Puerto Rico Studyguide

Atlas Information...Population About 4 million people Capital San Juan Government Commonwealth associated with the United States Official Languages Spanish, English Currency U.S. dollar

Puerto Rico's flag is very similar to the U.S. flag because it is commonwealth of the United States.

In this guide you will learn about... Where Puerto Rico originated from.  Puerto Rico's government Puerto Rico's food and celebrations. Most played sports in Puerto Rico    Art in Puerto Rico Monuments and famous places to visit Puerto Rico

One of Puerto Rico's government buildings.

Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain, given assistance from Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. He reached Puerto Rico and named it San Juan el Bautista (John the baptist in English who was famous for baptizing his cousin, Jesus.) Now, they named the country Puerto Rico and the capital San Juan.

When Columbus reached Puerto Rico, he met the Taíno Indians. They forced them to work and thousands died due to disease and hard work. Because of this, African slaves were brought to Puerto Rico to work. Unlike the Natives, the Africans could resist European diseases such as small pox and were expert farmers. When the Native Americans, Spanish, and Africans lived in the country of Puerto Rico altogether, Puerto Rico had one unique culture with the unusual mix of these different people.

This painting shows a Spanish conquistador, a Native American, and an African showing that Puerto Rico has a very diverse group of people. 

In this painting it shows that, at first, the Taíno Indians welcome Christopher Columbus and his crew. (They think they are the "White Skinned Gods.")

Puerto Rico is very different compared to other Spanish countries because it considered commonwealth for the United States. This means it is owned by the U.S. and depends on it for certain things. It was voted down, however, for Puerto Rico to become the 51st State. So that means they can be able to do less things than U.S. Americans. For example, Puerto Rico has no Senators or Representatives and can't vote for the president. They do, however have the same currency as U.S. Americans do and could even run for president, but it'd probably be more difficult.

IMPORTANT FACT: Puerto Rico received U.S. citizenship in 1917 so they are considered U.S. citizens.  

Sports: Two of the most played sports in Puerto Rico are baseball and soccer. In baseball, one of the most famous Puerto Rican players was Roberto Clemente. He won the golden glove award 12 times and made 3,000 hits. But on December 31, 1972, he died 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. Today, there is a Roberto Clemente Award that is given to a player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."

Music: In Puerto Rico, there are many styles of music that are listened to, but the most popular is probably salsa. Here are some examples of the most famous singers in Puerto Rico.Marc Anthony Salsa music Born in 1968 5 time Grammy winner  Jennifer Lopez (J.Lo) Born in the Bronx, New York (outside of Puerto Rico) Famous singer, actress, etc. (did many things) Daddy Yankee  Born in 1977 San Juan, Puerto Rico Real name was Ramon Style of music was reggaeton (mix of salsa and rap) Don Omar Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico Style of music was reggaeton as well ChaynneActor and singerRicky Martin  Singer (mix of salsa and other types of music) 1999 "La Vida Loca" Sold more than 60 million albums world wide

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Main Points

Columbus & the Taínos

Government

Sports and Arts