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Dorticós Torrado, Osvaldo

(Encyclopedia)Dorticós Torrado, Osvaldo ōsvälˈdō dōrtēkōsˈ tōr-räˈᵺō [key], 1919–83, president of Cuba (1959–76). A prosperous lawyer, he participated in Fidel Castro's revolutionary movement and...

Roa, Raúl

(Encyclopedia)Roa, Raúl (Raúl Roa García) räo͞olˈ rōˈä [key], 1907–82, Cuban minister of foreign affairs (1959–76). A lawyer, he was also a university professor in the 1940s and 1950s. He wrote prolifi...

Turquino

(Encyclopedia)Turquino to͞orkēˈnō [key], peak, 6,560 ft (1,999 m) high, SE Cuba, in the Sierra Maestra range. It is the highest point on the island. The mountain, called Pico Turquino in Spanish, was the scene ...

Santa Clara, city, Cuba

(Encyclopedia)Santa Clara sänˈtä kläˈrä [key], city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. It is a communications and commercial center located on major rail and highway junctio...

Sierra Maestra

(Encyclopedia)Sierra Maestra syāˈrä mäāˈsträ [key], rugged mountain range, SE Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. Consisting of connecting ranges with local names, the Sierra Maestra is the highest system ...

Sancti Spíritus

(Encyclopedia)Sancti Spíritus sängkˈtē-spēˈrēto͞os [key], city (1994 est. pop. 86,000), Sancti Spíritus prov., central Cuba, on the Yayabo River. It is the commercial and processing center of an area that ...

Alliance for Progress

(Encyclopedia)Alliance for Progress, Span. Alianza para el Progreso, U.S. assistance program for Latin America begun in 1961 during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. It was created principally to counter the appea...

Batista y Zaldívar, Fulgencio

(Encyclopedia)Batista y Zaldívar, Fulgencio fo͞olhĕnˈsēō bätēˈstä ē säldēˈvär [key], 1901–73, president of Cuba (1940–44, 1952–59). An army sergeant, Batista took part in the overthrow of Gerar...

Bay of Pigs Invasion

(Encyclopedia)Bay of Pigs Invasion, 1961, an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles, supported by the U.S. government. On Apr. 17, 1961, an armed force of about 1,500 Cuban exiles landed in the Bahía de Coc...

Cruz, Celia

(Encyclopedia)Cruz, Celia, 1929–2003, Cuban-American singer, b. Havana. The “Queen of Salsa” began singing as a teenager, and in 1950 joined Sonora Matancera, Cuba's most popular band. She left Cuba a year af...