Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is part of the Greater Antilles, located to the east of the Dominican Republic and to the west of the Lesser Antilles. It consists of the main island, commonly called by Puerto Ricans as "the Great Island" (La Isla Grande) and a number of smaller islands, of which only Vieques, Isla de Culebra and Isla Mona are inhabited. It is divided in 78 municipalities and its U.S. postal abbreviation is PR.
Puerto Rico was called BorikÃÂén by the indigenous TaÃÂÃÂnos before Christopher Columbus named it San Juan Bautista (after John the Baptist). The name Puerto Rico means "rich port" in Spanish.
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| Motto: Joannes Est Nomen Eius | |||||
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| Official languages | Spanish, English | ||||
| Capital | San Juan | ||||
| Largest City | San Juan | ||||
| Governor | Sila M. CalderÃÂón | ||||
| Area - Total - % water |
(Not ranked) 9,104 kmÃÂò 1.6% |
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| Population - Total (2002) - Density |
(Not ranked) 3,957,988 434/kmÃÂò |
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| Independence | None | ||||
| Currency | U.S. Dollar (USD) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -4/ (No DST) | ||||
| National Anthem | La BorinqueÃÂña | ||||
| Internet TLD | .pr | ||||
| Calling code | 1 | ||||
Puerto Rico is a US territory which has been given self-governing "commonwealth" status. (The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, located in the western Pacific Ocean, has a similar relationship to the United States.) What this means has never been absolutely clear; however, Puerto Rico has more latitude over its internal affairs than the US territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or American Samoa.
Puerto Rico's current constitutional arrangements are the result of a treaty signed in 1952, so presumably it could become independent in the same way - a right not possessed by the states of the United States. Alternatively, it could be admitted as a state of the United States by a vote of the Congress, in the same way that Hawaii was in 1959.
Puerto Rico has approximately the same degree of authority over its internal affairs as an American state. The United States federal government controls interstate trade, foreign commerce, customs, aviation and navigation, immigration, currency, all military and naval matters, radio and television communications, mining and minerals, highways, the postal system, social security, and other areas generally controlled by the federal government in the United States. United States courts have the final say over the constitutionality of Puerto Rican laws. Puerto Rico may not conclude treaties with other sovereign states, although it does belong to some international bodies.
Puerto Rico's elected governor and legislature control all other internal affairs. The major differences between Puerto Rico and the states are greater financial autonomy (it levies its own taxes and is exempt from the Internal Revenue Code), its lack of voting representation in either house of the Congress and the ineligibility of Puerto Ricans to vote in presidential elections.
The island of Puerto Rico was originally inhabited by a group of Arawak Indians known as Tainos. European discovery was made by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage on November 19, 1493. It was the main stronghold of the Spanish empire in the Caribbean during the first years of the colonization of the Americas.
Since most Puerto Ricans wanted freedom but not independence from Spain, there was never a violent revolution against Spanish rule on the island; the only attempted uprising, in 1868 in the small mountain town of Lares, collapsed almost immediately due to lack of popular support. The Puerto Rican goal was to achieve personal freedom, the abolition of slavery, and full self-government, but without breaking the bonds with Spain. Champions of this autonomist movement were such political leaders as Ramon Baldorioty de Castro, and towards the end of the century, Luis MuÃÂñoz Rivera. In 1897, MuÃÂñoz Rivera persuaded a liberal Spanish government to agree to an Autonomic Charter for the island. The following year Puerto Rico's first autonomous government was organized with MuÃÂñoz Rivera as leader.
Within a year, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States in the Spanish-American War on July 25, 1898 with a landing at GuÃÂánica Bay. Spain was forced to cede Puerto Rico to the U.S. under the Treaty of Paris during the same year.
The government is composed of 3 branches: the Executive branch headed by the Governor, the Legislative branch consisting of a bicameral Legislative Assembly (a Senate and a House of Representatives) and the Judicial branch. The legal system is based on the Spanish civil code.
The Constitution of Puerto Rico was approved through refendum in 1952, and ratified by the U.S. Congress, which maintains ultimate sovereignty over Puerto Rico. Under this constitution, Puerto Rico is a territorial commonwealth of the United States and is permitted a high degree of autonomy. Although Puerto Rico does not have representation in the U.S. Electoral College or U.S. Congress, it is permitted a non-voting Resident Commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives and Puerto Ricans pay no federal income tax. Citizens of Puerto Rico are also U.S. citizens.
As a commonwealth associated with the United States, Puerto Rico does not have any first-order administrative divisions as defined by the U.S. Government, but there are 78 municipalities at the second order. Each municipality has a Mayor and a Council elected for a 4 year term.
Status
History
Main article: History of Puerto RicoPolitics
Main article: Politics of Puerto RicoMunicipalities
Main article: List of municipalities in Puerto Rico
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Geography
Main article: Geography of Puerto Rico
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The archipelago of Puerto Rico consists of the main island of Puerto Rico and various smaller islands, including Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. The mainland measures some 170 km by 60 km (105 miles by 35 miles). It has a population of approximately 4 million. The capital city, San Juan, is located on the main island's north coast and has a population of approximately 430,000.
The economic conditions in Puerto Rico have improved dramatically since the Great Depression due to external investment in capital-intensive industry such as petrochemicals pharmaceuticals and technology. Once the beneficiary of special tax treatment from the US government, today local industries must compete with those in more economically depressed parts of the world where wages are not subject to US minimum wage legislation.
Puerto Rico's population is a mixture of European, African and Native American, with a small presence of Asians.
Puerto Rico is said to comprise a White majority, an extinct Amerindian population, mixed with Africans, and a small Asian minority. Recent genetic research, however, contradicts that information. Current findings show that the majority of the islanders are Mulatto (mixed Caucasian and African) with varying degrees of Native American bloodelines. The next highest ethnic group are Europeans (mostly Mediterraneans from southern Spain and the Canary Islands). These Europeans are also said to be highly mixed, again in varying degrees, with Amerindian bloodlines. Closly behind are descendents of African slaves from the Yoruba, Bantu, and Congolese tribes of west Africa. There is also a 1% minority of persons from China and Japan.
Later, Corsican, Italian, and French immigrants arrived along with numerous Spanish loyalists from Spain's former colonies in South America. Other settlers have included Irish, Germans and in recent years, immigrants from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela, but represent less than 5% of the population. According to the 2000 census, 95% of the population consider themselves of Puerto Rican descent, making Puerto Rico one of the most homogeneous societies in the world.
Puerto Rico has over 100,000 legal residents who came from Spain, Mexico, Central or South America, in addition to the Cubans and Dominicans.
The Roman Catholic religion is dominant, although there is a notable Protestant presence. Puerto Rico has its own Olympic team and has international representation in many events including the Summer Olympics, the Pan-American Games, the Central American Games, and the Caribbean World Series.
[1] See http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/8/ares8.htm
Economy
Main article: Economy of Puerto RicoDemographics
Main article: Demographics of Puerto RicoColleges and Universities
Culture
Main article: Culture of Puerto RicoMiscellaneous topics
External links
Official sites
Others
References
Notes
States
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Federal district
District of Columbia
Insular areas
American Samoa | Baker Island | Guam | Howland Island | Jarvis Island | Johnston Atoll | Kingman Reef | Midway Atoll | Northern Mariana Islands | Palmyra Atoll | Puerto Rico | U.S. Virgin Islands | Wake Island
Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom)
Antigua and Barbuda | The Bahamas1 | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti | Jamaica | Montserrat | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago
Associate members
British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands
Observer status
Anguilla | Aruba | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela
[1] a member of the community but not the common market