Why are 1950s American cars still common on Cuba's streets?

Imports were restricted for decades

Cuba Quiz: Havana, Classic Cars, Salsa and Cigars

This Cuba quiz explores the largest island in the Caribbean, from Havana's Malecón seawall, colorful classic cars and Old Havana to the colonial town of Trinidad, the tobacco valley of Viñales, son and salsa music, the Buena Vista Social Club and Ernest Hemingway's favorite bars. Ten questions.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Geography
Cuba is the largest island in which sea?
Capital
What is the famous seaside promenade and seawall in Havana called?
Cars
Why are 1950s American cars still common on Cuba's streets?
Music
Which 1990s album and film made a group of veteran Cuban musicians world-famous?
Towns
Which Cuban town, a UNESCO site, is famous for cobblestone streets and pastel colonial houses?
Nature
The Viñales Valley in western Cuba is known for limestone hills called mogotes and growing what?
Writers
Which American author lived near Havana for more than 20 years and wrote The Old Man and the Sea there?
Dance
Which lively Cuban music and dance style, mixing Spanish and African roots, became the base of salsa?
Birds
Cuba is home to the bee hummingbird, which holds what record?
Food
Which Cuban dish of shredded beef in tomato sauce gets its name from the Spanish for old clothes?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Cuba is the largest island in which sea?
Answer: The Caribbean
Cuba lies about 150 kilometers south of Florida. Its long, narrow shape stretches about 1,250 kilometers.
Q2: What is the famous seaside promenade and seawall in Havana called?
Answer: The Malecón
The Malecón runs for about 8 kilometers along the coast. Locals gather there in the evenings to fish, talk and play music.
Q3: Why are 1950s American cars still common on Cuba's streets?
Answer: Imports were restricted for decades
Since the U.S. embargo began in the early 1960s, Cubans have kept old cars running with great skill and improvised parts.
Q4: Which 1990s album and film made a group of veteran Cuban musicians world-famous?
Answer: Buena Vista Social Club
The album, recorded in Havana in 1996, sold millions of copies. It revived interest in traditional son music.
Q5: Which Cuban town, a UNESCO site, is famous for cobblestone streets and pastel colonial houses?
Answer: Trinidad
Trinidad grew rich from sugar plantations in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its old town has changed little since then.
Q6: The Viñales Valley in western Cuba is known for limestone hills called mogotes and growing what?
Answer: Tobacco
Farmers still plow the red soil with oxen. Cuban cigars made from this tobacco are famous worldwide.
Q7: Which American author lived near Havana for more than 20 years and wrote The Old Man and the Sea there?
Answer: Ernest Hemingway
His home, Finca Vigía, is now a museum. Hemingway was a regular at Havana bars such as El Floridita.
Q8: Which lively Cuban music and dance style, mixing Spanish and African roots, became the base of salsa?
Answer: Son
Son developed in eastern Cuba in the late 1800s. Rumba, mambo and cha-cha-chá also come from Cuba.
Q9: Cuba is home to the bee hummingbird, which holds what record?
Answer: The smallest bird in the world
The bee hummingbird is about 5 to 6 centimeters long and weighs less than 2 grams.
Q10: Which Cuban dish of shredded beef in tomato sauce gets its name from the Spanish for old clothes?
Answer: Ropa vieja
Ropa vieja is often served with black beans, rice and fried plantains. It is considered one of Cuba's national dishes.

Cuba Quiz – Rhythm of the Caribbean

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, lying just south of Florida between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. Known for colorful cities, classic cars, sandy beaches and music that makes everyone dance, it has a unique culture shaped by Spanish, African and Caribbean influences. Its history and politics have also made it one of the most talked-about countries in the Americas.

Christopher Columbus reached Cuba in 1492, and the island became a Spanish colony for nearly four centuries. Sugar and tobacco plantations, worked by enslaved Africans, made it rich. Cuba gained independence in 1902 after the Spanish-American War. In 1959, a revolution brought Fidel Castro to power, and the U.S. embargo that followed has shaped daily life for decades.

Havana, the capital, is famous for its crumbling yet beautiful colonial buildings, the Malecón seawall and the classic American cars that still cruise its streets. Old Havana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other highlights include the colonial town of Trinidad, the tobacco farms of the Viñales Valley, the beaches of Varadero and the musical city of Santiago de Cuba.

Music is the heartbeat of Cuba. Son, rumba, mambo and cha-cha-chá were born there, and the Buena Vista Social Club introduced Cuban musicians to the world. Cubans are also passionate about baseball and boxing. Visitors enjoy dishes like ropa vieja, black beans and rice, and drinks such as the mojito and daiquiri, linked to Ernest Hemingway's time in Havana.

This quiz covers the geography, history, music and culture of Cuba.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is perfect for travelers, music lovers and fans of Caribbean culture.

Where Cuba is and how big it is
Famous sights in Havana
Why classic cars still fill the streets
Cuban music styles and famous musicians
Natural highlights like Viñales
Classic Cuban food

Quick Facts About Cuba

Spanish is Cuba's official language.
Baseball is Cuba's most popular sport.
The Cuban trogon, the national bird, has the colors of the Cuban flag.
Cuba has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The daiquiri is named after a beach near Santiago de Cuba.
Cuba is home to the Cuban crocodile, found nowhere else in the wild.