Most people are familiar with Cuba thanks to its vibrant culture, beautiful landscape, and tumultuous political history.
But getting a feel for how big Cuba is, whether you consider land area, population, or any number of other factors, can be tricky until you compare it to other areas, such as US states, including Florida, California, and Texas, that may be more familiar.
Land area
In terms of land, Cuba is 42,426 square miles. This is about the same size as the state of Tennessee.
Florida is actually a bit larger than Cuba, land-wise, and is about 65,758 square miles.
California is even larger, measuring 163,696 square miles, and Texas is about 268,597 square miles.
Population
As of 2020, Cuba had a population of about 11.33 million people. This is just a bit smaller than the population of Ohio.
California, Florida, and Texas, on the other hand, have the largest populations of any states, and their populations are all almost double that of Cuba.
Florida’s population is about 21.47 million people, while Texas’s population is about 28.99 million people.
California’s population is about 39.51 million people. The state with the smallest population is Wyoming, and it has a population of about 579,000 people, which is about 20 times smaller than that of Cuba.
Gross Domestic Product
Gross domestic product, also known as GDP, is the value of goods and services produced in a specific area over a specific period of time.
As of 2019, Cuba’s gross domestic product was about 103.1 billion US dollars.
This is quite a bit more than any one individual state in the US makes.
California, which has the highest GDP of any state, has a GDP of about 3,290,000 US dollars.
Texas’s GDP is about $1,950,000, and Florida’s GDP is about $1,198,000.
| Cuba | Florida | Texas | California | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Area | 42,426 sq. miles | 65,758 sq. miles | 268,597 sq. miles | 163,696 sq. miles |
| Population | 11.3 million | 21.47 million | 28.99 million | 39.51 million |
| GDP | 103.1 billion | 1,198,000 US | 1,950,000 US | 3,290,000 US |
| Lakes | 6 | 30,000 | 7,000 | 3,000 |
| Universities | 60 | 170 | 170 | 280 |
| Cities | 117 | 282 | 1,200 | 482 |
| Airports | 10 | 21 | 24 | 27 |
| Highway Miles | 406 | 1,498 | 3,240 | 5,870 |
Lakes
Cuba has six inland lakes, but they’re all relatively small. Instead of large lakes, Cuba is home to many swamps, which extend around the coast of the country.
The largest swamp is Zapata Swamp, which covers 4,403 square miles.
Florida is very similar in climate to Cuba, but it has many more lakes. Florida is home to about 30,000 lakes of various sizes.
The largest lake in Florida is Lake Okeechobee, which is 448,000 square acres.
Florida is also home to the Everglades, one of the largest areas of wetlands in the world.
The Everglades take up about 1.5 million acres.
Although California is larger than Florida and Cuba, it has a somewhat drier climate in many regions, and this also means it has fewer lakes.
California is home to about 3,000 lakes, including some that dry up during more arid seasons.
Texas has about 7,000 lakes. Most of these lakes are found on the eastern side of the state, where the climate tends to be wetter year-round.
Universities
Cuba is home to about 60 universities. All of these universities are public.
Where students go depends on what type of degree they’re studying, as Cuban universities are divided into three learning stages, which correspond to a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral programs.
Texas is a large state, and it’s well-known for its education system, so it makes sense that it would be home to many universities.
There are about 170 universities or colleges in Texas, both private and public.
Florida has about the same number of universities as Texas.
California is also prized for its education system, and the state is home to about 280 universities.
Cities
Cuba’s largest city, Havana, is home to over 2 million people, and it’s the only city in the country to have a population of over 1 million people.
There are 22 other cities in Cuba that have between 100,000 and 1 million people.
The country has 117 cities with populations between 10,000 and 100,000.
Florida has about 282 cities. Its largest city is Jacksonville, which has a population of about 949,000 people.
California has about 482 cities. The largest is Los Angeles, which has about 3,898,000 people.
The second-largest city, San Diego, is home to about 1,386,000 people.
Texas has more than eight times as many cities as Cuba. The state has about 1,200 cities.
Its largest is Houston, which has a population of about 2,300,000 people, which is very close to Havana’s population.
Airports
Cuba has 10 international airports. The largest and most-used airports in the country are located in Havana and Varadero.
Texas has 24 airports, 12 of which are international. The largest is the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. California has 27 airports, nine of which offer international flights.
Los Angeles Airport, more commonly called LAX, is the largest. Florida has 21 airports.
Sixteen of them are international airports, and Miami International is the largest airport in the state.
Roads and Highways
Cuba has about 37,815 miles of roads altogether. About half of these roads are paved, and half are not.
Of the paved roads, about 406 miles are considered to be motorways.
Florida has four interstate highways and eight auxiliary highways, consisting of about 1,498 miles.
The shortest highway in the state is Interstate-395, which runs for only 1.29 miles in Florida.
California has about 51,300 miles of highway, and about 5,870 miles of that are interstate highways.
The Pacific Coast Highway is perhaps California’s most famous highway.
Drivers along this roadway have a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean, and the highway runs for over 650 miles.
Texas has 5 US highways and 16 interstate highways.
The interstate highways system alone covers about 3,240 miles.
