The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is a territory of the United States located east of the Dominican Republic in the northeastern Caribbean. Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles, includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys, including the populated island-municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, as well as unpopulated Mona island, located halfway between the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.
The nature of Puerto Rico's political relationship with the United States is the subject of ongoing debate on and off the island. Those who support maintaining the status quo (i.e., territorial status) insist that upon attaining this status, Puerto Rico entered into a voluntary association with the U.S. "in the nature of a compact", but opponents of so called Commonwealth, disagree: according to them, Puerto Rico is no more than an unincorporated organized territory of the U.S., subject to the plenary powers of the United States Congress.
Rail transport in Puerto Rico currently consists of a 10.7 mile (17.2 km) passenger metro system in the island’s metropolitan area of San Juan and a small cargo system in the southern city of Ponce. Its history can be traced back to the mid-19th century with the construction of a limited passenger line in Mayagüez. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Puerto Rico's rail transport system expanded significantly, becoming one of the largest rail systems in the Caribbean at the time thanks to an economic boom in agriculture industries, especially the sugar cane industry. The rail system was expanded to include passenger travel with a direct line from the island's northern capital of San Juan to the western and southern cities and towns, greatly improving travel and communication within the island. However, the entire system was soon overshadowed by the arrival of the automobile, and by the 1950s was completely abandoned. Small remnants of this system still exist in some parts of Puerto Rico, some conserved for tourism purposes. ( more...)
Featured content represents the best of what Wikipedia has to offer. The following Puerto Rico-related articles and lists have been designated as Featured (  ) by the community, as a result of many collaborative efforts of users and readers just like you.
Selected anniversaries for July
- July 1, 1881 - The Municipality of Barceloneta was founded.
- July 1, 1898 - The "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry, United States Army", later renamed the 65th Infantry Regiment, was created.
- July 1, 1982 - The Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico program commenced operations.
- July 1, 1927 - The Municipality of Cataño was founded.
- July 1, 1951 - Birth of Luisito Vigoreaux, actor and producer
- July 4, 1950 - President Harry S. Truman signed Public Act 600, which allowed Puerto Ricans to draft their own constitution establishing the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- July 6, 1987 - Birth of Ricky Sanchez, professional basketball player
- July 9, 1965 - Birth of Anthony Romero, civil rights leader and executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union
- July 15, 1821 - The Municipality of Nagüabo was founded.
- July 15, 1905 - Birth of Enrique Laguerre, writer and poet (d. 2005)
- July 16, 1918 - Death of José de Diego, statesman, journalist, poet and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain (b. 1866)
- July 17, 1859 - Birth of Luis Muñoz Rivera, statesman and Resident Commissioner
- July 19, 1760 - The Municipality of Mayagüez was founded.
- July 23, 1967 - The first plebiscite on the political status of Puerto Rico was held, with most supporting the current Commonwealth status.
- July 25, 1840 - The Municipality of Río Grande was founded.
- July 25, 1898 - General Nelson A. Miles lands unopposed in Guánica with the first contingent of American troops during the Spanish-American War.
- July 25, 1952 - The Constitution of Puerto Rico went into effect, and the islands were renamed as the Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico).
- July 25, 1978 - The Cerro Maravilla Incident occurred.
- July 26, 1898 - Shortly after the arrival of American troops, the Battle of Yauco occurred.
- July 27, 1857 - Birth of Dr. José Celso Barbosa, founder of Puerto Rico's statehood movement (d. 1921)
- July 30, 1979 - Birth of Carlos Arroyo, professional basketball player
- July 31, 1936 - Pedro Albizu Campos, Juan Antonio Corretjer, Clemente Soto Vélez and other Nationalists were sentenced to federal prison for instigating protests.
- ...that Jesus T. Piñero was not the first native Puerto Rican governor of Puerto Rico? That honor belongs to Juan Ponce de Leon II who in 1597 became the first native Puerto Rican to assume, temporarily, the governorship of Puerto Rico.
- ...that the myth of the Chupacabra has its origins in Puerto Rico?
Héctor Lavoe (September 30, 1946 - June 29, 1993) was an internationally renowned Puerto Rican salsa singer born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Lavoe joined Willie Colón's band, performing as the band vocalist, before forming his own band, performing as lead vocalist. Lavoe recorded several musical hits, including Bandolera, El periódico de ayer, Mi gente and El cantante (written by Ruben Blades just for him), reaching international star status. His career includes two stellar performances, one during the 1974 Congo promotional activities of the Ali-Foreman fight and a 1975 concert at Yankee stadium. However, Lavoe was stricken with several tragedies during his lifetime, including a lifelong addiction to heroin. After several failed attempts at a comeback, he died penniless from complications from AIDS. (more...)
| “ |
And yet, despite this assault on their will and their historical destiny, the people of Puerto Rico have preserved their culture, their Latin character, their national feelings, which in themselves give proof of the implacable desire for independence lying within the masses on that Latin American island.
|
” |
|
—Che Guevara, speech given to the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1964.
|
Want to find an article related to Puerto Rico?
Try browsing through any of the main categories below:
On Wikipedia, anyone can edit. So if you're interested in Puerto Rico and its related subjects and articles, feel free to add and edit current content or start a new article. After all, the Wikipedia community encourages all readers and users to be bold in updating pages. If you're unsure on where to start, you can choose any of the open tasks listed below. The Puerto Rico WikiProject thanks you!
- Article requests: Art of Puerto Rico, Lourdes Chacón, Laws of Puerto Rico, Central Fajardo, El Verde more
- Cleanup: Mona, Puerto Rico, Vieques, Puerto Rico, Ponce Massacre, Morovis, Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Verify: Dominican immigration to Puerto Rico, Biographic articles tagged with {{sources}} see List of Puerto Ricans. Puerto Rican Spanish
- Wikify:
- Expand: Public welfare in Puerto Rico, Culture of Puerto Rico, Demographics of Puerto Rico, Geology of Puerto Rico, Government of Puerto Rico, Education in Puerto Rico, Communications in Puerto Rico, Public housing in Puerto Rico, University of Puerto Rico more
- Merge:
- Category Sorting:
- Images needed:National Register of Historic Places listings in Puerto Rico
-
Puerto Rico-related topics
|
.svg)
) by the community, as a result of many collaborative efforts of users and readers just like you.
