Cuba is located in the Caribbean Sea and comprises the large island of Cuba and several smaller nearby islands. It was originally inhabited by the Ciboney Taíno people until Spanish colonization in the fifteenth century. It was briefly under the control of the United States following the 1898 Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War but gained independence shortly after. In 1952, Fulgencio Batista led a coup and established a dictatorship until he was ousted in 1959 and replaced by Fidel Castro. Cuba has been governed by the Communist Party of Cuba since 1965. In 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred between the Soviet Union and the United States upon the discovery of ballistic missiles in Cuba. Cuban culture has been heavily influence by Spain and many African and Caribbean cultures.