July 5, 2003

Official name: The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Area: 9,000 sq km
Population: 3,336,000
Capital: San Juan
Currency: US Dollar
Official language: Spanish and English
Major cities: Ponce, Mayag|ez, Arecibo, Caguas.
Major exports: sugar, tobacco, rum, pineapples, textiles, plastics, chemicals, processed foods, vegetables, coffee.


Puerto Rico, also called the “Island of Enchantment”, is the easternmost island of the Greater Antilles. It is situated between the US Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. It is a self-governing island within the commonwealth of the West Indies, associated with the United States.


Physical features

Puerto Rico is a mountainous, tropical island. The Central Mountains extends almost the entire length of the island. The conditions account for the tropical forests present here. The islands of Vieques and Culebra belong to Puerto Rico. Mount Punta (4389 feet) is the highest peak. The Caguas Basin is the largest of several basins in the mountains that provide level land for settlements. The river courses on the south coast are dry most of the year.

 

Climate

Tropical wet and dry climate prevails here. The islands are directly in the path of the trade winds. Puerto Rico is sometimes struck by devastating hurricanes and tornadoes. Occasional earthquakes also strike the area.

 

Ethnicity & religion

More than 95 per cent of the people are native Puerto Rican, with a mixed Spanish, African, and Taino heritage. Chinese, Italians, Corsicans, Lebanese, Germans, Scottish, and Irish also found their way to the island in the mid-19th century.

Virtually 100 per cent of the population is Christian. Spiritualism is also common, and is practised by the Santos (Saints) cults.

 

Language

Spanish and English are the official languages of Puerto Rico. Spanish is the language of instruction. English is required as a second language. Many English words are spoken in the local Spanish, this form of informal speech is known as “Spanglish”.

 

Government

Puerto Rico’s legislature is divided into a 27-member Senate and a 51-member House of Representatives. The members of both the chambers are directly elected for a four-year term. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities. The Chief of state is the US president, but since 1947 the people of Puerto Rico elects the head of government every four years. Residents are US citizens, represented in the US Congress by an elected Resident Commissioner with a seat in the House of Representatives.

 

Diet

Puerto Ricans enjoy a variety of Spanish, Indian, American and African foods. Arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), paella (a spicy mix of rice, chicken, seafood, and vegetables), arroz con gandules y pernil (rice with roasted pork), and foods made with plantain are popular local dishes. Pasta, fast food and seafood are also enjoyed. Popular varieties of oil-fried frituras include alcapurrias (plantain with meat) and sorullos (deep-fried maize meal fritters). Pan sobao is the flat bread that is eaten with the meals.

 

Sports

The people here are crazy about sports. They specially enjoy baseball, the country’s national sport. The Puerto Rican outfielder Roberto Clemente was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. Other popular sports include basketball, boxing, volleyball, weight-lifting, swimming, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, and surfing. Horse riding, golf and tennis are also popular.

 

Places to Visit

Warm climate, lovely beaches, and popular historic sites boost the tourism industry here. More than 1.5 million tourists, mostly American, visit Puerto Rico annually. They are usually attracted to San Juan having major port facilities and finest beaches in the Caribbean. Luquillo Beach has long been popular for sunbathing and swimming.

El Morro, a six storey structure built more than four centuries ago, is present on the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico. It was built by the Spanish and withstood invasions by the British and Dutch.

The gleaming white towers of Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral in Ponce add to the beauty of the city.

Fort San Cristobal, built by Spanish colonists in Old San Juan in 1678, stands 151 feet above the Caribbean Sea to protect it from attacks by land. The Guanica Forest is a nature reserve located near Ponce.

The Cueva del Indio caves and the Rmo Camuy Cave Park are nearby Arecibo, and 19 km to the south is Cornell University’s Arecibo Observatory, the site of the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope.

 

Wildlife

The birds constituting the wildlife here are piping plover, magnificent frigate bird, brown pelican, least tern and peregrine falcon.