Located in the Northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the U.S.A. The population of the country is home to almost 4 million residents. It is composed of an archipelago, which includes the main island of Puerto Rico and numerous smaller islands. The island is popularly known among locals as “La Isla del Encanto” which translates in English to the “Island of Enchantment”. The 'Coqui', a common frog found in the island, is a symbol of Puerto Rican pride. The islands official bird is the 'Reinita mora', otherwise known as the Puerto Rican Spindalis and the official flower is the 'Flor de Maga'.
The Puerto Rican flag consists five equal horizontal red and white stripes. There are three red and only two white. On the left side of the flag pointing to the center is a blue triangle. Inside of the triangle is a large five-pointed white star. Christopher Columbus initially named the island 'San Juan Bautista', in honor of Saint John the Baptist, however later on the island was renamed to Puerto Rico and the capital city as granted the name 'San Juan'.
Prior to European arrival in Puerto Rico, the land was inhabited by Native Americans. Initially, only the Ortoiroid people resided in the land however, later on they were joined by the Igneri and soon after that, the Taino culture developed. The Taino's peace in the land was soon disrupted with the Spanish arrival. The Spanish forced the Tanio's into slavery. In 1511 the Tanio's led a revolt against the Spaniards in an attempt to regain their freedom. They were however, defeated by the Spanish. Over the next few years it didn't take long before large numbers of Tanio's died from disease, violence and suicide. By the time the Tanio's were granted freedom by Charles V in 1520, the majority of the tribe had been destroyed.
Fearing that the other nations would take possession of their new land, the Spaniards built various forts and walls, such as La Fortaleza, El Castillo San Felipe del Morro and El Castillo de San Cristóbal in order to protect San Juan. By the nineteenth century Puerto Rico and Cuba were the only Spanish colonies to be found in the Americas. In an attempt to increase its small population, the Spaniards offered free land to anyone who wanted to live on the island. There were however two conditions; the first was that the new residents were required to swear their loyalty to the Spanish Crown and the second was to swear allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1898, Governor-General Manuel Macías inaugurated the new government in Puerto Rico under the Autonomous Charter. This was the first government on the island and it was organized as an 'overseas province' of Spain.
The Spanish lost Puerto Rico to the Americans during the Spanish-American War. The Puerto Rican's were granted U.S. citizenship under the 1917 Jones Act. However, as a result of their new nationalism, many Puerto Ricans were drafted to fight in WWII as part of the American army. In 1947, the United States granted the Puerto Ricans the right to elect their own governor and in 1948, Luis Muñoz Marín was elected. In 1950, the U.S. Congress approved the law, which would allow for a democratic referendum in Puerto Rico to determine whether Puerto Ricans desired to draft their own local constitution. This constitution was approved by a Constitutional Convention in 1952.
Puerto Rico has very few natural resources of economic value and therefore its economy relies heavily on the United States for Federal aid. Plantation sugar production dominated Puerto Rico's economy until the 1940s. Nowadays however, industry is the primary economic activity of the territory. The most important industries consist of pharmaceuticals, clothes and textiles, processed food and petrochemicals. The main income in the agricultural sector comprises of dairy production and other livestock products such as cattle, pigs and poultry. Tourism also represents quite a large industry in the nation with the tourism industry employing over 60, 000 people.
The island's culture is a mixture of four different cultures; African, North America, Spanish and Taino. The Africans had a strong influence on Puerto Rican music. The 'bomba and plena' are a type of music and dance, which include percussions and maracas. North America accustomed the island to the English language, the university system and holidays. The Spanish however, had a religious influence on the inhabitants, sharing their Catholic Religion, traditions and morals with the island's residents. The Taino influence is remembered nearly everyday in the island as the Puerto Ricans kept many of the Taino names for their municipalities, foods, musical instruments like the güiro and maracas.
Puerto Rico enjoys a warm, tropical climate throughout the entire year. Temperatures do not change drastically throughout the seasons. The temperature in the south is usually a few degrees higher than the north and temperatures in the central interior mountains are always cooler than the rest of the island. The island expects rain to fall throughout the entire year and is prone to hurricanes. The island is at risk from tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides. The most recognizable animal is the 'Coqui', a small frog that mostly lives in the tropical forests.
In the year 2000, a census estimated the population of Puerto Rico to be about 4 million. The people that inhabit the land originally came from countries such as Lebanon, France, China and Portugal. In the early twentieth century, a large number of Jews took refuge in Puerto Rico from German-occupied Europe. In 1952, the Jews built the first Puerto Rican Synagogue. These Jews were soon joined by some of their brethren in 1959 who emigrated from Cuba following the Cuba Revolution. There are also many people residing on the island, which follow the Christian or Islam religions.
Puerto Rico boasts miles of white sandy beaches, natural wonders, exotic hideaways and mountains and valleys. The island has many exciting attractions, which draws visitors to it. The top attractions include Mayagüez Zoo, Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, Serralles Castle, Caguana Indian Ceremonial Park in Utuado, Montoso Gardens in Maricao, Luquillo Beach, Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo and Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve. There are also a large amount of recreational activities to do on the island. Tourists love to play golf, go scuba diving and cruise in San Juan.
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