Located
East of the Island of Hispaniola, home of the Dominican
Republic and Haiti
1,050
miles SE of Miami; 2,600 miles from Kansas City
Much
closer to the "lower 48 states" than Hawaii
(2,750 miles from California) or Alaska (2,000 miles
to Seattle)
West
of the American Virgin Islands. It is the smallest
of the Greater Antilles
Puerto
Rico - The Island
Similar
in size to Connecticut, encompassing 3,492 square
miles
Population:
3.8 million. As a state it would be considered mid-sized
by population measure (similar to Kentucky or Arizona)
Capital
City, San Juan, population of almost 500,000; its
metropolitan area; 1,500,000
Puerto
Rico has 6 urban centers designated as Standard Metropolitan
Areas (SMAs) by the U.S. Census Bureau. They include
San Juan; Ponce; Arecibo, Mayaquez; Caguas, and Aguadilla
Temperature
average: 75F in winter; 81F in summer
Citizenship
Puerto
Ricans were given statutory citizenship in 1917 (this
means that Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship
by act of Congress, NOT by the Constitution and citizenship
is therefore not guaranteed by it)
Puerto
Ricans cannot vote for President and have no voting
representation in Congress
Island
residents are recipients of some, but not all federal
benefits. Unlike the states they have a cap on Food
Stamps and other welfare programs. They participate
(and pay into) Social Security
Puerto
Rico is exempt from paying federal income taxes
Language
Beginning
as a Spanish colony, the basic language of Puerto
Rico is Spanish
English
and Spanish have been the official languages since
1902
85%
of Post-Secondary school students speak both English
and Spanish
Federal
Courts and government agencies in Puerto Rico function
in English
Local
government affairs are conducted in both languages
English
is the language of commerce
Society
Socially
a mixed society of Spanish and Caribbean customs,
strongly influenced by U.S. mainland interaction
and integration
Spain
ruled Puerto Rico for over 400 years and built it
as a keystone of its transportation system for its
New World empire bringing a strong Spanish and European
heritage to the island
Religion:
99% Christian, predominantly Roman Catholic, with
a small Jewish Community
Ballerina dancers perform in San Juan
Culture
Puerto
Rico has a rich cultural life in the various performing
arts of dance, music and theater
Its
museums of art and history are world class
It
has contributed many famous artists to the United
States; Actors Rita Moreno, Raul Julia, Jimmy Smits
and Jose Ferrer; singers Jose Feliciano and opera
baritone Pablo Elvira, just to name a few
Education
One
of the world’s highest post-secondary student
enrollments in 29 private and 6 public institutions
of higher education - higher than in any state of
the United States
Some
of Puerto Rico’s institutions of higher education
include the large University of Puerto Rico system,
and private schools such as the Interamerican University
(with one of the highest student enrollments of any
private institution under the U.S. flag), Catholic
University, and the Ana G. Mendez University System
The
Democratic Process
Puerto
Rico elects it public officials every four years,
coinciding with our U.S. presidential elections
Local
public offices include: Governor, Resident Commissioner,
Senators and Representatives in the Puerto Rican
legislature; and local government "municipio" mayors
and municipal assemblymen
Over
80% of the islands’ eligible voters participated
in recent elections
Voter
participation is higher than any state of the Union
A Puerto Rican submitting her vote.
Politics
Political
parties are organized along lines of preference related
to the island’s political status
The
main parties are the New Progressive Party (PNP)
that advocates U.S statehood; the Popular Democratic
Party (PDP) that advocates the current or similar "commonwealth" status;
and the Independence Party (PIP) that prefers that
Puerto Rico become an independent nation
The
Statehood (PNP) Party and Commonwealth (PDP) Party
have alternated control of the Puerto Rico government
since 1968 and are the two dominant parties
The
Independence Party (PIP) has never won any significant
control of government and polled only 5.2% of the
vote in 2000
Many
members of these local parties are also affiliated
with stateside Democratic and Republican Parties
The
most recent pro-statehood Governor, Pedro Rossello,
was re-elected to his second 4-year term with 51.8%
of the vote, the first time a governor has received
a majority since 1968. He retired from office after
his term ended in January 2001
A
third status plebiscite was held in 1998. 53% of
voters selected the "none of the above" option,
46.5% voted for statehood, 2.5% for independence,
.3% for free association, and .1% for Commonwealth
In
November 2000, the current governor, Sila Calderon,
was elected, representing the pro-commonwealth Popular
Democratic Party (PDP). She is the first woman to
be elected governor of Puerto Rico
Economy
Puerto
Rico’s currency is the U.S. Dollar
Gross
Domestic Product of Puerto Rico in 2001 was $67.9
billion
Manufacturing
is the largest economic sector (41.5%); followed
by Services (38.2%) and Government (10.4%)
Defense of the United States
Puerto
Ricans have served in the U.S. armed forces since
1917
Over
200,000 have fought in U.S. wars since WWI
More
than 2,000 Puerto Ricans have died in service to
our country in World Wars I and II; the Korean War;
the Vietnam War and the Gulf War
Four
Puerto Ricans have won the Medal of Honor
Trade
Total
exports for Puerto Rico exceeded $46 billion in 2001
Puerto
Rico serves as one of the leading markets for U.S.
mainland goods in the world, importing $15.5 billion
in 2001
View
of the Condado Oceanfront
Transport
San
Juan is one of the world’s 10 busiest container
ports
Its
harbor is one of the world’s largest cruise
ship ports
Munoz
Marin International Airport is among the top 33 U.S.
passenger airports and is 22nd in cargo imports
Tourism
Tourism
remains a major part of Puerto Rico’s economy,
with 1.25 million hotel registrants in 2001
Its
beaches and resorts are World Class
El
Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United
States
El
Morro Fortress in Old San Juan is one of the best
examples of its kind in the world
Old
San Juan is a walled city that has been designated
by the U.S. National Park Service as a historical
site
The
world’s largest radio telescope is located near
Arecibo
