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Puerto Rico. Isla del Encanto ( The enchanted island) By Señora Casalduc.
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Puerto Rico Isla del Encanto ( The enchanted island) By Señora Casalduc
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Estado LibreAsociado 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 U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
History • On November 19, 1493 Christopher Columbus discovered the island in his second voyage to the New World. He found the island populated by as many as 50,000 Taíno or Arawak Indians. • On December 10,1898 Treaty of Paris issigned (ratified by the U.S. Senate Feb. 6, 1899),treaty concluding the Spanish-American War. Spain renounced all claim to Cuba, ceded Guam and Puerto Rico and its dependent islets to United States, and transferred sovereignty over the Philippines to the United States for $20,000,000.
Important facts about Puerto Rico: • Official Name: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico • Area: 9,104 km2 (169th) • Population: 3,994,259 • Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 66 30 W • Moneda:United States dollar (USD) • Forma de Gobierno:Democratic • Provinces: 78 municipalities • Language: Spanish and English • Día de la constitución: Julio 25
Puerto Rico has 3 other islands:Isla de Vieques and Isla Culebra on the east coast and Isla de Mona on the west coast. PR is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States. The chief of state is the President of the United States of America. The head of government is an elected Governor. The current governor is Alejandro Garcia Padilla.
Economía Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. Tourism is the number one source of income for the island. Dairy production and livestock are two other important economy resources. The principal livestock are cattle, pigs and poultry.
Capital:San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico and the most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, with a population of two million. The city was founded in 1508, by Juan Ponce de León. It is also Puerto Rico's main port of entry and has one of the best harbors in the Caribbean.
Flora Several thousand varieties of tropical plants grow in Puerto Rico, including the kapok tree ("Ceiba") with its thick trunk, the Poinciana (a prickly tropical shrub with brilliant reddish blossoms), the breadfruit, and the coconut palm.
FaunaThe island has few animals native to the island, found almost nowhere else in the world, the Coquí(littlefrog)and the PuertoRican Parrot(Amazonavittata) ("cotorrapuertorriqueña") lives only in a few hidden areas of the Caribbean National Forest. The Puerto Rican Parrot is bright green, about a foot in length, with red forehead, blue primary wing feathers, and flesh-colored bill and feet. There are 17 different species of Coquí. Coquí can only survive in the tropical weather of Puerto Rico. Coquí is a national symbol.
National Flower: Flor de MagaPuerto Rican hibiscus (Thespesiagrandiflora; Magagrandiflora; MontezumaNational Bird: Reina MoraSpindalisportoricensis (formerly called the Stripe-headed Tanager (Spyndaliszenaportoricensis)
Important cities and landmarksArecibo (ah-re-SEE-boh) Arecibo is the largest city in geographical size on the island. Located in the Northern Coastal Valley region, adjacent to karst zone characterized by the presence of caves and wooded hills. Arecibo Observatory is a astronomical observatory, which is one of the world's most powerful radar-radio telescopes, and the largest single-unit radio telescope in the world.Ponce (PON-sai) With a population of 194,636, Ponce is Puerto Rico's second largest city (San juan is the first and Mayaguez is the third). The world class Ponce Museum of Art, designed by Edward Durrell Stone (Museum of Modern Art, NY), is the only museum of stature, houses the most extensive art collection in the Caribbean.
Puerto Rican CuisineAlthough Puerto Rican cooking is somewhat similar to both Spanish, Cuban and Mexican cuisine, it is a unique tasty blend of Spanish, African, Taíno, and American influences, using such indigenous seasonings and ingredients as coriander, papaya, cacao, nispero, apio, plantains, and yampee. Locals call their cuisine "cocinacriolla". Puerto Ricans daily diet includes rice and beanswith meat (chicken, pork, beef and fish), and as a side dish tostones ( fried plantains)
Baile y músicatípicaBomba y Plena Although usually grouped together, bomba y plena are actually two entirely different types of music that are coupled with dance. Bomba pure African, was brought over by black slaves who worked on the island's sugar plantations in the 17th century. It's a rhythmic music using barrel-shapped drums covered with tightly stretched animal skins and played by hand. This form of music is produced by one large drum plus a smaller drum called a subidor. The drums are accompanied by the rhythmical beating of sticks and maracas to create a swelling tide of drumbeats, in which "aficionados" can hear drummers bang out a series of responses one to another. Bombais described as a dialogue between dancer and drummer. It's as if the drummer were challenging the dancer to a rhythmic duel. The dance can go on just a long as the dancer can continue.
MúsicaOne of Puerto Rico's notable exports is its music, which is probably the predominant Caribbean music heard in the United States.Salsa The major type of music coming out of Puerto Rico is salsa, the rhythm of the islands. Its name literally translated as the "sauce" that makes parties happen. Originally developed within the Puerto Rican community of New York, it draws heavily from the musical roots of the Cuban and the African-Caribbean experience. Highly danceable, its rhythms are hot, urba, rhythmically sophisticated, and compelling. Today, the center of salsa has probable shifted from New York back to Puerto Rico. • Marc Anthony is one of the biggest national and international Salsa singers of the island. Taking his inspiration from greats such as Puente, Ruben Blades, and Juan Gabriel, Marc Anthony released his first Spanish-language album in 1993.
Famous peopleRicky Martin has the world singing Living La Vida Loca, winner of the 1999 Grammy Award for "Best Latin Pop Performance" and named by the Los Angeles Times as "The Latin Artist to Watch for 1999." Ricky Martin is now -without a doubt- one of the most famous Latin artist in the world. Roberto Clemente played with the Brooklyn Dodgers' minor league team before making his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955. He led the National League in batting four times during the 1960s. He became the first Hispanic player to reach 3,000 hits, including 240 home runs. He died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, on his way to bring much needed supplies to survivors of an earthquake in Nicaragua. The next year he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
