Municipalities of Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
The Municipalities of Puerto Rico
number 78 and they make up the smallest electoral division of the Commonwealth
. Each municipality
is divided into barrio
s, though the latter are not vested with political authority.
s" at the secondary order. For U.S. Census purposes, the municipalities are equivalent to a county
. They are conveniently grouped into eight electoral district
s, which do not possess administrative functions. In 1991, the Autonomous Municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Act was passed as a strategy for the decentralizing control and for improving government services to the people.
and a legislative assembly
in the general elections every four years.
It was not the first time that an attempt to consolidate municipalities had failed. In 1902 the Puerto Rico legislature, under pressure from the US.-appointed governor of the Island, passed a law consolidating the then-76 municipalities of Puerto Rico into 46. The law was repealed three years later.
The proposed twenty new municipalities (in bold) and the existing municipalities that would have made them up:
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
number 78 and they make up the smallest electoral division of the Commonwealth
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Each municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
is divided into barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s, though the latter are not vested with political authority.
Administrative divisions
There are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the United States Government, but Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities or "municipioMunicipio
Municipio and Município are terms used for country subdivisions. They are often translated as municipality.-Overview:...
s" at the secondary order. For U.S. Census purposes, the municipalities are equivalent to a county
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
. They are conveniently grouped into eight electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
s, which do not possess administrative functions. In 1991, the Autonomous Municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Act was passed as a strategy for the decentralizing control and for improving government services to the people.
Municipal politics
The municipalities elect a MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and a legislative assembly
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
in the general elections every four years.
List of municipalities
The following is an alphabetical list of the municipalities in Puerto Rico| Municipality | FIPS code | Founded | Population (2010) | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The municipal amalgamation proposal
In October 2009, a Puerto Rican legislator proposed a bill that would reduce to 20 the 78 municipalities currently making up the Island. The bill called for a referendum to take place on June 13, 2010, and which would let the people decide on the matter. The bill never made into law.It was not the first time that an attempt to consolidate municipalities had failed. In 1902 the Puerto Rico legislature, under pressure from the US.-appointed governor of the Island, passed a law consolidating the then-76 municipalities of Puerto Rico into 46. The law was repealed three years later.
The proposed twenty new municipalities (in bold) and the existing municipalities that would have made them up: