Puerto Rico lies 995 mi/1,600 km southeast of Miami. It's actually several islands. The largest, also named Puerto Rico, is rectangular in shape and about 110 mi/177 km long by 35 mi/56 km wide. Its terrain is among the most varied in the region—rugged mountains rise in the middle, quiet beaches edge the northern and eastern shores (which are lapped by the Atlantic Ocean), and in parts of the southwest, beaches give way to steep cliffs that plummet into the Caribbean Sea.
Puerto Rico had few inhabitants when Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1493. Fifteen years later, Spain appointed Ponce de Leon, the seeker of the Fountain of Youth, to be its first governor. The original settlers, the Taino Indians, rebelled against the Spanish, but their uprising only resulted in their decimation. For four centuries, Spain used the island as its gateway to the New World, defending it against assaults from the English, the French and the Dutch. (It was the last stop for treasure ships bound for Spain.) In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, the Spanish met their match: The U.S. Army landed on the southern side of the island. Shortly afterward, Spain handed Puerto Rico over to the U.S.
Puerto Rico became a commonwealth and its residents were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917. However, residents don't have every right enjoyed by their mainland cousins. For instance, they can't cast ballots in U.S. presidential elections, and their resident commissioner—their elected representative to the U.S. House—can sit on congressional committees but cannot vote. (On the other side of the coin, Puerto Ricans pay no U.S. federal income tax.) Puerto Ricans remain fiercely divided on whether their island should become the 51st U.S. state.
Agriculture was the island's mainstay in the early years—coffee and tropical fruit plantations dotted the countryside, and vast fields were planted with sugarcane, which was processed into some of the world's best rum. Some coffee and fruit plantations remain, but they, and other farming operations, now account for only 3% of employment and 1% of the island's income, and much farmland has been turned over to residential and commercial development in recent decades.
In the place of farming, industry—led by manufacturing—now dominates the island's economy, a legacy born of the U.S. government's Operation Bootstrap program in the 1940s. In more recent years, government, academia and private industry have focused on making Puerto Rico shift from a labor-intensive to a more high-tech manufacturing powerhouse with particular focus on biosciences, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and communications and information technology. Exports include chemicals, electronics, pharmaceuticals and health-care products, rubber and plastic goods, rum and coffee. Tourism also is important to the island's economy—more than 4 million people visit the island each year. Although poor compared with U.S. states, Puerto Rico has one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean.
Puerto Rico's main attractions include deep-sea fishing, gambling, historical attractions, horse racing, culture, nightlife, beaches, rain forests, shopping, golf, tennis, caves, hiking, horseback riding, world-class surfing and watersports (including snorkeling and scuba diving).
Travelers who want to get away from it all in comfort (the island has some lovely luxury resorts) and those who enjoy exploring (the island is so large it offers a variety of things to see and do) will like Puerto Rico. U.S. and Canadian citizens who are in a hurry to reach warm weather and white-sand beaches will enjoy the island's convenience.
The forts of Old San Juan are World Heritage Sites because of their cultural and historical significance.
Celebrities seem drawn to Puerto Rico: Singer-songwriter Mariah Carey has stayed at the high-end Las Casitas Village at El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa in Fajardo, and teen actress and singer Hilary Duff lodged at the Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino for her pre- and post-concert time on the island. Actor Will Smith has been spotted putting on the greens at the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Golf Club, and Denise Austin ranks this Dorado property as a favorite place to film exercise shows.
Puerto Rico native Emiliano Mercado del Toro, who celebrated his 115th birthday in 2006, was declared the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records—his secret to longevity is a healthy diet and avoiding alcohol.
Outside the big cities, listen for the sounds of the coqui, the national symbol. Legend has it that the tiny tree frog can only sing and survive on this island (there are reports of the species in Hawaii and Florida, however).
The Caribbean National Forest, dubbed El Yunque in Spanish, is the only tropical forest in the U.S. Forest Service system and at 28,000 acres/11,340 hectares, the smallest as well.
Puerto Rico has had five winning candidates in the Miss Universe pageant.
During the Christmas holiday season, it is a tradition to have a toast of coquito, which is like eggnog but with coconut shavings, cinnamon and rum. (Coquito is not to be confused with the coqui tree frogs.)
In San Juan, at midnight on St. John the Baptist Day (23 June), people walk backward into the sea (or the nearest body of water) three times. This ritual is performed to wash away the year's sins and ensure good luck for the following year.
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican who succumbed to cancer in 1963 at the age of 44, had led such a humble and spiritually filling life that he was beatified as a saint in April 2001.
