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List of
Banks in the Caribbean
List of Banks in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico (Spanish: "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" —
literally Associated Free State of Puerto Rico), is an unincorporated
territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean
Sea, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico (Spanish for "rich port") is composed of an archipelago that
includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands,
the largest of which are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. The main island of
Puerto Rico is the smallest by land area of the Greater Antilles. It,
however, ranks third in population among that group of four islands,
which also include Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica.
Puerto Ricans often call the island Borinquen, from Borikén, its
indigenous Taíno name, which means "Land of the Valiant Lord".
The terms boricua and borincano derive from Borikén and Borinquen
respectively, and are commonly used to identify someone of Puerto Rican
heritage. The island is also popularly known in Spanish as "La Isla del
Encanto" which means "The Island of Enchantment" in English.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Puerto Rico
Address: P.O. Box. 364745
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 777-2903
Fax: (1-787) 777-2999
Banco Cooperativo de Puerto Rico (Bancoop)
Address: P.O. Box. 366249
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 763-0000
Fax: (1-787) 753-2205
Banco de Desarrollo Economico Para Puerto Rico
Address: P.O. Box. 2134
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 641-4300
Fax: (1-787) 756-7875
Banco Financiero de Puerto Rico
Address: P.O. Box. 6037
City: Ponce
Departement: Ponce
Phone: (1-787) 840-0050
Fax: (1-787) 848-5755
Banco Gubernamental de Fomento de Puerto Rico
Address: P.O. Box. 42001
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 722-8460
Fax: (1-787) 721-1443
Banco Popular Puerto Rico
Address: P.O. Box. 362708
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-888) 765-9800
Fax: (1-888) 764-1706
Banco Santander
Address: 207 Ave. Ponce de Leon
City: San Juan
Departement: Hato Rey
Phone: (1-787) 759-7070
Fax: (1-787) 763-1366
Banctec Puerto Rico, Inc.
Address: Carr. 149 Km. 66.9
Departement: Juana Díaz
Phone: (1-787) 837-2108
Fax: (1-787) 837-4500
Banktrust The Bank & Trust Of Puerto Rico
Address: 250 M Rivera, Cond American International Plaza
City: San Juan
Departement: Hato Rey
Phone: (1-787) 759-6060
Fax: (1-787) 758-6238
BBVA Banco
Address:
Phone: (1-787) 777-7777 / (1-800) 779-7719
Citibank
Address: P.O. Box. 364106
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 766-3701
Fax: (1-787) 766-3697
Coop Manati
Address: Manati 68 McKinley
Departement: Manati
Phone: (1-787) 854-2214
Doral Bank
Address: Galeria Paseos Mall
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 292-3800
Eurobank
Address: P.O. Box. 191009
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787)751-7340
Fax: (1-787) 759-9193
FirstBank Puerto Rico
Address: P.O. Box. 9146
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 729-8150
Fax: (1-787) 725-8339
Hamilton Bank, N.A.
Address: P.O. Box. 270027
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 753-0700
Fax: (1-787) 753-9315
Premier Bank Of Puerto Rico
Address:
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-888) 264-4674
Royal Bank of Canada
Address: Royal Bank Center
City: San Juan
Departement: Hato Rey
Phone: (1-787) 250-3900
Fax: (1-787) 250-3971
Scotiabank de Puerto Rico
Address: P.O. Box 362230
City: San Juan
Departement: San Juan (Metropolitan Area)
Phone: (1-787) 766-7873
Fax: (1-787) 766-7879
Westernbank
Address: 269 Avenue Ponce de Leon
City: San Juan
Departement: Hato Rey
Phone: (1-787) 753-9378
Fax: (1-787) 753-6222
History
Main article: History of Puerto Rico
Pre-Columbian era
The ancient history of the archipelago known today as "Puerto Rico"
before the arrival of Christopher Columbus is not well known. Unlike
other larger more advanced indigenous communities in the New World (Aztec,
Inca) which left behind abundant archeological and physical evidence of
their societies, what is known today about the indigenous population of
Puerto Rico comes from scarce archaeological findings and early Spanish
scholarly accounts. Today, there are few and rare cave drawings, rock
carvings and ancient recreational actitivity sites that have been
identified with some degree of speculation as to who left them behind.
The first comprehensive book on the history of Puerto Rico was written
by Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra in 1786, almost three centuries after the
first Spaniards arrived on the island.
Taíno Village at the Tibes Ceremonial CenterThe first settlers were the
Ortoiroid people, an Archaic Period culture of Amerindian hunters and
fishermen. An archaeological dig in the island of Vieques in 1990 found
the remains of what is believed to be an Arcaico (Archaic) man (named
"Puerto Ferro Man") dated to around 2000 BC. Between AD 120 and 400
arrived the Igneri, a tribe from the region of the Orinoco river, in
northern South America. Between the 4th and 10th centuries, the Arcaicos
and Igneri co-existed, and perhaps clashed, on the island. Between the
7th and 11th centuries the Taíno culture developed on the island, and by
approximately 1000 AD had become dominant. This lasted until Christopher
Columbus arrived in 1493.
Spanish colony
When Christopher Columbus arrived in Puerto Rico during his second
voyage on November 19, 1493, the island was inhabited by a group of
Arawak Indians known as Taínos. They called the island "Borikén" or,
in Spanish, "Borinquen". Columbus named the island San Juan
Bautista, in honor of Saint John the Baptist. Eventually, traders and
other maritime visitors came to refer to the entire island as "Puerto
Rico", and "San Juan" became the name of the main trading/shipping port.
In 1508, Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León became the island's
first governor to take office.
Garita at fort San Felipe del MorroSoon thereafter, The Spanish began to
colonize the island. The indigenous population (Taínos) came to be
exploited and forced into slavery. Within 50 years they were reduced to
near extinction by the harsh conditions of work and by European
infectious diseases to which they had no natural immunity. By 1520,
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor issued a royal decree that collectively
emancipated the remaining Taíno population. Essentially, the Taíno
presence had almost vanished.
Within 50 years, the Taino indigenous population while not completely
extinct was no longer a physical or cultural presence of consequence on
the island and the importation of Sub-Saharan African slaves was
introduced to provide the manual work force for the Spanish colonists
and merchants.
African slavery was primarily restricted to coastal ports and cities,
while the interior of the island continued to be essentially unexplored
and undeveloped. Spanish and other European colonists were concentrated
in island's seaports. Puerto Rico soon became an important stronghold
and a significant port for Spanish Main colonial expansion. Various
forts and walls, such as La Fortaleza, El Castillo San Felipe del Morro
and El Castillo de San Cristóbal, were built to protect the strategic
port of San Juan from numerous European invasion attempts. San Juan
served as an important port-of-call for ships of all European nations
for purposes of taking on water, food and other commercial provisions
and mercantile exchange.
Marker in Puerto Rico which traces the routes taken by the Godspeed,
Susan Constant and the Discovery and which commemorates their stopping
in Puerto Rico from April 6–10, 1607 on their way to Virginia.In 1607,
Puerto Rico served as a port for provisions for the English ships, the
Godspeed, Susan Constant and the Discovery who were on their way to
establish the Jamestown Settlement, the first English settlement in the
New World.
France, the Netherlands and England made several attempts to capture
Puerto Rico but failed to wrest the long-term occupancy of Spain, who
held tenaciously onto its increasingly prized island colony of Puerto
Rico. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries Spain's colonial
emphasis continued to be focused on the more prosperous mainland North,
Central and South American colonies.
This continued distraction on the part of the Spanish Crown, left the
island of Puerto Rico virtually unexplored, undeveloped and uncolonized
(with the exception of coastal colonist outposts) until the 1800s.
Subsequently, with the growth of successful independence movements in
the larger Spanish colonies, Spain soon began to focus its attention on
Puerto Rico as one of the last remaining Spanish maritime colonies.
In 1779, citizens of the still-Spanish colony of Puerto Rico fought in
the American Revolutionary War under the command of Bernardo de Gálvez,
named Field Marshal of the Spanish colonial army in North America.
Puerto Ricans participated in the capture of Pensacola, the capital of
the British colony of West Florida, and the cities of Baton Rouge, St.
Louis and Mobile. The Puerto Rican troops, under the leadership of
Brigadier General Ramón de Castro, helped defeat the British and
Indian army of 2,500 soldiers and British warships in Pensacola.
In 1809, in a further move to secure its political bond with the island
and in the midst of the European Peninsular War, the Supreme Central
Junta based in Cádiz recognized Puerto Rico as an overseas province of
Spain with the right to send representatives to the recently convened
Spanish parliament with equal representation to Mainland Iberian,
Mediterranean (Balearic Islands) and Atlantic maritime Spanish provinces
(Canary Islands).
The first Spanish parliamentary representative from the island of Puerto
Rico, Ramon Power y Giralt, died after serving a three-year term in the
Cortes. These parliamentary and constitutional reforms, which were in
force from 1810 to 1814 and again from 1820 to 1823, were reversed twice
afterwards when the traditional monarchy was restored by Ferdinand VII.
Nineteenth century immigration and commercial trade reforms further
augmented the island's European population and economy, and expanded
Spanish cultural and social imprint the local character of the island.
With the increasingly rapid growth of independent former Spanish
colonies in the South and Central American states in the first part of
the century, Puerto Rico and Cuba continued to grow in strategic
importance to the Spanish Crown.
In a very deliberate move to increase its hold on its last two new world
colonies, the Spanish Crown revived the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815.
This time the decree was printed in three languages: Spanish, English
and French.
Its primary intent was to attract Europeans of non-Spanish origin, with
the hope that the independence movements would lose their popularity and
strength with increase of new loyalist settlers with strong sympathies
to Spain.
As an incentive to immigrate and colonize, free land was offered to
those who wanted to populate the two islands on the condition that they
swear their loyalty to the Spanish Crown and allegiance to the Roman
Catholic Church. It was very successful and European immigration
continued even after 1898 and Puerto Rico today still receives Spanish
and European immigration.
The Original Lares Revolutionary FlagToward the end of the 19th century,
poverty and political estrangement with Spain led to a small but
significant uprising in 1868 known as "Grito de Lares". It began in the
rural town of Lares, but was subdued when rebels moved to the
neighboring town of San Sebastián. Leaders of this independence movement
included Ramón Emeterio Betances, considered the "father" of the Puerto
Rican independence movement, and other political figures such as Segundo
Ruiz Belvis.
In 1897, Luis Muñoz Rivera and others persuaded the liberal Spanish
government to agree to Charters of Autonomy for Cuba and Puerto Rico. In
1898, Puerto Rico's first, but short-lived, autonomous government was
organized as an 'overseas province' of Spain. This bi-laterally-agreed
upon charter maintained a governor appointed by Spain, which held the
power to annul any legislative decision, and a partially elected
parliamentary structure. In February, Governor-General Manuel Macías
inaugurated the new government under the Autonomous Charter. General
elections were held in March and the autonomous government began to
function on July 17, 1898.
United States colony
Main article: Puerto Rican Campaign
In 1890, Captain Alfred Thayler Mahan, a member of the Navy War Board
and leading U.S. strategic thinker, wrote a book titled The Influence of
Sea Power upon History in which he argued for the creation of a large
and powerful navy modeled after the British Royal Navy. Part of his
strategy called for the acquisition of colonies in the Caribbean Sea
which would serve as coaling and naval stations and which would serve as
strategical points of defense upon the construction of a canal in the
Isthmus.
This idea was not new, since William H. Seward, the former Secretary of
State under the administrations of various presidents, among them
Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant, had stressed that a canal be built
either in Honduras, Nicaragua or Panama and that the United States annex
the Dominican Republic and purchase Puerto Rico and Cuba. The idea of
annexing the Dominican Republic failed to receive the approval of the
U.S. Senate and Spain did not accept the 160 million dollars which the
U.S. offered for Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Captain Mahan made the following statement to the War Department:
"Having therefore no foreign establishments either colonial or military,
the ships of war of the United States, in war will be like land birds,
unable to fly far from their own shores. To provide resting places for
them where they can coal and repair, would be one of the first duties of
a government proposing to itself the development of the power of the
nation at sea"
Since 1894, the Naval War College had been formulating contingency plans
for a war with Spain. By 1896, the Office of Naval Intelligence had
prepared a plan which included military operations in Puerto Rican
waters. This prewar planning did not contemplate major territorial
acquisitions. Except for one 1895 plan which recommended annexation of
the Isle of Pines, a recommendation dropped in later planning, plans
developed for attacks on Spanish territories were intended as support
operations against Spain's forces in and around Cuba. However, Jorge
Rodriguez Beruf, recognized as a foremost researcher on United States
militarism in Puerto Rico, writes that not only was Puerto Rico
considered valuable as a naval station, Puerto Rico and Cuba were also
abundant in sugar - a valuable commercial commodity which the United
States lacked.
On July 25, 1898, during the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was
invaded by the United States with a landing at Guánica. As an outcome of
the war, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, the Philippines, and
Guam to the U.S. under the Treaty of Paris.
The United States and Puerto Rico thus began a long-standing
relationship. Puerto Rico began the 20th century under the military rule
of the U.S. with officials, including the governor, appointed by the
President of the United States. The Foraker Act of 1900 gave Puerto Rico
a certain amount of civilian popular government, including a popularly
elected House of Representatives, also a judicial system following the
American legal system that includes both state courts and federal courts
establishing a Puerto Rico Supreme Court and a United State District
Court; and a non-voting member of Congress, by the title of "Resident
Commissioner". In 1917, "Puerto Ricans were collectively made U.S.
citizens" via the Jones Act. The same Act also provided for a
popularly elected Senate to complete a bicameral Legislative Assembly, a
bill of rights and authorized the election of a Resident Commissioner to
a four-year term. As a result of their new U.S. citizenship, many Puerto
Ricans were drafted into World War I and all subsequent wars with U.S.
participation in which a national military draft was in effect.
Natural disasters, including a major earthquake, a tsunami and several
hurricanes, and the Great Depression impoverished the island during the
first few decades under U.S. rule. Some political leaders, like
Pedro Albizu Campos who led the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, demanded
change. On March 21, 1937, a march was organized in the southern city of
Ponce by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. This march turned bloody
when the Insular Police, "a force somewhat resembling the National Guard
which answered to the U.S.-appointed governor", opened fire upon
unarmed and defenseless cadets and bystanders alike, as
reported by a U.S. Congressman Vito Marcantonio and the "Hays
Commission" led by Arthur Garfield Hays. Nineteen were killed and over
200 were badly wounded, many in their backs while running
away. An American Civil Liberties Union report declared it a
massacre and it has since been known as the Ponce Massacre.
The internal governance changed during the latter years of the
Roosevelt–Truman administrations, as a form of compromise led by Luis
Muñoz Marín and others. It culminated with the appointment by President
Truman in 1946 of the first Puerto Rican-born governor, Jesús T. Piñero.
On June 11, 1948, Piñero signed the "Ley de la Mordaza" (Gag Law) or Law
53 as it was officially known, passed by the Puerto Rican legislature
which made it illegal to display the Puerto Rican Flag, sing patriotic
songs, talk of independence and to fight for the liberation of the
island. It resembled the anti-communist Smith Law passed in the United
States.
Commonwealth
In 1947, the U.S. granted Puerto Ricans the right to elect
democratically their own governor. Luis Muñoz Marín was elected during
the 1948 general elections, becoming the first popularly elected
governor of Puerto Rico. In 1950, the U.S. Congress approved Public Law
600 (P.L. 81-600) which allowed for a democratic referendum in Puerto
Rico to determine whether Puerto Ricans desired to draft their own local
constitution. This Act left unchanged all the articles under the
Jones Act of 1917 that regulated the relationships between Puerto Rico
and the United States.
On October 30, 1950, Pedro Albizu Campos and other nationalists led a
3-day revolt against the United States in various cities and towns of
Puerto Rico. The most notable occurred in Jayuya and Utuado. In the
Jayuya revolt, known as the Jayuya Uprising, the United States declared
martial law and attacked Jayuya with infantry, artillery and bombers.
The Utuado Uprising culminated in what is known as the Utuado massacre.
On November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and
Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate President Harry S Truman.
Torresola was killed during the attack, but Collazo was captured.
Collazo served 29 years in a federal prison, being released in 1979. Don
Pedro Albizu Campos also served many years in a federal prison in
Atlanta, Georgia, for seditious conspiracy to overthrow the U.S.
government in Puerto Rico.
The Constitution of Puerto Rico was approved by a Constitutional
Convention on February 6, 1952, ratified by the U.S. Congress, approved
by President Truman on July 3 of that year, and proclaimed by Gov. Muñoz
Marín on July 25, 1952, on the anniversary of the July 25, 1898 landing
of U.S. troops in the Puerto Rican Campaign of the Spanish-American War,
until then an annual Puerto Rico holiday. Puerto Rico adopted the name
of Estado Libre Asociado (literally translated as "Free Associated
State"), officially translated into English as Commonwealth, for its
body politic.[42] The United States Congress legislates over many
fundamental aspects of Puerto Rican life, including citizenship,
currency, postal service, foreign affairs, military defense,
communications, labor relations, the environment, commerce, finance,
health and welfare, and many others.[43][44]
During the 1950s Puerto Rico experienced rapid industrialization, due in
large part to Operación Manos a la Obra ("Operation Bootstrap"), an
offshoot of FDR's New Deal, which aimed to transform Puerto Rico's
economy from agriculture-based to manufacturing-based. Presently, Puerto
Rico has become a major tourist destination, and it is the world's
leading pharmaceutical manufacturing center.[45] Yet it still struggles
to define its political status. Three plebiscites have been held in
recent decades to resolve the political status, but no changes have been
attained. Support for the pro-statehood party, Partido Nuevo Progresista
(PNP), and the pro-commonwealth party, Partido Popular Democrático
(PPD), remains about equal. The only registered pro-independence party,
the Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP), usually receives 3-5%
of the electoral votes.
Government and politics
Main articles: Government of Puerto Rico and Politics of Puerto Rico
See also: Municipalities of Puerto Rico, List of political parties in
Puerto Rico, and Political party strength in Puerto Rico
The Capitol of Puerto Rico, home of the Legislative Assembly in Puerto
Rico.Puerto Rico has a republican form of government,[46] subject to
U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all
delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under
the United States Constitution.[47] Puerto Rico's head of state is the
President of the United States.
The government of Puerto Rico, based on the formal republican system, is
composed of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The
executive branch is headed by the Governor, currently Luis Fortuño. The
legislative branch consists of a bicameral Legislative Assembly made up
of a Senate upper chamber and a House of Representatives lower chamber.
The Senate is headed by the President of the Senate, while the House of
Representatives is headed by the Speaker of the House.
The judicial branch is headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
of Puerto Rico. The legal system is a mix of the civil law and the
common law systems. The governor and legislators are elected by popular
vote every four years. Members of the Judicial branch are appointed by
the governor with the "advice and consent" of the Senate.
Puerto Rico is represented in the United States Congress by a nonvoting
delegate, formally called a Resident Commissioner (currently Pedro
Pierluisi). Current legislation has returned the Commissioner's power to
vote in the Committee of the Whole, but not on matters where the vote
would represent a decisive participation.[48] Puerto Rican elections are
governed by the Federal Election Commission and the State Elections
Commission of Puerto Rico.[49][50] While residing in Puerto Rico, Puerto
Ricans cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections, but they can vote in
primaries. Puerto Ricans who become residents of a U.S. state can vote
in presidential elections.
As Puerto Rico is not an independent country, it hosts no embassies. It
is host, however, to consulates from 41 countries, mainly from the
Americas and Europe.[51] Most consulates are located in San Juan. As an
unincorporated territory of the United States, Puerto Rico does not have
any first-order administrative divisions as defined by the U.S.
government, but has 78 municipalities at the second level. Mona Island
is not a municipality, but part of the municipality of Mayagüez.[52]
Municipalities are subdivided into wards or barrios, and those into
sectors. Each municipality has a mayor and a municipal legislature
elected for a four year term. The municipality of San Juan (previously
called "town"), was founded first, in 1521, San Germán in 1570, Coamo in
1579, Arecibo in 1614, Aguada in 1692 and Ponce in 1692. An increase of
settlement saw the founding of 30 municipalities in the 18th century and
34 in the 19th. Six were founded in the 20th century; the last was
Florida in 1971.[53]
From 1952 to 2007, Puerto Rico had three political parties which stood
for three distinct future political scenarios. The Popular Democratic
Party (PPD) seeks to maintain the island's "association" status as a
commonwealth, improved commonwealth and/or seek a true free
sovereign-association status or Free Associated Republic, and has won a
plurality vote in referendums on the island's status held over six
decades after the island was invaded by the U.S. The New Progressive
Party (PNP) seeks statehood. The Puerto Rican Independence Party seeks
independence. In 2007, a fourth party, the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico
Party (PPR), was ratified. The PPR claims that it seeks to address the
islands' problems from a status-neutral platform. Non-registered parties
include the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, the Socialist Workers
Movement, the Hostosian National Independence Movement, and others.
Political status
Main article: Political status of Puerto Rico
The nature of Puerto Rico's political relationship with the U.S. is the
subject of ongoing debate in Puerto Rico, the United States Congress,
and the United Nations.[54][55]
Estado Libre Asociado
In 1950, the U.S. Congress granted Puerto Ricans the right to organize a
constitutional convention via a referendum that gave them the option of
voting their preference, "yes" or "no", on a proposed U.S. law that
would organize Puerto Rico as a "commonwealth" that would suppose
continued United States sovereignty over Puerto Rico and its people.
Puerto Rico's electorate expressed its support for this measure in 1951
with a second referendum to ratify the constitution. The Constitution of
Puerto Rico was formally adopted on July 3, 1952. The Constitutional
Convention specified the name by which the body politic would be known.
The purpose of Congress in the 1950 and 1952 legislation was to accord
to Puerto Rico the degree of autonomy and independence normally
associated with a State of the Union.[56]
On February 4, 1952, the convention approved Resolution 22 which chose
in English the word "Commonwealth", meaning a "politically organized
community" or "state", which is simultaneously connected by a compact or
treaty to another political system. The convention adopted a translation
into Spanish of the term, inspired by the Irish Free State (Saorstát
Éireann) of "Estado Libre Asociado" (ELA) to represent the agreement.
Literally translated into English the phrase Estado Libre Asociado means
"Associated Free State."
While the approval of the commonwealth constitution marked a historic
change in the civil government for the islands, neither it, nor the
public laws approved by Congress in 1950 and 1952, revoked statutory
provisions concerning the legal relationship of Puerto Rico to the
United States. This relationship is based on the Territorial Clause of
the U.S. Constitution. The statutory provisions that set forth the
conditions of the relationship are commonly referred to as the Federal
Relations Act (FRA). While specified subsections of the FRA were
"adopted in the nature of a compact", other provisions, by comparison,
are excluded from the compact reference. Matters still subject to
congressional authority and established pursuant to legislation include
the citizenship status of residents, tax provisions, civil rights, trade
and commerce, public finance, the administration of public lands
controlled by the federal government, the application of federal law
over navigable waters, congressional representation, and the judicial
process, among others.[57][58]
In 1967, the Puerto Rico's Legislative Assembly polled the political
preferences of the Puerto Rican electorate by passing a plebiscite Act
that provided for a vote on the status of Puerto Rico. This constituted
the first plebiscite by the Legislature for a choice on three status
options (commonwealth, statehood, and independence). Claiming "foul
play" and dubbing the process as illegitimate and contrary to
International Law norms regarding decolonization procedures, the
plebiscite was boycotted by the major pro-statehood and pro-independence
parties of the time, the [Republican Party of Puerto Rico] and the
Puerto Rican Independence Party, respectively. The Commonwealth option,
represented by the PDP, won with a majority of 60.4% of the votes. After
the plebiscite, efforts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, to enact
legislation to address the status issue died in U.S. Congressional
committees. In subsequent plebiscites organized by Puerto Rico held in
1993 and 1998 (without any formal commitment on the part of the U.S.
Government to honor the results), the current political status failed to
receive majority support (receiving 48.6% in 1993 and less than one
percent, 0.3%, in 1998), when the "none of the above option" received
the 50.3 % of the votes which was the Popular Democratic Party sponsored
choice and was the winner option. Disputes arose as to the definition of
each of the ballot alternatives; and Commonwealth advocates, among
others, reportedly urged a vote for “none of the above".[59][60][61]
Within the United States
Puerto Rico is an "unincorporated territory" of the United States which
according to the U.S. Supreme Court's Insular Cases is "a territory
appurtenant and belonging to the United States, but not a part of the
United States."[62] Puerto Rico is subject to the Congress’ plenary
powers under the territorial clause of Article IV, sec. 3, of the U.S.
Constitution.[63] U.S. federal law applies to Puerto Rico, even though
Puerto Rico is not a state of the American Union and has no voting
representative in the U.S. Congress. Because of the establishment of the
Federal Relations Act of 1950, all federal laws that are "not locally
inapplicable" are automatically the law of the land in Puerto
Rico.[64][65] In 1907, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Grafton v. United
States[66], Justice Harlan clarified the meaning of plenary powers:
"'The government of a state derives its powers from the people of the
state, whereas the government of a territory owes its existence wholly
to the United States'. The Court thus seems to equate plenary power to
exclusive power. The U.S. government could exert over the territory
power that it could not exercise over the state. This power, however, is
not absolute, for it is restrained by some then-undefined fundamental
rights possessed by anyone subject to the authority of the U.S.
government." [67]
Since 1917, people born in Puerto Rico have been given U.S. citizenship.
United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico, whether born there or
not, are not residents of a state or the District of Columbia and,
therefore, do not qualify to vote, personally or through an absentee
ballot, in federal elections. See also: "Voting rights in Puerto Rico".
Under the Constitution of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico is described as a
Commonwealth and Puerto Ricans have a degree of administrative autonomy
similar to citizens of a U.S. state. Puerto Ricans "were collectively
made U.S. citizens" in 1917 as a result of the Jones-Shafroth Act.[68]
The act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on 2 March 1917.
U.S. Federal law 8 U.S.C. § 1402, approved by President Harry S. Truman
on 27 June 1952, declared all persons born in Puerto Rico on or after 13
January 1941 to be U.S. citizens at birth and all persons born in Puerto
Rico between 11 April 1899 and 12 January 1941, and meeting certain
other technical requirements, and not citizens of the United States
under any other Act, are declared to be citizens of the U.S. as of 13
January 1941.[69]
In addition, an April 2000 report by the Congressional Research Service,
asserts that citizens born in Puerto Rico are legally defined as natural
born citizens and are therefore eligible to be elected President,
provided they meet qualifications of age and 14 years residence within
the United States. According to this report, residence in Puerto Rico
and U.S. territories and possessions does not qualify as residence
within the United States for these purposes.[70]
Since Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory (see above) and not a
U.S. state, the United States Constitution does not fully enfranchise US
citizens residing in Puerto Rico.[47][69]
Only the "fundamental rights" under the federal constitution apply to
Puerto Rico, including the Privileges and Immunities Clause (U.S.
Constitution, Article IV, Section 2, Clause 1, also known as the 'Comity
Clause') that prevents a state from treating citizens of other states in
a discriminatory manner, with regard to basic civil rights. The clause
also embraces a right to travel, so that a citizen of one state can have
privileges and immunities in any other state; this constitutional clause
regarding the rights, privileges, and immunities of citizens of the
United States was expressly extended to Puerto Rico by the U.S. Congress
through the federal law 48 U.S.C. § 737 and signed by President Truman
in 1947.[47][71][72]
Other fundamental rights such as the due process clause and the equal
protection guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment were expressly extended
to Puerto Rico by the U.S. Supreme court.[73][74][75][76] In a brief
concurrence in the judgment of Torres v. Puerto Rico, 442 U.S. 465
(1979), Supreme Court Justice Brennan argued that any implicit limits
from the Insular Cases on the basic rights granted by the Constitution
(including especially the Bill of Rights) were anachronistic in the
1970s.[72][77][78]
Article Three of the United States Constitution establishes the judicial
branch of the federal government. This article was expressly extended to
the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico by the
U.S. Congress through Federal Law 89-571, 80 Stat. 764, signed by
President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966. After that date, judges appointed
to the Puerto Rico federal district court have been Article III judges
appointed under the Constitution of the United States. In addition in
1984 one of the judges of the federal district court, Chief Judge Juan
R. Torruella, a native of the island, was appointed to serve in the
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit with jurisdiction
over Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, and New
Hampshire.[79]
Federal executive branch agencies have significant presence in Puerto
Rico, just as in any state, such as the U.S. Attorney, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Homeland Security, National Labor Relations Board,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Safety Authority,
Environmental Protection Agency, Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, Internal Revenue Service, and Social Security
Administration. The island’s economic, commercial, and banking systems
are integrated to those of the United States.[80]
President George H. W. Bush issued a 30 November 1992 memorandum to
heads of executive departments and agencies establishing the current
administrative relationship between the federal government and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. This memorandum directs all federal
departments, agencies, and officials to treat Puerto Rico
administratively as if it were a state, insofar as doing so would not
disrupt federal programs or operations.
Puerto Rico does participate in the internal political process of both
the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S., accorded
equal-proportional representation in both parties, and delegates from
the islands vote in each party's national convention.
The U.S. Government classifies Puerto Rico as an independent taxation
authority by Federal Law 48 U.S.C. § 734. Puerto Rico residents are
required to pay U.S. federal taxes, import/export taxes,[81] federal
commodity taxes,[82] social security taxes etc. Individuals working with
the Federal Government pay federal income taxes while the rest of the
residents are required to pay federal payroll taxes (Social Security[83]
and Medicare),[84] as well as Commonwealth of Puerto Rico income taxes.
All federal employees,[85]}} plus those who do business with the federal
government,[86] in addition to Puerto Rico-based corporations that
intend to send funds to the U.S.,[87] and some others[88] also pay
federal income taxes. In 2009, Puerto Rico paid $3.742 billion into the
US Treasury.[89]
Because residents of Puerto Rico pay into Social Security, they are
eligible for Social Security benefits upon retirement, but are excluded
from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the island actually
receives less than 15% of the Medicaid funding it would normally receive
if it were a U.S. state.[90] Yet Medicare providers receive
less-than-full state-like reimbursements for services rendered to
beneficiaries in Puerto Rico, even though the latter paid fully into the
system.[91]
Since 1961 several Puerto Ricans have been appointed by the President,
upon the advice and consent of the Senate to serve as United States
Ambassadors to Venezuela, Spain, Costa Rica, Chile, the Dominican
Republic, and the Republics of Mauritius and Seychelles. A Puerto Rican
was also appointed by President Obama as ambassador to El Salvador.
Pending the advice and consent of the United States Senate, the
President issued a recess appointment so that the Ambassador could
assume her post.[92] As embassies fall within the Department of State,
ambassadors answer to the Secretary of State.[79]
First Company of native Puerto Ricans enlisted in the American Colonial
Army, 1899.Puerto Ricans may enlist in the U.S. military. Since 1917
Puerto Ricans have been included in the compulsory draft whenever it has
been in effect and more than 400,000 Puerto Ricans have served in the
United States Armed Forces. Puerto Ricans have participated in all U.S.
wars since 1898, most notably World War I, World War II, the Korean and
Vietnam wars, as well as the current Middle Eastern conflicts. Several
Puerto Ricans became notable commanders, five have been awarded the
Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States,
and several Puerto Ricans have attained the rank of General or Admiral,
which requires a Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation, as is
the case of judges and ambassadors.[93] In World War II,[94] the Korean
War[95] and the Vietnam War[96] Puerto Ricans were the most decorated
Hispanic soldiers and in some cases were the first to die in
combat.[97][98]
International status
On November 27, 1953, shortly after the establishment of the
Commonwealth, the General Assembly of the United Nations approved
Resolution 748, removing Puerto Rico's classification as a
non-self-governing territory under article 73(e) of the Charter from UN.
But the General Assembly did not apply the full list of criteria which
was enunciated in 1960 when it took favorable note of the cessation of
transmission of information regarding the non-selfgoverning status of
Puerto Rico.[99][100] According to the White House Task Force on Puerto
Rico's Political Status in its December 21, 2007 report, the U.S., in
its written submission to the UN in 1953, never represented that
Congress could not change its relationship with Puerto Rico without the
territory's consent.[101] It stated that the U.S. Justice Department in
1959 reiterated that Congress held power over Puerto Rico pursuant to
the Territorial Clause[102] of the U.S. Constitution.[101]
In 1993, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
stated that Congress may unilaterally repeal the Puerto Rican
Constitution or the Puerto Rican Federal Relations Act and replace them
with any rules or regulations of its choice.[58] In a 1996 report on a
Puerto Rico status political bill, the U.S. House Committee on Resources
stated, "Puerto Rico's current status does not meet the criteria for any
of the options for full self-government under Resolution 1541" (the
three established forms of full self-government being stated in the
report as (1) national independence, (2) free association based on
separate sovereignty, or (3) full integration with another nation on the
basis of equality). The report concluded that Puerto Rico "... remains
an unincorporated territory and does not have the status of 'free
association' with the United States as that status is defined under
United States law or international practice", that the establishment of
local self-government with the consent of the people can be unilaterally
revoked by the U.S. Congress, and that U.S. Congress can also withdraw
the U.S. citizenship of Puerto Rican residents of Puerto Rico at any
time, for a legitimate Federal purpose.[103][104] The application of the
U.S. Constitution to Puerto Rico is limited by the Insular Cases.
Recent developments
In 2005 and 2007, two reports were issued by the U.S. President's Task
Force on Puerto Rico's Status.[101][105] Both reports conclude that
Puerto Rico continues to be a territory of U.S. under the plenary powers
of the U.S. Congress.[101] Reactions from Puerto Rico's two major
political parties were mixed. The Popular Democratic Party (PPD)
challenged the task force's report and committed to
validating the current status in all international forums, including the
United Nations. It also rejected any "colonial or
territorial status" as a status option, and vowed to keep working for
the enhanced Commonwealth status that was approved by the PPD in 1998,
which included sovereignty, an association based on "respect and dignity
between both nations", and common citizenship.[106] The New Progressive
Party (PNP) supported the White House Report's
conclusions and supported bills to provide for a democratic referendum
process among Puerto Rico voters.
According to a CRS report, the recent activity regarding Puerto Rico’s
political status, in Congress and on the island, suggests that action
may be taken in the 111th Congress. The reports issued in 2007 and 2005
by the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status may be the basis
for reconsideration of the existing commonwealth status, as legislative
developments during the 109th and 110th Congresses suggested. Agreement
on the process to be used in considering the status proposals has been
as elusive as agreement on the end result. Congress would have a
determinative role in any resolution of the issue. The four options that
appear to be most frequently discussed include continuation of the
commonwealth, modification of the current commonwealth agreement,
statehood, or independence. If independence, or separate national
sovereignty, were selected, Puerto Rican officials might seek to
negotiate a compact of free association with the United States.[107]
On June 15, 2009, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization
approved a draft resolution calling on the Government of the United
States to expedite a process that would allow the Puerto Rican people to
exercise fully their inalienable right to self-determination and
independence.[108]
On April 29, 2010, the U.S. Congress voted 223–169 to approve a measure
for a federally sanctioned process for Puerto Rico's self determination,
allowing Puerto Rico to set a new referendum on whether to continue its
present form of commonwealth political status or to have a different
political status. If Puerto Ricans vote to continue to have their
present form of political status, the Government of Puerto Rico is
authorized to conduct additional plebiscites at intervals of every 8
years from the date on which the results of the prior plebiscite are
certified; if Puerto Ricans vote to have a different political status, a
second referendum would determine whether Puerto Rico would become a
U.S. state, an independent country, or a sovereign nation associated
with the U.S. that would not be subject to the Territorial Clause of the
United States Constitution.[109] During the House debate, a fourth
option, to retain its present form of commonwealth (status quo)
political status, was added as an option in the second
plebiscite.[109][110]
Immediately following U.S. House of the U.S. Congress passage, H.R. 2499
was sent to the U.S. Senate, where it was given two formal readings and
referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
A Senate hearing was held on May 19, 2010 for the purpose of gathering
testimony on the bill. Among those offering testimony were Resident
Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi; Governor of Puerto Rico,
Luis Fortuño; President of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico,
Héctor Ferrer; and President of the Puerto Rican Independence Party,
Rubén Berríos.[111]
In December, 2009, Gov. Fortuño signed into law a bill that would
prohibit the long-standing tradition by many public and private
institutions in Puerto Rico of requiring an original birth certificate
for many transactions, such as enrolling in schools, sports leagues and
summer camps. It also invalidated all Puerto Rico-issued birth
certificates, effective July 1, 2010, and mandated the issuance of new,
more secure birth certificates effective that date.[112] The law was in
response to a request by federal agencies that had identified major
national identity fraud through a disproportionately fraudulent use of
Puerto Rico-issued birth certificates. Several organizations, including
the National Institute for Latino Policy and the Puerto Rican Legal
Defense and Education Fund, had urged the governor to delay the date on
which all previously issued birth certificates would be
invalidated[113]. In June, a law was signed by Fortuño extending the
validity of birth certificates issued on or before June 30, 2010 until
September 30, 2010, in order to provide additional time for new birth
certificates to be procured. Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock made
it clear that there had always been the intention to allow for a short
period between the date new certificates would be issued and old
certificates would become invalid, previously unannounced so that the
sense of urgency would not be lost.[114]
Geography
Main article: Geography of Puerto Rico
See also: Geology of Puerto Rico and Fauna of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico consists of the main island of Puerto Rico and various
smaller islands, including Vieques, Culebra, Mona, Desecheo, and Caja de
Muertos. Of these last five, only Culebra and Vieques are inhabited
year-round. Mona is uninhabited most of the year except for employees of
the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources. There are also many
other even smaller islands including Monito and "La Isleta de San Juan"
which includes Old San Juan and Puerta de Tierra and is connected to the
main island by bridges.
Map of Puerto RicoThe Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has an area of 13,790
square kilometers (5,320 sq mi), of which 8,870 km2 (3,420 sq mi) is
land and 4,921 km2 (1,900 sq mi) is water.[115] The maximum length of
the main island from east to west is 180 km (110 mi), and the maximum
width from north to south is 65 km (40 mi).[116] Puerto Rico is the
smallest of the Greater Antilles. It is 80% of the size of Jamaica,[117]
just over 18% of the size of Hispaniola and 8% of the size of Cuba, the
largest of the Greater Antilles.[118]
Puerto Rico is mostly mountainous with large coastal areas in the north
and south. The main mountain range is called "La Cordillera Central"
(The Central Range). The highest elevation in Puerto Rico, Cerro de
Punta 1,339 meters (4,393 ft),[115] is located in this range. Another
important peak is El Yunque, one of the highest in the Sierra de
Luquillo at the El Yunque National Forest, with an elevation of 1,065 m
(3,494 ft).[119]
Puerto Rico has 17 lakes, all man-made, and more than 50 rivers, most
originating in the Cordillera Central.[120] Rivers in the northern
region of the island are typically longer and of higher water flow rates
than those of the south, since the south receives less rain than the
central and northern regions.
Puerto Rico is composed of Cretaceous to Eocene volcanic and plutonic
rocks, overlain by younger Oligocene and more recent carbonates and
other sedimentary rocks.[121] Most of the caverns and karst topography
on the island occurs in the northern region in the carbonates. The
oldest rocks are approximately 190 million years old (Jurassic) and are
located at Sierra Bermeja in the southwest part of the island. They may
represent part of the oceanic crust and are believed to come from the
Pacific Ocean realm.
Puerto Rico lies at the boundary between the Caribbean and North
American plates and is being deformed by the tectonic stresses caused by
their interaction. These stresses may cause earthquakes and tsunamis.
These seismic events, along with landslides, represent some of the most
dangerous geologic hazards in the island and in the northeastern
Caribbean. The most recent major earthquake occurred on October 11, 1918
and had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale.[122] It
originated off the coast of Aguadilla and was accompanied by a tsunami.
Corcho Beach in ViequesThe Puerto Rico Trench, the largest and deepest
trench in the Atlantic, is located about 115 km (71 mi) north of Puerto
Rico at the boundary between the Caribbean and North American
plates.[123] It is 280 km (170 mi) long.[124] At its deepest point,
named the Milwaukee Deep, it is almost 8,400 m (27,600 ft) deep, or
about 5.2 miles.[123] The island experiences frequent tremors and is an
area of concern for major earthquakes.
Located in the tropics, Puerto Rico has an average temperature of 82.4
°F (28 °C) throughout the 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 Hurricane
season spans from June to November. The all-time low in Puerto Rico has
been 39 °F (4 °C), registered in Aibonito.[125]
Species endemic to the archipelago are 239 plants, 16 birds and 39
amphibians/reptiles, recognized as of 1998. Most of these (234, 12 and
33 respectively) are found on the main island.[126] The most
recognizable endemic species and a symbol of Puerto Rican pride is the
Coquí, a small frog easily identified by the sound of its call, and from
which it gets its name. Most Coquí species (13 of 17) live in the El
Yunque National Forest, a tropical rainforest in the northeast of the
island previously known as the Caribbean National Forest. El Yunque is
home to more than 240 plants, 26 of which are endemic to the island. It
is also home to 50 bird species, including the critically endangered
Puerto Rican Amazon. Across the island in the southwest, the 40 km2 (15
sq mi) of dry land at the Guánica Commonwealth Forest Reserve[127]
contain over 600 uncommon species of plants and animals, including 48
endangered species and 16 endemic to Puerto Rico.
Administrative divisions
Main article: Municipalities of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico's municipalitiesAs an unincorporated territory of the United
States, Puerto Rico does not have any first order administrative
divisions as defined by the U.S. Government, but there are 78
municipalities at the secondary level which function as counties.
Municipalities are further subdivided into barrios, and those into
sectors. Each municipality has a mayor and a municipal legislature
elected for four year terms.
The first municipality (previously called "town") of Puerto Rico, San
Juan, was founded in 1521. In the 16th century two more municipalities
were established, San Germán (1570) and Coamo (1579). Three more
municipalities were established in the 17th century. These were Arecibo
(1614), Aguada (1692) and Ponce (1692). The 18th and 19th century saw an
increase in settlement in Puerto Rico with 30 municipalities being
established in the 18th century and 34 more in the 19th century. Only
six municipalities were founded in the 20th century with the last,
Florida, being founded in 1971.[128]
Economy
Main article: Economy of Puerto Rico
Milla de Oro is a major financial centre in Puerto Rico.
View of the La Concha, one of the newest hotels, from the beach in
Condado.In the early 1900s the greatest contributor to Puerto Rico's
economy was agriculture and its main crop was sugar. In the late 1940s a
series of projects codenamed Operation Bootstrap encouraged a
significant shift to manufacture via tax exemptions. Manufacturing
quickly replaced agriculture as the main industry of the island. Puerto
Rico is classified as a "high income country" by the World
Bank.[129][130]
Economic conditions have improved dramatically since the Great
Depression because of external investment in capital-intensive
industries such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and technology. Once
the beneficiary of special tax treatment from the U.S. government, today
local industries must compete with those in more economically depressed
parts of the world where wages are not subject to U.S. minimum wage
legislation. In recent years, some U.S. and foreign owned factories have
moved to lower wage countries in Latin America and Asia. Puerto Rico is
subject to U.S. trade laws and restrictions.
Also, starting around 1950, there was heavy migration from Puerto Rico
to the Continental United States, particularly New York City, in search
of better economic conditions. Puerto Rican migration to New York
displayed an average yearly migration of 1,800 for the years 1930-1940,
31,000 for 1946–1950, 45,000 for 1951–1960, and a peak of 75,000 in
1953.[131] As of 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that more people
of Puerto Rican birth or ancestry live in the U.S. than in Puerto
Rico.[132]
On May 1, 2006, the Puerto Rican government faced significant shortages
in cash flows, which forced the closure of the local Department of
Education and 42 other government agencies. All 1,536 public schools
closed, and 95,762 people were furloughed in the first-ever partial
shutdown of the government in the island's history.[133] On May 10,
2006, the budget crisis was resolved with a new tax reform agreement so
that all government employees could return to work. On November 15, 2006
a 5.5% sales tax was implemented. Municipalities are required by law to
apply a municipal sales tax of 1.5% bringing the total sales tax to
7%.[134]
Tourism is an important component of Puerto Rican economy supplying an
approximate $1.8 billion. In 1999, an estimated 5 million tourists
visited the island, most from the U.S. Nearly a third of these are
cruise ship passengers. A steady increase in hotel registrations since
1998 and the construction of new hotels and new tourism projects, such
as the Puerto Rico Convention Center, indicate the current strength of
the tourism industry.
Puerto Ricans had median household income of $17,741 for 2007, which
makes Puerto Rico's economy comparable to the independent nations of
Latvia or Poland.[135] By comparison, the poorest state of the Union,
Mississippi, had median household income of $36,338 in 2007.[135]
Nevertheless, Puerto Rico's GDP per capita compares favorably to other
independent Caribbean nations, and is one of the highest in North
America.[136]
Puerto Rico's public debt has grown at a faster pace than the growth of
its economy, reaching $46.7 billion in 2008.[137] In January 2009, Luis
Fortuño enacted several measures aimed at eliminating the government's
$3.3 billion deficit,[138] including laying off nearly 24,000 government
employees. Puerto Rico's unemployment rate was 15.9 percent in January
2010.[139] Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some analysts said they expect
the government's layoffs to propel that rate to 17 percent.[140]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Puerto Rico
Population and racial makeup
Royal Decree of Graces, 1815During the 1800s hundreds of Corsican,
French, Lebanese, Chinese, and Portuguese families arrived in Puerto
Rico, along with large numbers of immigrants from Spain (mainly from
Catalonia, Asturias, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, and the
Canary Islands) and numerous Spanish loyalists from Spain's former
colonies in South America. Other settlers included Irish, Scots,
Germans, Italians and thousands others who were granted land by Spain
during the Real Cedula de Gracias de 1815 ("Royal Decree of Graces of
1815"), which allowed European Catholics to settle in the island with
land allotments in the interior of the island, provided they agreed to
pay taxes and continue to support the Catholic Church.
Continuous European immigration during the 19th century helped the
population grow from 155,000 in 1800 to almost a million at the close of
the century. A census conducted by royal decree on September 30, 1858,
gives the following totals of the Puerto Rican population at this time:
300,430 identified as Whites; 341,015 as Free colored; and 41,736 as
Slaves.[141]
Between 1960 and 1990 the census questionnaire in Puerto Rico did not
ask about race or color. However, the 2000 United States Census included
a racial self-identification question in Puerto Rico. According to the
census, most Puerto Ricans self-identified as White and few declared
themselves to be Black or some other race.[142]
Immigration
Population density, Census 2000.Recently, Puerto Rico has become the
permanent home of over 100,000 legal residents who immigrated from not
only the Dominican Republic, but from other Latin American countries:
Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela, as well as from surrounding Caribbean
Islands: Haiti, Barbados, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Emigration has
been a major part of Puerto Rico's recent history. Starting soon after
World War II, poverty, cheap airfare and promotion by the island
government caused waves of Puerto Ricans to move to the United States,
particularly to New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Florida.
Although this trend continued even as Puerto Rico's economy improved and
its birth rate declined, Puerto Ricans continue their "circular
migration" pattern.
Language
Main article: Puerto Rican Spanish
The official languages are Spanish and English with Spanish being the
primary language. English is taught as a second language in public and
private schools from elementary levels to high school and at the
university level.
The Spanish of Puerto Rico has evolved into having many idiosyncrasies
in vocabulary and syntax which differentiate it from the Spanish spoken
in other Spanish-speaking countries. While the Spanish spoken in all
Iberian, Mediterranan and Atlantic Spanish Maritime Provinces was
brought to the island over the centuries, the most profound regional
impact on the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico has been from the Spanish
spoken in present day Canary Islands.
As a result of the natural inclusion of indigenous vocabulary in all New
World former European colonies (English, French, Spanish, Dutch, etc.),
the Spanish of Puerto Rico also includes occasional "Taino" words, which
are typically in the context of vegetation, natural phenomenon or
primitive musical instruments. Similarly, African-attributed words exist
within the contexts of foods, music or dances developed in coastal towns
with concentrations of descendants of former Sub-Saharan slaves.
Since the acquisition of the Island by the USA from Spain in 1898, the
linguistic impression of American English increasingly leaves its
linguistic impact on the island in all aspects of social, commercial and
educational exchange.[143][not in citation given]
According to a study by the University of Puerto Rico, nine of every ten
Puerto Ricans residing in Puerto Rico do not speak English at the
advanced level [144] and according to a brief report of the U.S. Census
2000, seven of every ten Puerto Ricans residing in Puerto Rico does not
speak English at advanced levels of fluency, while possessing familiar
levels of English vocabulary in the written medium.[145]
Religion
Islamic Center at Ponce: There are many religious beliefs represented in
the islandThe Roman Catholic Church has historically been the dominant
religion in Puerto Rico. The first dioceses in the Americas was erected
in Puerto Rico in 1511.[146] All municipalities in Puerto Rico have at
least one Catholic church (building), most of which are located at the
town center or "plaza". Protestantism which was suppressed under the
Spanish regime has been encouraged under American rule making modern
Puerto Rico interconfessional. Taíno religious practices have been
rediscovered/reinvented to a degree by a handful of advocates. Various
African religious practices have been present since the arrival of
African slaves. In particular, the Yoruba beliefs of Santeria and/or
Ifá, and the Kongo-derived Palo Mayombe find adherence among a few
individuals who practice some form of African traditional religion.
In 2007, Islam had over 5,000 Muslims in Puerto Rico, representing about
0.10% of the population[147][148] There were eight Islamic mosques
spread throughout the island, with most Muslims living in Rio
Piedras[149][150]. Puerto Rico is also home to the largest and richest
Jewish community in the Caribbean with 3,000 Jewish inhabitants. Puerto
Rico is the only Caribbean island in which the Conservative, Reform and
Orthodox Jewish movements are represented.[151][152]
Culture
Main article: Culture of Puerto Rico
See also: Cuisine of Puerto Rico and Music of Puerto Rico
Kapok tree (Ceiba), the national tree of Puerto RicoModern Puerto Rican
culture is a unique mix of cultural antecedents, including African (from
the slaves), Taíno (Amerindians), Spanish, and more recently, North
American.
From the Spanish Puerto Rico received the Spanish language, the Catholic
religion and the vast majority of their cultural and moral values and
traditions. The United States added English language influence, the
university system and the adoption of some holidays and practices. On
March 12, 1903, University of Puerto Rico was officially founded,
branching out from the "Escuela Normal Industrial", a smaller organism
that was founded in Fajardo three years before.
Much of the Puerto Rican culture centers on the influence of music. Like
the country as a whole, Puerto Rican music has been developed by mixing
other cultures with local and traditional rhythms. Early in the history
of Puerto Rican music, the influences of African and Spanish traditions
were most noticeable. However, the cultural movements across the
Caribbean and North America have played a vital role in the more recent
musical influences that have reached Puerto Rico.[153][154]
The official symbols of Puerto Rico are the Reinita mora or Puerto Rican
Spindalis (a type of bird), the Flor de Maga (a type of flower), and the
Ceiba or Kapok (a type of tree). The unofficial animal and a symbol of
Puerto Rican pride is the Coquí, a small frog genus. Other popular
symbols of Puerto Rico are the "jíbaro", the "countryman", and the
carite.
Sports
Main article: Sports in Puerto Rico
Baseball was one of the first sports to gain widespread popularity in
Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Baseball League serves as the only active
professional league, operating as a winter league. No Major League
Baseball franchise or affiliate plays in Puerto Rico, however, San Juan
hosted the Montreal Expos for several series in 2003 and 2004 before
they moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. The
Puerto Rico national baseball team has participated in the World Cup of
Baseball winning one gold (1951), four silver and four bronze medals and
the Caribbean Series, winning fourteen times. Famous Puerto Rican
baseball players include Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda, enshrined
in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 and 1999, respectively.[155][156]
Boxing, basketball, and volleyball are considered popular sports as
well. Wilfredo Gómez and McWilliams Arroyo have won their respective
divisions at the World Amateur Boxing Championships. Other medalists
include José Pedraza, who holds a silver medal, as well as three boxers
that finished in third place, José Luis Vellón, Nelson Dieppa and McJoe
Arroyo. In the professional circuit, Puerto Rico has the third-most
boxing world champions and its the global leader in champions per
capita. These include Miguel Cotto, Félix Trinidad, Wilfred Benítez and
Gómez among others. The Puerto Rico national basketball team joined the
International Basketball Federation in 1957. Since then, it has won more
than 30 medals in international competitions, including gold in three
FIBA Americas Championships and the 1994 Goodwill Games. August 8, 2004,
became a landmark date for the team when it became the first team to
defeat the United States in an Olympic tournament since the integration
of National Basketball Association players. Winning the inaugural game
with scores of 92-73 as part of the 2004 Summer Olympics organized in
Athens, Greece.[157]
Miscellaneous practices of this sport have experienced some success,
including the "Puerto Rico All Stars" team, which has won twelve world
championships in unicycle basketball.[158] Organized Streetball has
gathered some exposition, with teams like "Puerto Rico Street Ball"
competing against established organizations including the Capitanes de
Arecibo and AND1's Mixtape Tour Team. Consequently, practitioners of
this style have earned participation in international teams, including
Orlando "El Gato" Meléndez, who became the first Puerto Rican born
athlete to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.[159] Orlando Antigua,
whose mother is Puerto Rican, made history in 1995, when he became the
first Hispanic and the first non-black in 52 years to play for the
Harlem Globetrotters.[160]
The Puerto Rico Islanders Football Club, founded in 2003, plays in the
United Soccer Leagues First Division, which constitutes the second tier
of football in North America. Puerto Rico is also a member of FIFA and
CONCACAF. In 2008 the archipelago's first unified league, the Puerto
Rico Soccer League, was established. Secondary sports include
Professional wrestling and road running. The World Wrestling Council and
International Wrestling Association are the largest wrestling promotions
in the main island. The World's Best 10K, held annually in San Juan, has
been ranked among the 20 most competitive races globally.
Puerto Rico has representation in all international competitions
including the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Pan American Games, the
Caribbean World Series, and the Central American and Caribbean Games.
Puerto Rican athletes have won 6 medals (1 silver, 5 bronze) in Olympic
competition, the first one in 1948 by boxer Juan Evangelista Venegas. On
March 2006 San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium hosted the opening round as
well as the second round of the newly formed World Baseball Classic. The
Central American and Caribbean Games were held in 1993 in Ponce and will
be held in 2010 in Mayagüez.
Education
Main article: Education in Puerto Rico
Education in Puerto Rico is divided in three levels — Primary
(elementary school grades 1-6), Secondary (intermediate and high school
grades 7-12), and Higher Level (undergraduate and graduate studies). As
of 2002, the literacy rate of the Puerto Rican population was 94.1%; by
gender, it was 93.9% for males and 94.4% for females.[161] According to
the 2000 Census, 60.0% of the population attained a high school degree
or higher level of education, and 18.3% has a bachelor's degree or
higher.
Instruction at the primary school level is compulsory between the ages
of 5 and 18 and is enforced by the state. The Constitution of Puerto
Rico grants the right to an education to every citizen on the island. To
this end, public schools in Puerto Rico provide free and non-sectarian
education at the elementary and secondary levels. At any of the three
levels, students may attend either public or private schools. As of
1999, there were 1532 public schools[162] and 569 private schools in the
island.
The largest and oldest university system in Puerto Rico is the public
University of Puerto Rico (UPR) with 11 campuses. The largest private
university systems on the island are the Sistema Universitario Ana G.
Mendez which operates the Universidad del Turabo, Metropolitan
University and Universidad del Este, the multi-campus Inter American
University, the Pontifical Catholic University, and the Universidad del
Sagrado Corazón. Puerto Rico has four schools of Medicine and four Law
Schools.
Transportation
Tren Urbano at Bayamón StationMain article: Transportation in Puerto
Rico
Cities and towns in Puerto Rico are interconnected by a system of roads,
freeways, expressways, and highways maintained by the Highways and
Transportation Authority under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department
of Transportation, and patrolled by the Puerto Rico Police Department.
The island's metropolitan area is served by a public bus transit system
and a metro system called Tren Urbano (in English: Urban Train). Other
forms of public transportation include seaborne ferries (that serve
Puerto Rico's archipelago) as well as Carros Públicos (private mini
buses).
The island has three international airports, the Luis Muñoz Marín
International Airport in Carolina, Mercedita Airport in Ponce, and the
Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, and 27 local airports. The Luis
Muñoz Marín International Airport is the largest aerial transportation
hub in the Caribbean, and one of the largest in the world in terms of
passenger and cargo movement.[163]
Puerto Rico has 9 ports in different cities across the main island. The
San Juan Port is the largest in Puerto Rico, and the busiest port in the
Caribbean and the 10th busiest in the United States in terms of
commercial activity and cargo movement, respectively.[164] The second
largest port is the Port of the Americas in Ponce currently under
expansion to increase cargo capacity to 1.5 million 20 ft. containers
(TEUs) per year
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