Puerto Rico
Updated: Sep 19, 2022
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Country Name
Puerto Rico, or officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Location
Puerto Rico is an archipelago among the Greater Antilles located between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands, It is bordered to the west by Haití and the Dominican Republic, separated by the Mona Passage, to the east by the Virgin Islands, to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Caribbean Sea. Puerto Rico is under the U.S. customs authority.
Capital
San Juan.
Reason for naming the country
Puerto Rico is a Spanish word that means"rich port".
Puerto Ricans often call the island Borinquén a derivation of Borikén, its indigenousTaíno name, which means "Land of the Valiant Lord".
The island is also popularly known in Spanish as La Isla del Encanto, meaning "the island of enchantment".
Columbus named the island San Juan Bautista, in honor of Saint John the Baptist, while the capital city was named Ciudad de Puerto Rico ("Rich Port City").
The island's name was changed to Porto Rico by the United States after the Treaty of Paris of 1898.
Flag
The current flag of Puerto Rico was adopted in 1952 by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rican flag is composed of three colors: red, white, and blue. The flag is composed of horizontal stripes of 3 red stripes and 2 white stripes, on the left side of the flag there is a five-pointed star on the blue triangle pointing inwards.
The red color represents the blood shed by the brave warriors, The white color represents individual liberty and rights or victory and peace gained after independence, The white star stands for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the triangle represents the three arms of the government, while the blue color represents the color of the ocean and the skies of Puerto Rico.
The meaning of the colors of the flag has changed over the years. Additionally, different tone colors of blue have been used in the flags since there is no single tone specified for the flag.
*Flag Facts:
- The flag of Puerto Rico is similar to the flag of Cuba.
Puerto Rico adopts the same design as the Cuban flag but inverts the colors. The Puerto Rican flag has red and white stripes and a white star on a blue triangle. The Cuban flag has blue and white stripes and a white star on a red triangle.
Language
Puerto Rico has two official languages; English and Spanish which are the most widely spoken languages in Puerto Rico.
Before the Spanish occupation of Puerto Rico, the languages spoken in the country were of Taino descent.
Along with the two major languages, there are minority languages that are spoken, primarily by immigrants. These languages include French, German, Italian, Chinese, Haitian Creole, and Hindi. Some of these languages are taught in several colleges and universities across the island.
The languages of Puerto Rico represent more than identity but also the island’s history. The two principal languages in the country are a result of foreign occupation and changing political landscapes.
Religion
The majority of Puerto Ricans identify as Roman Catholic (69.7%), Catholicism has had a significant influence over the government and society of Puerto Rico since colonial times.
Protestantism is the second largest religious identity in Puerto Rico, and 25.1% of the population claim to follow a Protestant sect.
Other Christian denominations can include a number of churches and sects, including Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Defenders of the Faith, and Assemblies of God.
At least 1.4% of Puerto Rico's population reports practicing a non-Christian-based religion. These religions include Islam, Judaism, indigenous religions, and African-based religions.
Currency
United States dollar (US$) (USD).
