Puerto Rico, freely associated commonwealth of the United States, composed of one large island and several small islands. Officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico .Puerto Rico is bordered on the north by the Atlantic Ocean; on the east by the Virgin Passage;on the south by the Caribbean Sea; and on the west by the Mona Passage Puerto Rico became a US commonwealth on July 25, 1952.
Official Name- Puerto Rico
78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco
Puerto Rico had 3,808,610 inhabitants, an increase of about 8.1 % over the 1990 figure of 3,522,037. The population estimate for 2001 was 3,937,316. The average population density in 2001 was 439 persons per sq km ,a higher density than for any state.It has a distinct dry season. The mean annual temperature at San Juan, in the north, is 27°C, and the city receives an average of 1,330 mm of precipitation each year.The recorded temperature in the commonwealth has ranged from 4°C in 1911 at Aibonito to 39°C in 1906 at San Lorenzo. Puerto Rico is sometimes struck by damaging hurricanes traveling from the east, particularly from August to October.
1898, as a result of the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States by the Treaty of Paris. In 1900 the U.S. Congress accomplished a civil government on the island. U.S. citizenship was granted to Puerto Ricans in 1917, and the United States instituted measures designed to solve various economic and social problems of the overpopulated island. From 1940 to 1948 a hydroelectric-power development program was instituted to attract U.S. industry and to offer more employment for Puerto Ricans. Irrigation projects were also initiated. During World War II (1939-1945) the island became a key U.S. military base. Naval bases were constructed in San Juan harbor and on Culebra and Vieques.
Modern Puerto Rico is generally well-off by Latin-American standards. Beginning in the 1940s, a political coalition between the Puerto Rican leader Luis Muñoz Marín and the U.S.-appointed governor, Rexford Guy Tugwell, was forged to promote a self-help program, called “Operation Bootstrap,” of economic development and social welfare. In a little more than four decades, much of the territory's crushing poverty was eliminated. This was done partly through emphasis on the development of manufacturing and service industries, the latter related to an enormous growth in tourism. Improvements have been made largely with the cooperation of the United States, but relationships with that nation have also become a focal point of political turmoil. Various factions have bitterly disputed the political status of the island, and, although a majority voted to retain its commonwealth relationships, strong minorities have continued to push for statehood or—at times with violence—freedom.
Puerto Rico’s Spanish heritage is preserved in many sites in San Juan, particularly in the insular part of the city known as Old San Juan. Among these sites are the El Morro and San Cristóbal fortresses, both part of San Juan National Historic Site; La Fortaleza, once a fortress and now the governor’s palace, its oldest section completed in 1540; Old Santo Domingo Convent, built between 1523 and 1528; and Fort San Gerónimo, completed in the late 18th century.
The warm year-round climate in Puerto Rico and its extensive sunshine and coastal beaches attract 3 million tourists each year; spending by visitors was $2.1 billion in 1999. Their primary destination is the San Juan area, where numerous luxury hotels are located.
Puerto Rico's mountainous backbone is the easternmost extension of a tightly folded and faulted ridge that extends from the Central American mainland across the northern Caribbean to the Lesser Antilles. While the highest point on the island reaches only about 4,389 feet (1,338 metres) at Mount Punta, there is a marine trough north of San Juan that plunges to more than 30,000 feet (9,144 metres) below sea level, one of the lowest ocean depths. The great difference in crustal elevations illustrates the strong tectonic forces that have operated in geologic history to create these features. Puerto Rico still occasionally suffers from earthquakes, reflecting the ongoing geologic processes. Rectangularly shaped, the island measures, at most, only about 111 miles from east to west and a mere 40 miles from north to south. Two valuable islands off the east coast, Vieques and Culebra, are also parts of Puerto Rico, as is the island of Mona to the west.
Puerto Rico, including the kapok tree with its thick trunk, the poinciana , the breadfruit, and the coconut palm. A tropical rain forest in the northeastern section of the island has tree ferns, orchids, and mahogany trees; part of this tropical area is included in the Caribbean National Forest. In the dry southwestern corner of Puerto Rico are cactus and bunch grass. Puerto Rico has no large wild mammals. The mongoose was brought in to control rats on sugarcane plantations. Iguanas and many small lizards abound, and bats are present. The island has one animal found almost nowhere else in the world—the coquí, a small tree frog that produces a loud, clear “song” from the branches of trees at night. Barracuda, kingfish, mullet, Spanish mackerel, tuna, lobster.
Economic development in Puerto Rico has historically lagged well behind that of most mainland states of the United States. remarkable improvements have been made in economic conditions since the late 1940s, after the development program known as Operation Bootstrap was begun by the government. Growth has occurred largely through stimulation of the manufacturing sector. Much development has been concentrated in the San Juan metropolitan area. In the early 1990s manufacturing was the leading economic activity, and government, commerce, and tourism also were valuable sources of income.
Puerto Rico’s forest cover had been cut by about 1900, and contempt concerted efforts after 1935 to replant trees, the forestry industry remains small. Commercial fishing plays a comparatively minor role in Puerto Rico’s economy. Tuna species caught include yellowfin, skipjack, and bluefin. Small-scale freshwater fish farming is a growing economic activity; fish raised include bass, bluegill, and catfish.
Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A various industrial area has surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. promoted by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have inunconditional heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other farm animal products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an valuable source of income, with around arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 1999. Prospects for 2001 are clouded by a probable slowing down in both the construction and tourist sectors and by increasing inflation, particularly in energy and food prices; around growth will be 2%.
modern system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US
Spanish is the official language of the commonwealth. About 80 % of the people are Roman Catholic. In 1999, 75 % of the island’s inhabitants lived in areas defined as urban. The largest communities in Puerto Rico included San Juan, the capital; Bayamón; Carolina; Ponce; Caguas; and Mayagüez.
National Democratic Party [Celeste BENITEZ]; National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Luis FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP [Pedro ROSSELLO]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD [Hector Luis ACEVEDO]; Puerto Rican freedom Party or PIP [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez]
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is governed under a constitution of 1952, as amended. An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by the commonwealth’s legislature or by a constitutional convention. To become effective an amendment must be approved by a majority of persons voting on an issue in an election. Puerto Ricans share most rights and obligations of other U.S. citizens; residents of the commonwealth may not vote in U.S. presidential elections, and, except for federal employees and members of the U.S. armed forces, are not required to pay federal income taxes.
Legal system: based on Spanish civil code
vote: 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
administrator branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President valuableard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Sila M. CALDERON (since NA January 2001)
cabinet: appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)
election results: Sila M. CALDERON (PDP) elected governor; % of vote - 48.8%
Legislative branch: bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (28 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (54 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)
election results: Senate - % of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PNP 19, PPD 7, PIP 1, other 1; House of Representatives - % of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PNP 30, PPD 20, PIP 1, other 3
note: Puerto Rico elects one nonvoting representative to the US House of Representatives; elections last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004); results - % of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPD 1 (Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Superior Courts; Municipal Courts (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate)
International organization Member
Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate)
Puerto Rico’s first free primary school was founded in the early 19th century in San Juan. By the late 1990s the commonwealth’s public schools annually listed about 452,000 elementary pupils and about 162,000 secondary students.
paramilitary National Guard, Police Force
Military - defense is the responsibility of the US
none
