Cuba is less than a hundred miles away from what U.S. state?

Cuba is less than a hundred miles away from the U.S. state of Florida.

The shortest distance is between western Cuba and the Florida Keys, especially the area around Key West. The two places are separated by the Straits of Florida, a body of water linking the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. The often-quoted figure is about 90 miles, or roughly 145 kilometers, from Key West to Cuba.

That measurement does not mean every part of Cuba is 90 miles from every part of Florida. Havana, on Cuba’s northern coast, is farther from the Florida mainland than the nearest points in the Keys. The wording refers to the closest geographic relationship between the island nation and the state, which is why Florida is the canonical quiz answer.

The narrow gap has had major historical and cultural importance. Cuba lies just south of Florida and became a major destination for migration, trade, and political contact. Key West developed strong Cuban connections, and Cuban culture has had a particularly visible influence in South Florida. The distance is also why Cuba is commonly described as lying “90 miles south of Florida,” even though exact distances vary by the points measured.