs consumption annually/person  12 lbs.of chicken annual consumption/person 38 automobiles/1000 hab. 1 urban bus/300persons    1 interurban bus/2,000hab. 66 TV Sets/1,000 Habitants Second place in Hemisphere   5 Nation- wide TV stations (2 in color TV) 1 physician/950 habitants Third in Hemisphere 1 dentist/2,100 habitants second in Hemisphere 6 million cattle heads 2.8% unemployment  1.8% inflation(1958) The lowest in Hemisphere 18 newspapers daily 750,000 tourists in 1958 Sugar harvest 7 million tons./year (in the 1950s)

12 millions     $2,000 income (pesos)   Dollar exchange for 28 pesos Third to last in Hemisphere  3.5 telephone lines/100persons Second to last in Hemisphere 75 Watts electric energy/ person 1,100 calories daily/person Twenty first in Hemisphere 12 lbs.of meat annual  /person 13 eggs annual  consumption/person  5lbs.chicken  annual/person 10 automobiles/1000 habitants  1 urban bus /25,000 persons. 1 interurban bus/35,000 hab, 15TV sets/1000 habitants Third in World 2 nation wide stations 1physician/740 habitants 1dentist/1,850 habitants   1.8 millions cattle heads 35%   unemployment 29% inflation 2 newspapers, not daily 1.5 millions in2005 1.4 millions, average 2004,2005

    Is it worth to sacrifice freedom, human rights, democracy? Where are the so called “achievements? How the 1959 figures would be now if free enterprise would have continued in Cuba? Why Cuba is the only country in this Hemisphere where all economic indexes have gone down in the last 47 years?

DATA: FROM UN, FAO, UNESCO, USA DEPT. OF COMMERCE

MORE DATA

Farms

In 1958 there were 159,958 farms in Cuba, with an area of 676,390 Caballerias, or 9,039,918 Hectares. This gives an average of 4.22 caballerias/farm, or  56.78 Hectares/farm. Farmers represented a strong middle class

Sugar

Cuba was in 1958 the largest sugar producer in the world, followed by Brazil and Mexico.  The sugar harvest of 1958 was of 5,613,332 millions of Tons.

Sugar mills

There were 163 sugar mills, distributed as follows:

Owned by Cubans                    121                  75%

Owned by Americans                 36                  22%

Owned by Spaniards                   3                     2%

Owned by Frenchmen                 1                     1%

Industries and Commerce

In 1958 there were in Cuba:

38, 384 industries, with a value of $ 4,400 millions of dollars

65,872 commerces, with a value of $ 1,950 millions of dollars

They employed 1,135,770 workers

Energy

In 1958 Cuba had position number 25 in the world, composed at the time of 124 countries, with 13.5 Megawatts Hour per year per capita. The World media was 10 and above this media there were only 29 countries. Cuba was number 1 in Latin America. Mexico had 6.4, Venezuela 11. In 2006, Cuba has 2.5.

Cattle

In 1958, Cuba had 0.85 heads of cattle per capita . The World per capita was 0.32. The price of beef in 1958, in Cuba was $0.38 per pound., the lowest in this Hemisphere. The production of dairy was in 1958 of 975 millions of liters of milk.

Mining

In 1958 Cuba had in operation 287 mines of several minerals, including: 68 of manganese, 6 of iron, 9 of copper, 12 of chrome, 1 of nickel, . There were 25,000 worers employed in this sector.

Roads

From 1927 to 1931, Cuba built Carretera Central., with an extension of 1,144 Kms. In 1958. The first country in Latin America to have such a kind of road. Cuba also had 3,588 Kms. of secondary roads.

Railroads

In 1958 Cuba had 1Km. of railroad per 8 square kms. The first in this Hemisphere. The total was 19,000 Kmx.

Automobiles

In 1958 Cuba had 140,267 automobiles owned by private citizens, for an average of one per 27 persons. Third place in this Hemisphere.

TVs

In 1958 there were 400,000 TVs in cuba, or one TV per 17 persons. First station was in operation in 1950. In 1958 there were 23 TV stations, including 2 transmitting color TV.

Radios

In 1958 there were 160 radio stations in Cuba, and 1 million radio receivers. First country per capita in this Hemisphere.

Calories (food), per capita,per day

In 1958, we have

Argentine                      3,240
Cuba                            2,730
Mexico                         2,390
Chile                             2,370
Brazil                            2,360