9781422279779

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The Land W ith its white sand beaches and crystalline waters, its pristine rain forests and splendid colonial archi- tecture, Cuba has been called “the Pearl of the Caribbean.” It is the largest and northernmost of the Greater Antilles. That island group (which also includes Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico), along with the string of smaller islands that make up the Lesser Antilles, bounds the Caribbean Sea to the north and east. Cuba’s nearest international neighbor is Haiti. That coun- try, which occupies the western half of the island of Hispaniola, lies slightly south and to the east of Cuba. At their closest point, Cuba and Haiti are separated by only about 60 miles (97 kilometers). To Cuba’s south, at a distance of around 110 miles (177 km), is Jamaica. Mexico lies to Cuba’s west.

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