Puerto Rico – an Amazing Place to Explore

From its picture-perfect white sand beaches, crystal clear blue waters, colorful flowers, tropical rainforests, spectacular mountains, to captivating waterfalls, Puerto Rico is quite dreamy. This would definitely be considered an ideal vacation spot. To quench one's tastebuds, Puerto Rico also has many delicious foods loved by people all around the world. San Juan is the capital of this un-real country, and the main languages spoken are English and Spanish. Unlike most countries near Puerto Rico, this country is actually a part of North america.

Puerto Rico began when the Ortoiroid people settled between 3,000 and 2,000 BC. In addition, the Saladoid and Arawak Native Puerto Rico lived on the island between 430 BC and 1000 AD. When Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World in 1493, the people of Puerto Rico were called the Tainos. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Puerto Rico was a major military post and was fought over by Spain and Europe. Finally, after the Spanish-American War in 1898, Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States. An interesting fact about Puerto Rico is that on November 1, 1950, two Puerto Rican Nationalists attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman of the United States because they believed that the US was responsible for keeping national revolts on the island from happening.

The size of Puerto Rico is 13,790 square km which is just less than three times the size of the state of Rhode Island. The geographical coordinates of Puerto Rico are 18 15 N, 66 30 W and the world region it is located on is Central America. The physical geography of Puerto Rico is mostly comprised of mountains with a coastal plain belt in the north. There are steep mountains close to the sea on the west coast and beautiful sandy beaches along most of the coastal areas. The major bodies of water surrounding Puerto Rico are the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Cerro de Punta is the highest point at 1,339 m. The climate of Puerto Rico is considered tropical marine, mild and with little seasonal temperature variation. The major city in Puerto Rico is San Juan with is capital and populates 2.73 million people.

The culture of Puerto Rico is very diverse. The people of Puerto Rico are known for being friendly, hospitable and warm. Some famous Puerto Ricans are Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Carlos Beltran. The food is a combination of Spanish, African, Taíno, and American influences. In Puerto Rico, the major holidays are New Year's Eve (1 January), Three Kings Day (6 January), Hostos Day (11 January), Constitution Day (25 July), Discovery Day (19 November), and Christmas Day (25 December). The government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government which is controlled by the United States. Therefore, the head of state of Puerto Rico is the President of the United States. The clothing in Puerto Rico is a combination of Spanish and African. Jibaro dress is a white shirt and pants with a colored sash for men and multicolored long skirts and white blouses for women. The religion in Puerto Rico is majority Roman Catholic. However, religious freedom is allowed for all faiths.

The economy of Puerto Rico is largely dependent on tourism, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and technology. Puerto Rico is considered a “high income economy” and the World Bank as well as the most competitive economy in Latin America by the World Economic Forum. The economy of Puerto Rico also consists of textiles, petrochemicals, and electronics; followed by the service industry. Some of the most common jobs in Puerto Rico are cashiers, retail salespersons, waiters & waitresses, security guards, and Janitors/other types of cleaners. The type of money used in Puerto Rico is U.S dollars.

Some other interesting facts about Puerto Rico is that Puerto Rico is not an actual country because is governed under the U.S. Even though this island is a part of the U.S, nobody who resides there is allowed to vote. There are over 270 miles of beaches stretched along this beauty. Also, the Bacardi distillery on the island is the world’s largest distillery. Puerto Rico also won Miss Universe five times! The World’s Largest single-dish telescope calls Puerto Rico home as it is at the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo.

Puerto Rico is an amazing place to explore. The weather is 70-80 degrees year round. There are millions of things to see whether its take a stroll through one of Puerto Rico’s tropical rainforests or jog on one of the gorgeous beaches, Puerto Rico never disappoints. There are over three million people who call Puerto Rico home and over 3.7 million come to visit each year. In addition, Puerto Rico has existed for thousands of years and continues to be fabulous. Seeing its breathtaking sites, eating its mouth-watering traditional foods, and laying upon the warm sands in this paradise will surely change anybody’s life.