MrWeb's MR-a-thon

Just 90 miles from the Florida coast, and surrounded by parliamentary democracies, Cuba is an island in every sense. The largest and most populous island nation in the Caribbean, it has been ruled by Fidel Castro's Communist Party since the overthrow of the authoritarian rule of Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

Spanish for 400 years until 1898, and only briefly a democracy in the early twentieth century, Cuba faces a very uncertain future (see below).For the moment, communism has meant control of many areas of life, rock bottom income, isolation and high levels of (illegal) emigration - but also healthcare that's the envy of many other states, law and order that's rare in other populous Caribbean states, almost 100 percent literacy, and an old world charm that's popular with tourists. In 2006, Cuba was the only nation in the worl' which met the WWF's definition of sustainable development, having an ecological footprint of less than 1.8 hectares per capita and a Human Development Index of over 0.8 for 2007. Cuba and the USA - and more particularly the CIA - are officially bitter enemies but American cars, films and much of its culture are highly popular among ordinary Cubans. As an outsider it's hard to weigh up the pros and cons - sources suggest more than a million will look to leave if emigration controls are relaxed and perhaps that's the bottom line - but will they find the grass greener?