Country (Well, Territory) of the Week: Puerto Rico!

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is an island located in Central America’s West Indies, associated with the United States. Its capital and largest city is San Juan, and the population of the whole territory is 3.194 million. There is a mixture of the Spanish, American, and Afro-Caribbean cultures in this territory, due to great immigration in the past centuries. The mountains, beaches, waterfalls, and the El Yunque rainforest are just some of their beautiful natural landscapes, complemented with colourful Spanish houses and historical sites like “Castillo de San Felipe del Morro”. Their food, which there is an article about, includes delicious meals such as “tostones” and “mofongo”. So, let's read some facts about this place!

• Puerto Rico has its name because Spanish colonizers found a surprising abundance of gold in the island’s rivers. It was firstly named San Juan Bautista, but then the name was switched, with the port and military outpost remaining as San Juan.

• It is said to be the world’s oldest colony! In 1493, Christopher Columbus, a well-known explorer, arrived on the island, claimed it as a colony of Spain, and did not return ever again. Taíno Indians were already residing on the island ⎼ which they called “Borinquen”⎼ a long time before, but a lot of them died from European diseases or were killed by colonizers. However, the Spanish lost the territory to the Americans in 1898 during the Spanish-American War and Puerto Rico continued to be a colony.

• There is a legend about the Cofresí Pirate, who was born in 1791 at Cabo Rojo in Puerto Rico and worked near the sea since he was young. Cofresí then decided to leave this job behind and become a pirate. He is said to have formed part of El Scipión’s ship crew, owned by his cousin, and according to historians, stolen goods and cash from other boats. The man is said to have evaded Spanish, French, British, and other vessels which intended to capture the pirate group. A real-life Pirate of the Caribbean!

• As mentioned previously, the “Castillo de San Felipe del Morro”, also known as “El Morro” is a significant landmark in Puerto Rico. Located in a corner of Old San Juan, the fortification was used as a military outpost by Spain and then the United States during most of its history. The building was constructed by the Spanish between 1539 and finished in 1790. Along with the “Fortín San Juan de la Cruz”, another fort, the Spanish took down navies from the Dutch, British, and pirates.

• El Yunque rainforest is a lush-green, magical wonder of Puerto Rico, and a place in which tourists can relax and enjoy several activities. These include hiking, bathing in its natural and refreshing pools and waterfalls, watching the flora and fauna, and having a picnic; of course, you will have the luck of seeing astounding landscapes!

Bibliography

Arkiplus Editorial Team (n.d.) Castillo San Felipe del Morro [Photograph] Arkiplus. https://www.arkiplus.com/castillo-san-felipe-del-morro/

Editorial Staff (2020, April 26) 77 Interesting Facts About Puerto Rico. The Fact Life. https://thefactfile.org/puerto-rico-facts/

Metcalf, T. (2017, August 22) Could Puerto Rico Be the Next Hot Tax Haven? [Photograph] Bloomberg Businessweek. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-22/could-puerto-rico-be-the-next-hot-tax-haven

Minster, C. (2020, November 28) The Second Voyage of Christopher Columbus [Photograph] ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-second-voyage-of-christopher-columbus-2136700

N.A. (2017, November 21) Saving Puerto Rico’s El Yunque Rainforest. [Photograph] Project Nepa. https://protectnepa.org/saving-puerto-ricos-el-yunque-rainforest/

N.A. (n.d.) Exploring Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan. Discover Puerto Rico. https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/article/exploring-castillo-san-felipe-del-morro-old-san-juan

N.A. (n.d.) Visit El Yunque National Forest. Discover Puerto Rico. https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/article/visit-el-yunque-national-forest

"Norbert" (2020, June 13) 34 Fun and Interesting Facts About Puerto Rico You Did Not Know. Globotreks. https://www.globotreks.com/destinations/puerto-rico/fun-interesting-facts-about-puerto-rico/

Pethick, K. (2018, February 21) The Untold Story On How Puerto Rico Got Its Name. The Culture Trip. https://theculturetrip.com/caribbean/puerto-rico/articles/the-untold-story-on-how-puerto-rico-got-its-name/

Wagenheim, O. (1999, June 26) Puerto Rico. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Puerto-Rico

Wikipedia Authors (n.d.) Roberto Crofresí [Photograph] Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Cofres%C3%AD