Countries

Cuba

A US trade embargo beginning in 1960 cut off new car imports, so 1950s American cars remain a common sight on Havana's streets. Cuba became an independent republic in 1902, after the Spanish-American War ended Spanish colonial rule.

A classic 1950s American car parked on a colorful street in Havana, Cuba

A 1950s American car in Havana

Photo: Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0

Designed in 1849 by Cuban exiles in New York modeling it on the US flag, adopted at independence in 1902. The lone star, echoed in Puerto Rico's flag from the same independence movement, gives Cuba its nickname: the Lone Star.

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