The Guantanamo Naval Base

Where is the Guantanamo Naval Base? Guantánamo, Cuba's easternmost province, is approximately 1,000 kilometers from the nation's capital. The region's tropical climate and beaches attract about 5,000 visitors a year -- most of them Europeans -- who also have recently traveled to Guantanamo to try to get a closer look at the naval base. If you've heard of Guantanamo before now, you've probably heard about it through listening to the most famous Cuban song ever written, "Guantanamera" or "Girl from Guantanamo." The song, by Joseito Fernandez, is based on a poem by the Cuban anti-colonialist Jose Marti. How do we happen to have a naval base in Cuba? The base was established in 1898 when the U.S. obtained control of Cuba from Spain at the end of the Spanish-American War . The U.S. government obtained a permanent lease for the base on February 23, 1903 from the newly independent Cuban state. The terms hold the U.S. -- for the purposes of operating coaling and naval stations and for no other purpose -- has "complete jurisdiction and control" of the area. A single clause in these agreements reserves "ultimate sovereignty" over the territory to Cuba. Except for the right to an annual rent -- money that the current Cuban government refuses to accept -- Cuba's formal sovereignty has little practical value. No matter how unhappy the Cuban authorities may be with the United States, they are unable to evict U.S. forces from the island. How do Cubans feel about the base? Since Castro came to power, the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay has been a source of tension between the two nations. Castro insists the area is illegally occupied by the US, which leases it under a pre-revolution agreement. At one point, the Cuban government cut off water to the base causing the United States to first import water from Jamaica and then to build desalination plants . How do Cubans feel about the way the base is being used? Initially, the Cuba government assured the United States that they would support the administration's counter-terrorism activities, including the detention center. However, as time went on and Guantanamo became a source of international concern, Cuba changed its position. In December, the Cuban senate accused the United States of running a "concentration camp" at the base. Tha Guantanamo Project