The Tribe of Ephraim's Slavery in Puerto Rico.!!!!!!!
This is about the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. For other uses, see
Puerto Rico (disambiguation).
"
Porto Rico" redirects here. For other uses, see Porto Rico (disambiguation).
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Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (
Spanish)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:
"
Joannes Est Nomen Eius" (
Latin)
"
Juan es su nombre" (
Spanish)
"
John is his name"
Anthem:
La Borinqueña
Menu
0:00
.
Capital
and largest city
San Juan
18°27′
N 66°6′W
Official languages
Spanish,
English
National language
Spanish
Ethnic groups (
2010[1])
75.8% Whiteb
12.4%
Black
3.3%
Mixed
0.5%
Amerindian
0.2%
Asian
7.8% other
Government
Commonwealth /
Organized Unincorporated Territory
-
President Barack Obama (D)
-
Governor Alejandro García Padilla (
PPD /
D)[2]
-
Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (
PNP /
D)[3][4]
-
Federal legislative branch
United States Congress
Legislature
Legislative Assembly
-
Upper house Senate
-
Lower house House of Representatives
United States sovereignty[5]
- Cession (from the
Kingdom of Spain)
December 10, 1898
- Autonomyc
November 25, 1897
Area
-
Total 9,104 km2 (169th (world) / 48th (beside
US states))
3,
515 sq mi
-
Water (%) 1.6
Population
-
2012 estimate 3,667,
084[6] (130th (world) / 29th (beside US states))
-
Density 418/km2 (29th (world) / 2nd (beside US states))
1,082/sq mi
GDP (
PPP) 2010 estimate
-
Total $ 68.84 billion[7] (
87th)
-
Per capita $ 16,
300[7] (
82nd)
GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate
- Total $
101.5 billion[8] (62nd)
- Per capita $23,
678[8] (44th)
Gini (2009) 53.2[9]
high · n/a
HDI (2008) 0.
905[10]
very high · 52nd
Currency
United States dollar (
USD)
Time zone
AST (UTC--4)
-
Summer (
DST) No DST (UTC--4)
Drives on the
right
Calling code
+1 787 / 939
ISO 3166 code
PR
Internet TLD
.pr
b. Mostly Spanish immigrant.
c.
Supreme authority and sovereignty retained by the Kingdom of Spain.[11]
Puerto Rico (/ˌpɔrtə ˈriːkoʊ/ or /ˌpwɛərtə ˈriːkoʊ/,[a]
Spanish pronunciation: [pʷeɾto ˈriko]), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de 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 (Spanish for "rich port") comprises 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 ranks third in population among that group of four islands, which include
Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and
Haiti), and
Jamaica. Due to its location, Puerto Rico enjoys a tropical climate and is subject to the
Atlantic hurricane season. Official languages of the island are Spanish and English, with Spanish being the primary language.
Originally populated for centuries by an aboriginal people known as
Taíno, the island was claimed by
Christopher Columbus for
Spain during his second voyage to the
Americas on
November 19, 1493. Under Spanish rule, the island was colonized. The Taíno were forced into slavery and suffered high fatalities from epidemics of
European infectious diseases.[b][c][d][e][f] Spain held Puerto Rico for over
400 years, despite attempts at capture of the island by the
French,
Dutch, and
British. In 1898, Spain ceded the archipelago, as well as the
Philippines, to the United States as a result of its defeat in the Spanish--American War under the terms of the
Treaty of Paris of 1898. In
1917, the
U.S. granted citizenship to
Puerto Ricans; since 1948, they have elected their own governor. In
1952 the
Constitution of Puerto Rico was adopted and ratified by the electorate.
A democratically elected bicameral legislature is in place but the United States Congress legislates many fundamental aspects of
Puerto Rican life.[19] The islanders may not vote in U.S. presidential elections because the territory is not a state.[20]
The island's current political status, including the possibility of statehood or independence, is widely debated in Puerto Rico. In
November 2012, a non-binding referendum resulted in 54 percent of respondents voting to reject the current status under the territorial clause of the
U.S. Constitution.[21] Among respondents to a second question about alternatives, 61 percent voted for statehood as the preferred alternative to the current territorial status
.[22]