dence, the island was administered by a military governor appointed by the United States during the period of a little over 3 years beginning on January 1, 1899, while conditions were being stabilized and an autonomous government was being set up. On May 20, 1902, this had been completed and the Cuban Government began its existence along democratic lines, with an elected president and legislature. Cuba is divided into six Provinces with the following area and estimated population as of June 30, 1938: 1 The Isle of Pines is included in the Province of La Habana. 2 "Las Villas" is the new name for the Province formerly called Santa Clara. The change became effective with the new constitution in July 1940. THE PEOPLE When Columbus discovered Cuba on his first voyage on October 28, 1492, the island was inhabited by Indian tribes. These offered little resistance to the Spanish conquerors and were reduced to virtual slavery. By the end of the sixteenth century so few Indians remained in Cuba that a mestizo population (a mixture of Spanish and Indian blood), common in most other Latin American countries, never developed in Cuba. For nearly four centuries, until 1899, Cuba remained under Spanish rule. Consequently, its people are predominantly Spanish in race and culture. As early as 1517, Spain authorized the importation of Negro slaves into Cuba from Africa, and it is estimated that during the following 250 years about 60,000 slaves arrived (12). Subsequently the importation of slaves increased to an estimated million before slavery was completely abolished in 1886. The census of 1817, as well as that of 1841, shows that the colored population exceeded the white population. The proportion of colored had declined to only about 24 percent by 1931, although the proportion of mulattoes had increased. The present population of Cuba is therefore Spanish, colored, and a mixture of these two. Some Cuban observers (12) estimate that about one-half of the total population may be classified as whites and about one-fourth as mulattoes. Some laborers from Haiti and Jamaica have also come to Cuba, and early in the nineteenth century a number of Chinese laborers were imported under 8-year contracts, thus establishing a small Chinese section of the population. The latest official census, taken in 1931, shows the following composition of Cuba's population: The population on January 1, 1940, according to official estimates, was 4,252,959. This is equal to an average of 96 persons per square mile, nearly double the number in the United States and more than in any continental American country except El Salvador, although fewer than in some of the other Caribbean Islands. Cuba's population has more than doubled since 1907. The capital city, Habana, with nearly three-quarters of a million inhabitants, has about one-sixth of the total population. (See fig. 2.) The following tabulation shows the population of the 12 Cuban cities having more than 60,000 inhabitants each: The principal occupation is agriculture. According to the census of 1919, about one-third of the population was listed as gainfully employed. Of these, about 48 percent were farmers and farm laborers; about 20 percent were engaged in manufacturing and mechanical trades; 16 percent, in merchandising and transportation; 12 percent, in domestic and personal service; and 4 percent, in professional service. Subsequent estimates placed the proportion in agricultural and professional services considerably higher. The income and standard of living of most of the people in Cuba are not comparable with those in the northern part of the United States. They approach more nearly those in our Southern States, and are well above those in many other Latin American countries and far above those in far eastern countries. Wage rates have been considerably improved as a result of the minimum-wage legislation. Minimum wages for field laborers and for those employed in sugar mills range from $1.30 to $1.50 per 8-hour day; for laborers in cities, from $1.50 to about $2.10; and for skilled laborers, from $2.50 to $5.6 The principal difficulty from the standpoint of the worker, however, is not so much the wage rates as the inability to find steady employment. The well-being of the mass of poorer people, particularly those dependent upon the sugar industry, varies widely from month to month, depending on whether the sugar mills are operating. Most of this group do not have sufficient financial resources to permit them to accumulate reserve funds to carry them through the ensuing season of unemployment. Consequently, when the mills close, the standard of living is greatly reduced. The period during which sugar is being harvested and the mills operate is called the zafra. This usually begins in January and continues for 2 to 3 months, depending upon the amount of sugar to be made-in other words, the size of the quota. During this period of employment, most of the wages are spent and an atmosphere of relative prosperity develops. Later during the dead season (tiempo muerto) many are without employment and, not having accumulated reserve funds, are without land or equipment to grow their own food. They live on a reduced diet, consuming less meat. and milk and relying principally on rice, beans, and cheap native vegetables until the next zafra. About two-thirds of the Cuban population are in the low-income group. It is estimated (12) that this group spends about 60 percent. These wage rates include the 10- to 25-percent increase in minimum rates that became effective in November 1941. of its income for food, whereas most people in Europe and North America spend only 30 to 45 percent of their total income for food, leaving 55 to 70 percent for the purchase of other things conducive to a higher standard of living. With a total population of 4.2 million, Cuba in 1939 had about 175,000 radios, 58,000 telephones, 17,135 private automobiles, and about 20,000 mechanical household refriger ators. Because of the mild semitropical climate it is not necessary to expend as much for housing, warm clothing, or food as in countries with cooler climates (fig. 3). Furthermore, many staple articles of food can be grown easily and are readily available. This is particularly true of the starchy foods sufficient for subsistence, such as bananas, yuca, malangas, sweetpotatoes, yams, and many native fruits. Relatively FIGURE 3.-Typical farmhouses with thatched roofs made of palm leaves. few fresh or leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, spinach, and lettuce, are consumed, even though they may be grown easily. One of Cuba's gravest and most urgent economic and social problems is to provide employment and a means of livelihood for workers in the sugar industry during the long period when the mills are not operating. NATURAL RESOURCES Cuba has been endowed with an excellent semitropical climate; much good soil for agriculture and forestry, and some valuable deposits of minerals, but has practically no coal or petroleum. The topography varies widely from low, marshy areas to mountainous districts. Most of the island may be generally described as rolling, with numerous wide valleys and plains. TOPOGRAPHY The mountains are principally in three groups, located at each end and in the middle of the island. The largest group is the Sierra Maestra in the extreme eastern and southeastern part, principally along the southern coast. In this region is the Pico de Turquino, the highest point on the island, with an altitude of 7,872 feet. Other ranges, principally the Sierra de Los Órganos in the western end of the island, run parallel to the northern coast. A third large but scattered group of mountains, of lesser altitude, is located in the middle of the island, centering in the eastern part of Las Villas Province. In addition, there are a number of smaller groups scattered over the island. Between the mountain regions and the coasts and in the valleys are many fairly level areas with excellent soil. In the extreme western part of the island on the slopes between the mountains and the southern coast lie the famous vegas, where Vuelta Abajo tobacco is produced. The plains and valleys in the west-central part are also devoted largely to crops, while in the east-central part, especially in the Province of Camagüey, are extensive plains or sabanas, with poorer and shallower soil covered with natural pasture and used largely for cattle ranching. Cuba has about 2,000 miles of coast line. The north coast is mostly steep and rocky, and the central section is bordered by innumerable sparsely populated islands and reefs of coral formation covered with mangrove trees. The southern coast, with the exception of the eastern end, is generally low and swampy. West of Cienfuegos along the southwestern coast of Las Villas Province lies the immense Zapata Swamp, about 100 miles long and as much as 35 miles wide at the widest place. Rivers are generally short, narrow, and shallow and are navigable, if at all, only for short distances. Since the island is very narrow, there are only two watersheds, to the north and to the south. The northern coast, being higher, has the shorter rivers. SOILS The soils are generally fertile and friable clays and sandy clays, but vary widely as to types. Some types are different from any found in the United States. The color varies from red to brown, gray, and black. One of the most extensive and outstanding types is the Matanzas red clay, its color varying from brick-red to purple-red because it contains relatively large quantities of iron oxide. This soil is generally deep and is underlain by porous limestone permitting ready drainage. Even though it contains an unusually high percentage of clay, it is friable and may be worked soon after heavy rains. The clay content frequently exceeds 75 percent and sometimes even 90 percent, which is far in excess of the proportion of clay particles usually found in soils in the United States (6). This type is found especially in middle and western Cuba. Another soil type with quite different characteristics is the reddishbrown and yellowish clay found particularly in eastern Cuba. Much of this soil is generally similar to the Matanzas red soil in that it is also a deep clay underlain with limestone, but it differs from the former principally in the characteristics of its clay particles, which make it difficult to work when wet and makes it harden on drying. Other types are the black and gray soils, some of which owe their color to a large proportion of organic matter, while others contain considerable salt. Some have impermeable clay subsoils and are difficult to work during the rainy season. There are many types of sandy soil. The most important sandy soils are in the sabanas of Camagüey, in western Cuba, and in the |