Bee Hummingbird - Cuba

The main island of Cuba ranks as the largest Caribbean island in size and the seventeenth largest island in the world. This feature has provided Cuba with a flora and fauna exceeding any other Caribbean country. The second largest island of Cuba is Isla de la Juventud, the Isle of Youth.

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Mellisuga helenae - Weighing no more than 2 grams and reaching a length rarely exceeding 6 centimeters, the bee hummingbird is the world’s smallest bird; it is slightly larger than a bee. The female uses bits of cobweb and plant fibers to build her nest and deposits two pea-sized eggs. The bee humming bird derives its food primarily from plant nectar and prefers dense wooded grounds along coastal areas featuring the chalice vine. Humming birds have high rates of metabolism and dedicate much of their time searching for food.

Ivory-billed Woodpecker - Cuba

Campaphilus principalis - The ivory-billed woodpecker is one of the largest woodpeckers. It measures between 48 to 53 centimeters in length. Both sexes have crests, with the male’s being bright red; the female’s is black. This species is thought to be extinct. The last known sighting was of a small population in Eastern Cuba during the late 1980’s. The decline of this species coincides with the unrestricted logging of the forest habitat necessary for the ivory-billed woodpecker’s survival.

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Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1492, Cuba was inhabited by three distinct people: the Taíno, the Guanajatabey, and the Ciboney people. Each had arrived from the neighboring mainland. The Taíno had settled throughout the larger islands of the Caribbean. The Guanajatabey people were limited to the western sections of Cuba and may have been the first to arrive on Cuba. The Ciboney were also an early group and were mainly located in Central Cuba. The Taínos had called their island Caobana.

Cities in the Americas

The first European to appreciate the strategic importance of La Habana harbor was Sebastian de Ocampo during his circumnavigation of Cuba in 1509. The city was established in 1515 and used by Spain as the staging area for the treasure fleets hauling gold and silver from the New World to Europe. Philip II granted La Habana “city” status in 1592 and efforts began in fortifying the city against pirates and foreign intrusion.

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Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet passed through what is the present day city of Chicago in 1673. They found a swampy area inhabited by members of the Saulk, Mesquakie, and Potawatomi people. These Native Americas referred to the area as "Checagou," in reference to the wild onions growing along the shores of Lake Michigan. Chicago serves as an important transportation, financial, and industrial center.

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In 1535, Jacques Cartier discovered the Huron village of Hochelaga located on an island situated at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. By 1605, the native village had been abandoned and the French began erecting a trading post in the area. French colonists arrived in 1642 and established Ville-Marie. By 1705, the residents began referring to their settlement as Montréal.