40+ Weird Cuban Facts That Few People Are Aware Of

Published on 09/12/2022
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Cuban Gar: The Manjuari Fish

The Cuban gar (Atractosteus tristoechus), a member of the Lepisosteidae family of fish, can only be found in Cuba. It is a species that lives in fresh water in the tropics, but it has also been found in salt water. It is also called the manjuar, and you can find it in the rivers and lakes of western Cuba and on the Isla de la Juventud.

Cuban Gar The Manjuari Fish

Cuban Gar The Manjuari Fish

People can eat the fish’s meat, but they should never eat the fish’s eggs. Floodplains of large rivers are the breeding grounds for Cuban gar at certain times of the year. The fish can be eaten, but animals and birds should not eat the eggs because they are poisonous. A common mistake is to think that gar is not a healthy fish to eat.

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The Naval Station At Guantanamo Bay Cuba Rent

In 1903, the US rented an area of 45 square miles for its naval station. Guantanamo Bay is rented by the United States from Cuba at a rate of $4,085 a month; however, these checks have not been cashed since 1959. Fidel Castro made it clear that this was the case when he refused to pay the checks to the “illegal” occupiers, which showed that he didn’t agree with them.

The Naval Station At Guantanamo Bay Cuba Rent

The Naval Station At Guantanamo Bay Cuba Rent

In a TV interview from many years ago, he said that the checks were hidden in a desk drawer in his office. The United States kept 46.8 square miles (121 square kilometers) of land near the mouth of Guantanamo Bay in eastern Cuba so they could build a naval station there.

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