Little Known Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Cuba

Cuba boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the world, with an impressive 99% of its population over the age of 15 able to read and write, according to UNESCO. This achievement stems largely from Fidel Castro’s 1961 nationwide campaign, which declared that year the “Year of Education.”

In an ambitious and sweeping effort, thousands of young volunteers known as “literacy brigades” were sent into rural communities to build schools, train new teachers, and provide basic education to illiterate farmers and laborers.