Page 45 - Reading Success B8

In recent years, the word Caribbean has become synonymous to paradise, the perfect
getaway with its beautiful islands and splendid scenery. Along the Caribbean stretch can be
found an island that matches the region’s popularity in terms of its rich heritage and colorful
history. Located in the northern Caribbean, Cuba is the most populous country in the area and
considered by many to be a meeting point of European, African, Amerindian and continental
North American cultures. Certainly, its customs and culture draw from several influences
including the aboriginal Taino and Ciboney, Spanish colonialism, the introduction of African
slaves, and its proximity to the United States.

Amerindian peoples, known as the Taino and Ciboney, whose ancestors had come from
South America were the original inhabitants of Cuba. The Taino were farmers while the
Ciboney were both farmers and hunter-gatherers. It is believed that these groups engaged
heavily in trade especially copper. However, in 1492, Spanish sailors and settlers led by
Columbus landed on the island and soon conquered them. Within a century, the natives were
wiped out because of diseases carried by the new settlers, forced labor and genocide. The
aboriginal heritage has somehow survived through the rise of the Mestizo population. With the
aborigines gone, the settlers turned their sight to abducted African slaves and forced them
into labor. Not only did the African slaves withstand the diseases, they also successfully
preserved and passed on their African cultural tradition to Cuba through the cabildos, a social
group they formed among themselves now considered to be the root of present day Cuban
musical forms. Slavery was finally abolished in 1886 and in 1895, a struggle led by Jose Marti
with the help of the United States ended the Spanish rule. Cuba then became an independent
republic under U.S. protection. The brief period of U.S. occupation , which ended in 1902,
brought large American investments to Cuba. In the 1930s, then President Gerardo Machado
was overthrown by a group of army officers including army sergeant Fulgencio Batista, who
later became president and ran a corrupt police state.
In the 1950s, a revolution led by Fidel Castro forced Batista to self exile. When Castro
assumed power, he formed an alliance with the Soviet Union. This further strained Cuba’s
relationship with the United States.
In 1961, a group of Cuban exiles backed by the U.S. attempted to invade Cuba but failed
to do so due to lack of popular support. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba’s
economy plummeted. In 1993, Castro allowed limited private enterprise in the country and
encouraged foreign investment in its tourist industry. By the late 1990s, the country regained
its stability by having economic relations with most Latin American countries, improved
relations with the European Union and a newfound alliance with China. Today, Cuba remains
one of the most famous countries in the Caribbean and promises to be more interesting in the
coming years.

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this story?

a. vacationing in the Caribbean
b. the history of Cuba

c. the life of Fidel Castro
d. the U.S. occupation of Cuba

48_Reading Success B 8