This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
Puerto Rico
Part Of USA
Since 1917, Puerto Ricans have been citizens of the United States. They have unrestricted access to both the island and the American mainland. Nonetheless, American residents in Puerto Rico are exempt from paying federal income tax and are not allowed to vote in U.S. presidential elections.1)
Name Meaning
Due to the substantial amounts of gold that the Spanish colonizers discovered on the island, Puerto Rico is Spanish for “rich port”.2)
Size
Puerto Rico is comparable to Connecticut in size.3)
Population Density
After New Jersey, Rhode Island and Washington, DC, Puerto Rico has the fourth-highest population density in the United States.4)
Not A Country Or A State
Puerto Rico is not a country. It is administered by the United States as a commonwealth, not as a sovereign state.5)
Only Mammal Animals
Bats are the only mammal creatures that are still present in Puerto Rico.6)
Puerto Rico From Spain to U.S.
According to the Treaty of Paris, Spain gave the United States Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam after the Spanish-American War (1898). Moreover, Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory under the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917.7)