Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Caribbean island, Commonwealth, and unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami, Florida, between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and includes the eponymous main island and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. With roughly 3.2 million residents, it is divided into 78 municipalities, of which the most populous is the capital municipality of San Juan. Spanish and English are the official languages of the executive branch of government, though Spanish predominates.
Some of the key events about Puerto Rico
- 1493The island was discovered and claimed for Spain during Christopher Columbus' second voyage
- 1493Indigenous Taíno population decimated by European diseases and colonization
- 1508The first European settlement, Caparra, was founded on the island
- 1521San Juan was established as the island's capital city
- 1815A devastating hurricane struck the island, causing widespread destruction
- 1868A major earthquake and tsunami hit Puerto Rico, resulting in significant damage
- 1898Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory following the Spanish-American War
- 1899Hurricane San Ciriaco devastated the island, killing over 3,000 people
- 1917The Jones-Shafroth Act granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans
- 1917The Jones–Shafroth Act imposed U.S. citizenship on Puerto Ricans without full democratic rights
- 1928Hurricane San Felipe II caused extensive damage and killed hundreds
- 1932The Great Depression severely impacted Puerto Rico's economy
- 1948The first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico took office
- 1950An unsuccessful uprising against U.S. rule was violently suppressed
- 1952Puerto Rico officially became a Commonwealth of the United States
- 1954The Constitution of Puerto Rico was ratified, establishing the current governmental structure
- 1989Hurricane Hugo caused widespread destruction across the island
- 1990Spanish was declared the official language of Puerto Rico alongside English
- 2017Puerto Rico hosted the World Baseball Classic championship game
- 2017Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, resulting in thousands of deaths and long-term infrastructure damage
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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