Grade school is mandatory for every child in Cuba between the ages of 6 and 15. Uniforms are universally required with different colors for each grade level.

Fidel Castro erected a statue of John Lennon from The Beatles in 2000. Castro admired Lennon and believed he was a true music revolutionary.

Cuba is the most populated country in the Caribbean, with more than 11 million residents.

Cubans don't typically write their recipes down. Instead, they are passed down from generation to generation through stories and shared experiences.

Cuba has the highest doctor to patient ratio in the world. There are so many doctors in Cuba, that doctors are often sent abroad to countries with a great need of medical professionals.

Dance is very important in Cuba, the birthplace of classic dance styles like the Bolero, Mambo and Cha Cha.

A rare prehistoric fish called the Mangar is now only found in Cuba.

Cuba has a 99.8% literacy rate, which is one of the highest in the world.

The only cars that Cuban citizens can own legally are cars created and bought before 1959. After this year, the Cuban government seized all of the cars, and owns them all to this day.

Most of the pre-1959 cars in the country are from the United States.