ristopher COLUMBUS in 1492
and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next
several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to
work the coffee and sugar plantations and Havana became the
launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from
Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule was severe and exploitative and
occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. It was US
intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally
overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established
Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year
transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959;
his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's
Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout
Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The
country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in
1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4
billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as
the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration
to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or
via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast
Guard intercepted 1,498 individuals attempting to cross the Straits
of Florida in 2004.

Cyprus
A former British colony, Cyprus received independence in 1960
following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the
Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head
in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia.
Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic
intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into
enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek-sponsored attempt
to seize the government was met by military intervention from
Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In
1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus," but it is recognized only by Turkey. The latest
two-year round of UN-brokered direct talks - between the leaders of
the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach an
agreement to reunite the divided island - ended when the Greek
Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an April 2004
referendum. Although only the internationall