BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Republic of Cuba, with an area of some 110,000 square km and Havana as its capital, lies at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico in the northwestern Caribbean Sea.

    Being the largest island country in the West Indies, Cuba is an archipelago of two main islands, Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), and about 1,600 islets.

    Cuba has a population of 11.24 million, most of whom are of Spanish and African origin. Spanish is its official language.

    In 1492, Christopher Columbus found Cuba. In 1510, Spanish expeditionary force landed in Cuba for conquest and began the colonization of Cuba. In 1898, the United States began its rule in Cuba after defeating Spain. In 1902, the U.S. military rule ended and a republic of Cuba was established. In 1934, the U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista came to power in a coup. On Jan. 1, 1959, the authoritarian regime of Batista was overthrown by revolutionary forces led by Fidel Castro.

    Sugarcane production had been the country's main economic pillar until the end of the 1980s when the industry lost its dominance due to the serious impact caused by the drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

    In 1995, Cuba's economy started to recover and since then it has been growing with the government's efforts to introduce economic restructuring and improve the system of state-owned enterprises.

    Cuba is honored as "the Pearl of the Caribbean" due to its enjoyable scenery. The historical center of Havana was listed as one of UNESCO's world heritage sites in 1982.

    Now with tourism as a pillar industry, it also serves as the country's No. 1 foreign exchange earner.

    The nickel industry is Cuba's second largest foreign exchange earner. The country boasts a nickel reserve of 6.5 million tons, ranking third in the world.

    Cane sugar, tobacco and fruits are the country's major agricultural products.

    Cuba is the first Latin American country to have established diplomatic relations with China. Since the establishment of ties in September 1960, the overall relations between the two countries have developed smoothly.

    Frequent high-level visits between the leaders of the two countries have been made in recent years and cooperation in various fields has been continuously enhanced.

    China has become one of Cuba's main trade partners. In 2008, the trade volume between the two countries reached 2.2 billion U.S. dollars.

Special Report: Top Legislator Wu Visits Cuba, the Bahamas, U.S.