Cuba and Havana, Illinois

A country governing in isolation despite being surrounded by countries such as The Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, and the United States, the Caribbean Sea country of CUBA does not always maintain an amicable relationship with its neighbors. Regardless, there are plenty of towns in the United States named after the sometimes unfriendly Cuba and its capital, Havana. Two of these American towns are only about 15.2 miles (24.5 kilometers) away from each other in the U.S. state of Illinois.

Home to 1,648 residents in 1980 and 1,294 residents more recently in 2010, the town of Cuba, Illinois sits almost perfectly centered in Fulton County. Communities surrounding the town of Cuba — some of which appear in the map above — include Bryant, Buckeye, Canton, Checkrow, Civer, Depler Springs, Dunfermline, Fiatt, Lewistown (Fulton County’s county seat), Marietta, Saint David, Seville, and Smithfield. Straddling the Illinois River, Havana is home to 4,277 residents in 1980 and 3,301 residents in 2010. Named after Cuba’s national capital, Havana is the county seat of Mason County. Communities surrounding the town of Havana include Baldwin Beach, Bath, Buzzville, Chautauqua Park, Duncan Mills, Eckard, Enion, Kelsey, Little America, Liverpool, Long Branch, Maples Mill, Matanzas Beach, Peterville, Poplar City, Quiver Beach, Sepo, and Topeka.