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It is noted that the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about 1,000 mi east-southeast of Miami, Fla. A possession of the United States, it consists of the island of Puerto Rico plus the adjacent islets of Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. Puerto Rico has to this day a mountainous, tropical ecosystem with very little flat land and several mineral rehearts.

What is Puerto Rico? Is it part of the United States is it a country? Not the majority of people really know. It is known to be a bit confusing: technically Puerto Rico it is always a territory of the USA, but it is always not one of the states. Did you know that the spirit of the Puerto Rico is very independent, however.

The Spanish, under the leadership of Christopher Columbus, arrived in 1493 to the island of Puerto Rico, and brought with them smallpox and other diseases, severely reducing the number of the Taino, Puerto Rico’s native inhabitants. The surviving Taino were forced into slavery by the Spanish until emancipated in 1520 by King Charles I. Unfortunately, while the Taino were freed, slaves were brought from Africa to complete the work in coastal ports and cities. Over the next several years, unsuccessful attempts were made to wrestle Puerto Rico away from the Spanish by the English and the Dutch. Spain recognized the island as an overseas province in 1809, allowing island representatives in Spain’s parliament. However in the 19th century, an independence movement was sparked and slowly grew over several decades. Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States during the Spanish-American War in 1898, and as a result, Spain ceded the island to the U.S. under the Treaty of Paris. Over the next century, Puerto Ricans have welcomed political acts that give citizens U.S. rights, including the right to become a Commonwealth of the United States.

Puerto Rico is located in a tropical climate, where the average annual temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The island does experience a hurricane season from June to November. Close to the Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest trench in the Atlantic Ocean, the island is susceptible to tremors and earthquakes due to the tectonic plates shifting.

According to a 2010 census, Puerto Rico has over 3.7 million inhabitants over 3,515 square miles. Many new immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Barbados and other Caribbean nations have flooded Puerto Rico, while many Puerto Ricans in turn emigrate to the United States.