Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States

Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917, and can move freely between the island and the rest of the U.S.

United States Dollar

3,285,874, which is slightly more than Utah, the 30th most populous state

The population reached its peak in 2004 at 3.827M, and is now in decline at a rate of -1.46% per year

Key cities include the capital, San Juan, Buyamon, Carolina, Ponce, Caguas, Guaynabo and Mayaguez.

$31,651, which is slightly less than Mississippi, the poorest U.S. state

When compared to nations in Latin America, Puerto Rico has the highest GDP per capita

5,325 square miles, which is slightly smaller than Connecticut, the 48th largest state

The island is 100 miles from east to west and 35 miles from north to south

Highest Elevation: Cerro Punta at 4,390 feet

Puerto Rico is part of an archipelago that includes over 143 islands, cays, islets, and atolls

Other than the main island, Culebra and Vieques are the only other inhabited islands

Puerto Rico is 1,000 miles southeast of Miami and 75 miles east of Dominican Republic

79.8 years which is equivalent to the life-expectancy in Vermont (15th on the life-expectancy list)

Both Spanish and English are official languages of Puerto Rico

94.3% of adults speak only Spanish at home

Public school instruction is conducted almost entirely in Spanish

Puerto Rico is Spanish for “rich port”

Its official English name is Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

The island is also popularly known in Spanish as la isla del encanto which means “the island of enchantment”

Roberto Clemente – Hall of Fame Baseball Player

Roberto Alomar – Hall of Fame Baseball Player

Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez – Hall of Fame Baseball Player

Yadier Molina – 2-time World Series Champion

Carlos Beltrán – Professional Baseball Player with Three Gold Glove Awards and Two Silver Slugger Awards

Chi-Chi Rodríguez – Hall of Fame Golfer

Monica Puig – Olympic Gold Medalist in Tennis

Félix “Tito” Trinidad – World Champion Boxer

Rita Moreno – Winner of an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony

Lin-Manuel Miranda – Creator of ‘Hamilton’

Benicio del Toro Academy Award-winning actor

Erik Estrada – Actor

Joaquin Phoenix – Actor

Rosie Perez – Actor

Ricky Martin – Singer

Jennifer Lopez – Singer

Marc Anthony – Singer

José Feliciano – Singer

Sonia Sotomayor – US Supreme Court Justice

Orlando Bravo – Co-founder of Thoma Bravo Private Equity firm

Puerto Rico has its own governor and government, but is ultimately controlled by the United States.

Puerto Ricans vote in their own local elections, but cannot vote in U.S. national elections.

Puerto Rico does not have any Senators or House Representatives; it is represented in Congress by a non-voting resident commissioner.

El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rain forest in the United States and has remarkable biodiversity. The forest covers 45 square miles, and receives 120 inches of annual rainfall per year. It is one of the oldest natural reserves, first set aside in 1876.

Old San Juan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with buildings that date back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Arecibo Telescope was the world's largest single-aperture telescope from 1963 to 2016. The massive structure collapsed in 2020 and is no longer used.