Puerto
Rico

·Location:

1,000 miles southeast of Miami; 3 3/4 hours by plane from Atlanta and New York, 4 hours from Boston and 2 1/2 hours from Miami.

·Size:

110 by 35 miles, roughly the size of Connecticut.

·Climate:

Tropical with an average annual temperature of 82º F (28º C) and constant easterly trade winds.

·Population:

3.6 million.

·Languages:

Spanish and English.

·Currency:

U.S. Dollar ($).

·Economy:

A major producer and exporter of manufactured goods, high-technology equipment and pharmaceutics, Puerto Rico also features employment in government service, business, agriculture and tourism.

·History:

Settled by indigenous groups for thousands of years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493, Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony for four centuries, with early military preoccupations replaced by agricultural and economical concerns by the 19th century. Since 1898 it has been under United States sovereignty, and Puerto Ricans hold U.S. citizenship. On July 25, 1952 it became the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico under a compact with the U.S.