The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a self-governing

Autonomy

Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...

 unincorporated territory of the United States of America located in the northeastern Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

, east of the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

 and west of the Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...

. The commonwealth comprises an archipelago

Archipelago

An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...

 that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys

Cay

A cay , also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island formed on the surface of coral reefs. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans , where they provide habitable and agricultural land for hundreds of thousands of people...

, the largest of which are Vieques

Vieques, Puerto Rico

Vieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island–municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands...

, Culebra

Culebra, Puerto Rico

Isla Culebra is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo...

, and Mona

Mona, Puerto Rico

Mona is the third largest island of the archipelago of Puerto Rico, after the main island of Puerto Rico and Vieques. It is the largest of three islands located in the Mona Passage, a strait between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the others being Monito Island and Desecheo Island...

. The main island of Puerto Rico is the least extensive but the third most populous of the four Greater Antilles

Greater Antilles

The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...

: Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, Hispaniola

Hispaniola

Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...

, Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

, and Puerto Rico.

Puerto Ricans

Puerto Rican people

A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

 often call the island Borinquen, from Borikén, its indigenous

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

 Taíno name. 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 as "La Isla del Encanto", which translated means "The Island of Enchantment."

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Puerto Rico:

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  :
• Common English country name: Puerto Rico
  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...
  
  
• Official English country name: The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
• Common endonym(s):
• Official endonym(s):
• Adjectival(s): Puerto Rican
  Puerto Rican people
  A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
  
  
• Demonym(s):
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Puerto Rico
• ISO country codes: PR, PRI, 630
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:PR
  ISO 3166-2:PR
  ISO 3166-2:PR is the entry for Puerto Rico in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently no ISO 3166-2 codes are defined...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .pr
  .pr
  -About Nic.pr:"Gauss Research Laboratory Inc" is the managing organization of the Puerto Rico's top level domain under the website. They operate the website , which stands for the Network Information Center of Puerto Rico....
  
  

Geography of Puerto Rico

• Puerto Rico is
  • an archipelagic
    Archipelago
    An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
    
     island country (see also List of island countries)
  • a self-governing
    Autonomy
    Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
    
     unincorporated territory of the United States
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
    
    
  • organized as a commonwealth
    Commonwealth
    Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
    
    
• Location:
  • Northern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
     and Western Hemisphere
    Western Hemisphere
    The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
    
    
    • North America
      North America
      North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
      
       (though not on the mainland
      Mainland
      Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
      
      )
  • Atlantic Ocean
    Atlantic Ocean
    The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
    
    
    • North Atlantic
      • Caribbean
        Caribbean
        The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
        
        
        • Antilles
          Antilles
          The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
          
          
          • Greater Antilles
            Greater Antilles
            The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
            
            
  • Time zone
    Time zone
    A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
    
    : Eastern Caribbean Time (UTC-04)
  • Extreme points of Puerto Rico
    • High: Cerro de Punta
      Cerro de Punta
      Cerro de Punta or just Cerro Punta is the highest peak in Puerto Rico, raising to above sea level. It is located in the municipality of Ponce.-Location:...
      
       1338 m (4,390 ft)
    • Low: Caribbean Sea
      Caribbean Sea
      The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
      
       0 m
  • Land boundaries: none
  • Coastline: 501 km
• Population of Puerto Rico: 3,991,000 - 26th most populous US jurisdiction
• Area of Puerto Rico: 9,104 km²
• Atlas of Puerto Rico

Environment of Puerto Rico

• Climate of Puerto Rico
  Climate of Puerto Rico
  The climate of Puerto Rico falls into the tropical climatic zone. Temperatures are moderate year round, averaging near in lower elevations and in the mountains. Easterly trade winds pass across the island year round. Puerto Rico has a rainy season which stretches from April into November...
  
  
• Environmental issues in Puerto Rico
• Ecoregions in Puerto Rico
• Renewable energy in Puerto Rico
• Geology of Puerto Rico
  Geology of Puerto Rico
  Puerto Rico is composed of Jurassic to Eocene volcanic and plutonic rocks, which are overlain by younger Oligocene to recent carbonates and other sedimentary rocks. Most of the caverns and karst topography on the island occurs in the northern Oligocene to recent carbonates...
  
  
• Protected areas of Puerto Rico
  • Biosphere reserves in Puerto Rico
  • National parks of Puerto Rico
• Superfund sites in Puerto Rico
• Wildlife of Puerto Rico
  • Flora of Puerto Rico
  • Fauna of Puerto Rico
    Fauna of Puerto Rico
    The fauna of Puerto Rico is similar to other island archipelago faunas, with high endemism, and low, skewed taxonomic diversity. Bats are the only extant native terrestrial mammals in Puerto Rico. All other terrestrial mammals in the area were introduced by humans, and include species such as cats,...
    
    
    • Birds of Puerto Rico
    • Mammals of Puerto Rico

Natural geographic features of Puerto Rico

• Beaches in Puerto Rico
• Glaciers: None
• Islands of Puerto Rico
• Lakes of Puerto Rico
• Mountains of Puerto Rico
  • Volcanoes in Puerto Rico
• Rivers of Puerto Rico
  • Waterfalls of Puerto Rico
• Valleys of Puerto Rico
• World Heritage Sites in Puerto Rico

Ecoregions of Puerto Rico

Administrative divisions of Puerto Rico

• Provinces of Puerto Rico
  • Districts of Puerto Rico
    • Municipalities of Puerto Rico
      Municipalities of Puerto Rico
      The Municipalities of Puerto Rico number 78 and they make up the smallest electoral division of the Commonwealth. Each municipality is divided into barrios, though the latter are not vested with political authority.-Administrative divisions:...
      
      

Municipalities of Puerto Rico

• Capital of Puerto Rico: San Juan
• Cities of Puerto Rico

Government and politics of Puerto Rico

Main article: Government of Puerto Rico

Government of Puerto Rico

The Government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government 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...

 and Politics of Puerto Rico

Politics of Puerto Rico

The politics of Puerto Rico take place in the framework of a republican democratic form of government that is under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States of America as an organized unincorporated territory....

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  :
• Capital of Puerto Rico: San Juan

• Elections in Puerto Rico
  Elections in Puerto Rico
  Elections in Puerto Rico gives information on election and election results in Puerto Rico.Puerto Rico elects on state level a governor and a legislature. The island's governor is elected for a four year term by the people....
  
  
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Puerto Rico
• Taxation in Puerto Rico
  Taxation in Puerto Rico
  The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, an organized unincorporated territory. Puerto Rico has independent tax-levying authority by mutual agreement with the United States Congress under .-Federal taxes:...
  
  

Executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico

• Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
  : President of the United States
  President of the United States
  The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
  
  , Barack Obama
  Barack Obama
  Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
  
  
• Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : Governor of Puerto Rico
  Governor of Puerto Rico
  The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
  
  , Luis Fortuño
  Luis Fortuño
  Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...
  
  
  • Puerto Rico Department of State
  • Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce
    Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce
    The Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce was created by Governor Pedro Rosselló in 1994 as an "umbrella" under which several economic development agencies would operate in a more coordinated fashion...
    
    

Legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico

• Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico
  Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico
  The Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico is the territorial legislature of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The structure and responsibilities of the Legislative Assembly are defined in Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico....
  
   (bicameral)
  • Upper house
    Upper house
    An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
    
    : Senate of Puerto Rico
    Senate of Puerto Rico
    The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
    
    
  • Lower house
    Lower house
    A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
    
    : House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
    House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
    The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico...
    
    

Judicial branch of the government of Puerto Rico

• Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
  Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
  The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is the highest court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority within Puerto Rico to interpret and decide questions of Commonwealth law. As the highest body of the judicial branch of the Puerto Rican government, it is analogous to one of the...
  
  

Foreign relations of Puerto Rico

• Consular Offices in Puerto Rico
• United States-Puerto Rico relations

International organization membership

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a member of:

• Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) (observer)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) (subbureau)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)
• International Trade Union Confederation
  International Trade Union Confederation
  The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
  
   (ITUC)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• World Confederation of Labour
  World Confederation of Labour
  The World Confederation of Labour was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the end of World War II...
  
   (WCL)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Tourism Organization
  World Tourism Organization
  The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
  
   (UNWTO) (associate)

Law and order in Puerto Rico

• Capital punishment in Puerto Rico
• Constitution of Puerto Rico
  Constitution of Puerto Rico
  The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is the controlling government document of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government as well as the function of several of its institutions. The document also contains an extensive...
  
  
• Crime in Puerto Rico
  Crime in Puerto Rico
  Crime in Puerto Rico has been linked to the insurmountable amount of drugs that come in and out of the island. Located in the Caribbean, it has become a major transshipment point for drugs into mainland United States...
  
  
• Human rights in Puerto Rico
  • LGBT rights in Puerto Rico
    LGBT rights in Puerto Rico
    Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender persons in Puerto Rico face some legal issues. Public discussion and debate about sexual orientation and gender identity issues have increased, and some legal changes have been made. Currently, both supporters and opponents of legislation protecting the rights...
    
    
  • Freedom of religion in Puerto Rico
• Law enforcement in Puerto Rico

Military of Puerto Rico

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    :
• Military of Puerto Rico
  Military of Puerto Rico
  The defense of Puerto Rico is the responsibility of the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris .A branch of the Air National Guard is stationed in Puerto Rico, known as the Puerto Rico Air National Guard . It had formerly been equipped with aircraft such as the F-104 Starfighter, A-7 Corsair...
  
  
• Puerto Rico National Guard
  Puerto Rico National Guard
  The Puerto Rico National Guard is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico. It comprises both Army and Air National Guard components with a total authorized strength of 10,000 soldiers and airmen. The Constitution of the United States specifically...
  
  
• Puerto Rico Air National Guard
  Puerto Rico Air National Guard
  The Puerto Rico Air National Guard is the air force militia of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is, along with the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, an element of the Puerto Rico National Guard.History=...
  
  
• List of Puerto Rican military personnel

History of Puerto Rico

• Economic history of Puerto Rico
• Military history of Puerto Rico
  Military history of Puerto Rico
  The recorded military history of Puerto Rico encompasses the period from the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadores battled native Tainos in the rebellion of 1511, to the present employment of Puerto Ricans in the United States Armed Forces in the military campaigns in Afghanistan and...
  
  
• Indigenous people
  • Ortoiroid people
    Ortoiroid people
    The Ortoiroid people were the first human settlers of the Caribbean, who peaked culturally from 5000—200 BCE. They are believed to have originated in the Orinoco valley in South America, migrating to the Antilles from Trinidad and Tobago to Puerto Rico...
    
    
  • Saladoid people
  • Arawak
  • Taíno
  • On November 19, 1493, a Spanish fleet
    Spanish Navy
    The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
    
     under the command of Christoffa Corombo (Christopher Columbus
    Christopher Columbus
    Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
    
    ) lands on a large island inhabited by Taíno people that he names San Juan Bautista
    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...
    
    (Saint John the Baptist
    John the Baptist
    John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
    
    , now Puerto Rico
    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...
    
    ).
  • On August 8, 1508, Spanish
    Spain
    Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
    
     conquistador
    Conquistador
    Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
    
     Juan Ponce de León
    Juan Ponce de León
    Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
    
     establishes Capárra, the first Europe
    Europe
    Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
    
    an settlement on the island of San Juan Bautista
    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...
    
    .
• Viceroyalty of New Spain, 1519–1821
  • Captaincy General of Puerto Rico
    Captaincy General of Puerto Rico
    The Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was an administrative district of the Spanish Empire, created in 1580 to provide better military management of the island of Puerto Rico, previously under the direct rule of a simple governor and the jurisdiction of Audiencia of Santo Domingo...
    
    , 1580-1898
    • Military history of Puerto Rico
      Military history of Puerto Rico
      The recorded military history of Puerto Rico encompasses the period from the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadores battled native Tainos in the rebellion of 1511, to the present employment of Puerto Ricans in the United States Armed Forces in the military campaigns in Afghanistan and...
      
      
    • Royal Decree of Graces of 1815
      Royal Decree of Graces of 1815
      The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 is a legal order approved by the Spanish Crown in the early half of the 19th century to encourage Spaniards and later Europeans of non-Spanish origin to settle and populate the colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico....
      
      
    • El Grito de Lares of 1868
    • Moret Law
      Moret Law
      The Moret Law was a form of freedom of wombs approved in Spain on July 4, 1870 for application in the colonies as a result of the efforts of Roman Baldorioty de Castro, Luis Padial, Julio Vizcarrondo, and Segismundo Moret...
      
       of 1870
    • Intentona de Yauco
      Intentona de Yauco
      The Intentona de Yauco a.k.a. the "Attempted Coup of Yauco" of 1897, was the second and last major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, staged by Puerto Rico's pro-independence movement....
      
       of 1898
• Spanish-American War, April 23 – August 12, 1898
  • Spanish Empire
    Spanish Empire
    The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
    
     declares war on the United States
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
    
    , April 23, 1898
  • United States invasion of Puerto Rico
    Puerto Rican Campaign
    The Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...
    
    , July 25, 1898
  • Treaty of Paris
    Treaty of Paris (1898)
    The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....
    
    , December 10, 1898
• United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
   Military government of Porto Rico, December 10, 1898 – May 1, 1900
• United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
   Government of Porto Rico, May 1, 1900 – March 2, 1917
  • Foraker Act
    Foraker Act
    The Foraker Act,officially the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had been newly acquired by the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto...
    
     of 1900
  • World War I
    Puerto Ricans in World War I
    Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. One of the consequences of the Spanish-American War was that Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States...
    
    , June 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918
• United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
   Territory of Porto Rico, March 2, 1917 – May 17, 1932
  • Jones-Shafroth Act
    Jones-Shafroth Act
    The Jones–Shafroth Act was a 1917 Act of the United States Congress by which Puerto Ricans were collectively made U.S. citizens, the people of Puerto Rico were empowered to have a popularly-elected Senate, established a bill of rights, and authorized the election of a Resident Commissioner to a...
    
     of March 2, 1917
  • Puerto Ricans in World War I
    Puerto Ricans in World War I
    Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. One of the consequences of the Spanish-American War was that Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States...
    
     War on April 6, 1917
• United States
  United States
  The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
  
   Territory of Puerto Rico, May 17, 1932 – July 25, 1952
  • Puerto Ricans in World War II
    Puerto Ricans in World War II
    Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. In World War II, Puerto Rican members of the U.S. armed forces guarded U.S...
    
    , September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945
    • United States
      United States
      The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
      
       enters Second World War on December 8, 1941
  • Cold War
    Cold War
    The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
    
    , March 5, 1946 – December 25, 1991
  • Korean War
    Korean War
    The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
    
    , June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953
• Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s
  Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s
  The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s was a call for independence and uprising by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party against United States Government rule of Puerto Rico and against the approval of the creation of the political status "Free Associated State" for Puerto Rico which...
  
  
  • Ponce Massacre
    Ponce massacre
    The Ponce massacre occurred on 21 March 1937 when a peaceful march in Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party commemorating the ending of slavery in Puerto Rico by the governing Spanish National Assembly in 1873, and coinciding with a protest against the incarceration by the...
    
    
  • Río Piedras massacre
    Río Piedras massacre
    The Río Piedras massacre occurred at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and involved a confrontation between local police officers and supporters of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party on October 24, 1935...
    
    
  • Jayuya Uprising
    Jayuya Uprising
    The Jayuya Uprising, also known as the Jayuya Revolt or El Grito de Jayuya, refers to a nationalist revolt in the town of Jayuya, Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950...
    
    
  • Utuado Uprising
    Utuado Uprising
    The Utuado Uprising, also known as the Utuado Revolt or El Grito de Utuado, refers to the revolt against the United States government in Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950 in various localities in Puerto Rico and which in Utuado culminated in the "Utuado massacre".-Events leading to the...
    
    
  • Nationalist attack of San Juan
    Nationalist attack of San Juan
    The Nationalist attack of San Juan was one of many uprisings against United States Government rule which occurred in Puerto Rico on October 30, 1950 during the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party revolts...
    
    
• Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) since July 25, 1952
  • Constitution of Puerto Rico
    Constitution of Puerto Rico
    The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is the controlling government document of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government as well as the function of several of its institutions. The document also contains an extensive...
    
     of July 25, 1952
  • Puerto Ricans in the Vietnam War
    Puerto Ricans in the Vietnam War
    Thousands of Puerto Ricans served in the Armed Forces of the United States during the Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War. Said war was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975. Puerto Ricans served in different positions...
    
    , September 26, 1959 – April 30, 1975
  • Persian Gulf War
    Gulf War
    The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
    
    , August 2, 1990 – February 28, 1991
  • Attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001
  • Afghanistan War
    War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
    The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
    
    , since October 7, 2001
  • Iraq War, since March 20, 2003
  • Political status of Puerto Rico
    Political status of Puerto Rico
    The current political status of Puerto Rico is the result of various political activities both within the United States and Puerto Rican governments. The basic question regarding this issue is whether Puerto Rico should remain a U.S. territory, become a U.S...
    
    

Culture of Puerto Rico

• Ethnicity in Puerto Rico
  • African immigration to Puerto Rico
    African immigration to Puerto Rico
    The history of African people in Puerto Rico begins with the immigration of African free men who accompanied the invading Spanish Conquistadors. The Spaniards enslaved the Taínos , and many of them died as a result of Spaniards' oppressive colonization efforts...
    
    
  • Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico
    Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico
    Large scale Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean began during the 19th century. Unlike their European counterparts, Chinese immigrants had to face various obstacles which prohibited or restricted their entry in Puerto Rico....
    
    
  • Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
    Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
    Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico came about as a result of various economic and political changes in the mid-19th century Europe; among those factors were the social-economic changes which came about in Europe as a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, political discontent and widespread...
    
    
  • French immigration to Puerto Rico
    French immigration to Puerto Rico
    The French immigration to Puerto Rico came about as a result of the economic and political situations which occurred in various places such as Louisiana , Saint-Domingue and in Europe....
    
    
  • German immigration to Puerto Rico
    German immigration to Puerto Rico
    German immigration to Puerto Rico increased when German businessmen immigrated to Puerto Rico during the early part of the 19th century. However, it was the economic and political situation in Europe during the early 19th century plus, the fact that the Spanish Crown issued the Royal Decree of...
    
    
  • Irish immigration to Puerto Rico
    Irish immigration to Puerto Rico
    From the 16th to the 19th century, there was considerable Irish immigration to Puerto Rico, for a number of reasons. During the 16th century many Irishmen, who were known as "Wild Geese," fled the English Army and joined the Spanish Army. Some of these men were stationed in Puerto Rico and...
    
    
  • Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico
    Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico
    The Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico began in the 15th century with the arrival of the anusim who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage...
    
    
  • Spanish immigration to Puerto Rico
    Spanish immigration to Puerto Rico
    Spanish immigration to Puerto Rico began in to the present day. On 25 September 1493, Christopher Columbus set sail on his second voyage with 17 ships and 1,200–1,500 men from Cádiz, Spain...
    
    
• Festivals in Puerto Rico
• Media in Puerto Rico
• National symbols of Puerto Rico
  • Coat of arms of Puerto Rico
    Coat of arms of Puerto Rico
    -Great Seal:All of the United States' states and territories employ a seal to authenticate and ratify documents and accordingly a seal of Puerto Rico exists, but the traditional coat of arms is used as the main emblem of the commonwealth. The seal has most of the elements of the coat of arms, but...
    
    
  • Flags of Puerto Rico
  • National anthem of Puerto Rico
• People of Puerto Rico
• Public holidays in Puerto Rico
  Public holidays in Puerto Rico
  Puerto Rico celebrates all the official holidays of the United States, and a large number of other which are official holidays established by the Commonwealth government....
  
  
• Religion in Puerto Rico
  • Buddhism in Puerto Rico
  • Christianity in Puerto Rico
    • Roman Catholicism in Puerto Rico
      Roman Catholicism in Puerto Rico
      The Roman Catholic Church in Puerto Rico is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and the curia in Rome.-Present situation:...
      
      
    • Protestantism in Puerto Rico
  • Hinduism in Puerto Rico
  • Islam in Puerto Rico
    Islam in Puerto Rico
    Islam in Puerto Rico: In 2007, there were over 5,000 Muslims residing in Puerto Rico, representing about 0.10% of the population. The early Muslim community largely consisted mainly of Palestinian immigrants who arrived between 1958 and 1962...
    
    
  • Judaism in Puerto Rico
    Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico
    The Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico began in the 15th century with the arrival of the anusim who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage...
    
    
• World Heritage Sites in Puerto Rico

Art in Puerto Rico

• Architecture of Puerto Rico
• Art in Puerto Rico
  Art in Puerto Rico
  With the country's ethnically diverse background, Puerto Rican art reflects many influences, particularly Spanish and African.-Folk art:Santos, an especially beloved form of folk art, evolved from the Spanish church's use of sculptures to convert indigenous Puerto Ricans to Christianity. Meaning...
  
  
• Cinema of Puerto Rico
  Cinema of Puerto Rico
  The history of the Cinema industry in Puerto Rico begins with the US invasion of the island in 1898. At that time, the American soldiers brought cameras to record what they saw. It was not until the 1912 that Puerto Ricans would begin to produce their own films.After this, Puerto Rican cinema has...
  
  
• Cuisine of Puerto Rico
  Cuisine of Puerto Rico
  Puerto Rican cuisine has its roots in the cooking traditions and practices of Europe , Africa and the Amerindian Taínos. In the latter part of the 19th century the cuisine of Puerto Rico was greatly influenced by the United States in the ingredients used in its preparation...
  
  
• Literature of Puerto Rico
  Literature of Puerto Rico
  Puerto Rican literature evolved from the art of oral story telling to its present day status. Written works by the native islanders of Puerto Rico were prohibited and repressed by the Spanish colonial government...
  
  
• Music of Puerto Rico
  Music of Puerto Rico
  The music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...
  
  
• Television in Puerto Rico
• Theatre in Puerto Rico

Sports in Puerto Rico

• The history of oraganized sports in Puerto Rico
  Sports in Puerto Rico
  Sports in Puerto Rico can be traced from the ceremonial competitions amongst the pre-Columbian Native Americans of the Arawak tribes which inhabited the island to the modern era in which sports activities consist of an organized physical activity or skill carried out with a recreational purpose...
  
  
• Football in Puerto Rico
  Football in Puerto Rico
  Association Football is one of the leading sports of Puerto Rico, ranking only behind baseball, basketball, boxing, and volleyball in national popularity and is the number one participation sport on the island...
  
  
• Puerto Rico at the Olympics
  Puerto Rico at the Olympics
  Puerto Rico first participated at the Olympic Games in 1948, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then. Notably, despite being an insular area of the United States, Puerto Rico did not fully participate in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, as...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Puerto Rico

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 95th (ninety-fifth)

• Agriculture in Puerto Rico
• Banking in Puerto Rico
  • Puerto Rico Government Development Bank
    Puerto Rico Government Development Bank
    The Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico was the brainchild of Governor Rexford Guy Tugwell, who signed Law 252 of May 13, 1942, creating the institution in charge of economic development for the Government of Puerto Rico...
    
    
• Communications in Puerto Rico
  Communications in Puerto Rico
  Communications in Puerto Rico- Telephone :Telephones - main lines in use:1,072,456 source: Telephones - mobile cellular:2,076,698 source: Telephone system:...
  
  
  • Internet in Puerto Rico
• Companies of Puerto Rico

• Currency of Puerto Rico
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Dollar
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : USD

• Economic history of Puerto Rico
• Energy in Puerto Rico
  • Energy policy of Puerto Rico
  • Oil industry in Puerto Rico
• Mining in Puerto Rico
• Tourism in Puerto Rico
  Tourism in Puerto Rico
  Tourism has been a money revenue industry for Puerto Rico for a number of decades given it is host to diverse natural wonders, cultural and historical buildings, concerts and sporting events....
  
  
• Transport in Puerto Rico

• Puerto Rico Stock Exchange

Infrastructure of Puerto Rico

• Health care in Puerto Rico
• Transportation in Puerto Rico
  Transportation in Puerto Rico
  Transportation in Puerto Rico includes a system of roads, highways, freeways, airports, ports and harbors, and railway systems, serving a population of approximately 4 million inhabitants year-round...
  
  
  • Airports in Puerto Rico
  • Rail transport in Puerto Rico
    Rail transport in Puerto Rico
    Rail transport in Puerto Rico currently consists of a passenger metro system in the island's metropolitan area of San Juan and a small short-line freight railroad in the southern city of Ponce. Its history can be traced back to the mid-19th century with the construction of a limited passenger line...
    
    
  • Roads in Puerto Rico
• Water supply and sanitation in Puerto Rico

See also

• Index of Puerto Rico-related articles
• Did you know-Puerto Rico?
• List of international rankings
• List of Puerto Rico-related topics
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  
• Outline of North America
• Outline of the Caribbean
• Outline of the United States

External links

Puerto Rican government

• Official website

United States government

• Application of the U.S. Constitution in U.S. Insular Areas

United Nations (U.N.) Declaration on Puerto Rico

• U.N. Decolonization Committee's press release on what it deems as the colonial political status of Puerto Rico

Country, Regions and territories profiles

• BBC Territory profile
• Encyclopaedia Britannica profile
• CIA - The World Factbook

Other