Q: What is the population and racial makeup of Cuba? Do Cubans have the means to buy American products?
—Bob Markert, Roswell
A: Cuba has about 11.04 million citizens, making it the 78th largest country in the world, in population, according to the CIA, but worldpopulationstatistics.com puts the country's population at 11.22 million, as of October.
The population includes 64.1 percent white, 26.6 percent mestizo (which is a combined European and Native American descent) and 9.3 percent black, according to the CIA. The average monthly wage is $20, according to the country’s National Statistics and Information Office. “The government acknowledges that low wages are a problem, but observes that Cubans pay no basic services like healthcare and education, while prices in many other categories are subsidized,” latino.foxnews.com reported in June.
Q: Is the family in the Publix commercial with the little girl making the sugar frosting cookies a real family or three actors? The little girl looks very much like the dad. Also, isn’t it the same little girl they used in a previous commercial when the little girl was hugging her pregnant mom?
—Jean Stevenson, Marietta
A: The actors in the Publix holiday commercial are not related. That was the first Publix commercial for the girl who helped her mom make the cookies for her grandfather, a spokeswoman told Q&A on the News in an email.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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