Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico[i] (Spanish for 'rich port'; abbreviated PR; Taino: Borikén or Borinquen),[14] officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico[b] (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit. 'Free Associated State of Puerto Rico'), is a Caribbean island, Commonwealth, and unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami, Florida, between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and includes the eponymous main island and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. With roughly 3.2 million residents, it is divided into 78 municipalities, of which the most populous is the capital municipality of San Juan.[14] Spanish and English are the official languages of the executive branch of government,[16] though Spanish predominates.[17]
"Porto Rico" and "Borinquen" redirect here. For other uses, see Porto Rico (disambiguation), Borinquen (disambiguation), and Puerto Rico (disambiguation).
Puerto Rico
10 December 1898
25 July 1952
94.3% Spanish
5.5% English
0.2% other[1]
- 92.4% white
- 7.0% black
- 0.5% Native American
- 0.1% Asian
- 98.9% Hispanic or Latino
- 1.1% non-Hispanic or Latino
8,868 km2 (3,424 sq mi)
4,924 km2 (1,901 sq mi)
35.6
178 km (111 mi)
65 km (40 mi)
1,338 m (4,390[g] ft)
3,285,874[9]
361.4/km2 (936.0/sq mi) (41st)
2023 estimate
2023 estimate
53.1[11]
high
United States dollar (US$) (USD)
dd/mm/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
right
Puerto Rico was settled by a succession of peoples beginning 2,000 to 4,000 years ago;[18] these included the Ortoiroid, Saladoid, and Taíno. It was then colonized by Spain following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493.[14] Puerto Rico was contested by other European powers, but remained a Spanish possession for the next four centuries. An influx of African slaves and settlers primarily from the Canary Islands and Andalusia vastly changed the cultural and demographic landscape of the island. Within the Spanish Empire, Puerto Rico played a secondary but strategic role compared to wealthier colonies like Peru and New Spain.[19][20] By the late 19th century, a distinct Puerto Rican identity began to emerge, centered around a fusion of indigenous, African, and European elements.[21][22] In 1898, following the Spanish–American War, Puerto Rico was acquired by the United States.[14][23]
Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917, and can move freely between the island and the mainland.[24] However, when resident in the unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans are disenfranchised at the national level, do not vote for the president or vice president,[25] and generally do not pay federal income tax.[26][27][Note 1] In common with four other territories, Puerto Rico sends a nonvoting representative to the U.S. Congress, called a Resident Commissioner, and participates in presidential primaries; as it is not a state, Puerto Rico does not have a vote in Congress, which governs it under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950. Congress approved a local constitution in 1952, allowing U.S. citizens residing on the island to elect a governor. Puerto Rico's current and future political status has consistently been a matter of significant debate.[28][29]
Beginning in the mid-20th century, the U.S. government, together with the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company, launched a series of economic projects to develop Puerto Rico into an industrial high-income economy. It is classified by the International Monetary Fund as a developed jurisdiction with an advanced, high-income economy;[30] it ranks 40th on the Human Development Index. The major sectors of Puerto Rico's economy are manufacturing (primarily pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and electronics) followed by services (namely tourism and hospitality).[31]
Etymology
Puerto Rico is Spanish for "rich port".[14] Puerto Ricans often call the island Borinquen, a derivation of Borikén, its indigenous Taíno name, which is popularly said to mean "Land of the Valiant Lord".[32][33][34] The terms boricua, borinqueño, and borincano are commonly used to identify someone of Puerto Rican heritage,[35][36] and derive from Borikén and Borinquen respectively.[37] The island is also popularly known in Spanish as La Isla del Encanto, meaning "the island of enchantment".[38]
Columbus named the island San Juan Bautista, in honor of Saint John the Baptist, while the capital city was named Ciudad de Puerto Rico ("Rich Port City").[14] Eventually traders and other maritime visitors came to refer to the entire island as Puerto Rico, while San Juan became the name used for the main trading/shipping port and the capital city.[j]
The island's name was changed to Porto Rico by the United States after the Treaty of Paris of 1898.[40] The anglicized name was used by the U.S. government and private enterprises. The name was changed back to Puerto Rico in 1931 by a joint resolution in Congress introduced by Félix Córdova Dávila.[41][k][46][47][48]
The official name of the entity in Spanish is Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico ("Free Associated State of Puerto Rico"), while its official English name is Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.[14]