HARRIS BEACH RECOGNIZES NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH To help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Inclusion and Diversity Committee has researched interesting facts about people, places and cultures. This week, we’re drawing on content online to tell the story of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is a island and unincorporated U.S. territory with a landscape of mountains, waterfalls and the El Yunque tropical rainforest. Puerto Rico (or “Rich Port” as it is known in Spanish) is a self-governing territory or Commonwealth of the Unites States. Commonly referred to as “The Island of Enchantment” or as “Borinquen” by locals, Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean Ocean and is comprised of a number of islands that form an archipelago, including two of its most famous islands - Culebra and Vieques. The capital and largest city in Puerto Rico is San Juan. The Isla Verde area is known for its hotel strip, beach bars and casinos. Its neighborhood features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and El Morro.

The culture of Puerto Rico has been greatly influenced by its history. With the blend of Taino Indians, Spanish and African cultures, comes a melting pot of people and traditions, as well as the impact of the political and social exchange into every aspect of life.

To learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico

This week’s word: “chévere” Pronounced Cheh-veh-de – Which means ‘great/awesome!’

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HARRIS BEACH RECOGNIZES NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH LA REPUBLICA DOMINICANA To help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Inclusion and Diversity Committee has researched interesting facts about people, places and cultures. This week, we’re drawing on content developed by the Ministry of Tourism, which provides this spirited description of a fascinating and beautiful nation:

“A Democratic nation with a population of over 10 million people, the Dominican Republic has a territory stretching 48,442 square kilometers (18,704 square miles). That’s just over twice the size of New Jersey, or nearly the size of Costa Rica. Its coveted shores face the Caribbean Sea in the south, and the Atlantic Ocean in the north. As of 2017, 6.1 million overnight visitors and more than 1.1 million cruise passengers make their way to the Dominican Republic every year.

Quisqueya, as Dominicans affectionately call their home – meaning “mother of all lands”– is a country of superlatives. This was the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Americas or the “New World,” with the arrival of on his first voyage in 1492. Aside from choosing the DR as his sole residence in the region – a land blessed with fertile soil and gold deposits – Columbus and the Spanish Crown used the country as a launching pad for conquests across the Caribbean and United States. Today, the first city of the Americas, Santo Domingo, is the capital of the DR, and continues to thrive while preserving its history and original Spanish architecture.

Aside from historic firsts, the Dominican Republic ranks among the most diverse Caribbean countries in geography, nature, and people. Its landscape ranges from the highest peak in the region, Pico Duarte, to the lowest body of water, Lago Enriquillo. A whopping 6,000 species of flora and 7,000 species of fauna include cacti flowers, endemic hawks, and humpback whales. The country’s cultural make up – Taino, European, and African – includes a diverse population welcomed in the DR since the 19th century, from Jewish and Japanese communities to UNESCO-proclaimed Afro-Caribbean groups.

Whether you choose to visit our shores along our more than 1,600 kilometers (nearly 1,000 miles) of coastline, our verdant mountain towns, our fishing villages, or our cactus-lined landscape, you’ll uncover a unique side of the DR. Along the way, you’ll experience a unified passion for our music and dance – merengue, bachata, and son – our diverse gastronomy taking you beyond rice and beans, our love for baseball, family, and hospitality. Together, they make up the essence of our Dominican spirit.”

To learn more, visit the Ministry of Tourism site at: http://www.godominicanrepublic.com/

This week’s word: “Que lo que” Pronounced Keh-lo-keh – Which means, “What’s up?”

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HARRIS BEACH RECOGNIZES NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

CUBA To help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Inclusion and Diversity Committee has researched interesting facts about people, places and cultures. In this installment, our focus is on .

Cuba is a country comprising the island of Cuba as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Located in the northern Caribbean, where the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean meet, it is east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of Florida and the Bahamas, west of and north of both and the Cayman Islands. Havana is Cuba’s largest city and capital; other major cities include Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. The area of the Republic of Cuba is 110,860 square kilometers (42,800 sq mi) (109,884 square kilometers (42,426 sq mi) without the territorial waters). The island of Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, with an area of 105,006 square kilometers (40,543 sq mi). More than 11 million people live in Cuba, making it the second-most populous Caribbean island after Hispaniola.

Cuban culture has undergone a major transformation since the revolution, and the government has come to play a leading role in it. Since the creation of the Ministry of Culture in 1976, this role has expanded to include a network of professional and amateur cultural organizations throughout the country. Cultural institutions before 1959 were generally limited to Havana (and, to a lesser extent, the provincial capitals.) They were also almost entirely privately endowed. Before 1959 Cuba had about 100 libraries and a half-dozen museums; today it has approximately 2,000 libraries and 250 museums located throughout the country. The Ministry of Culture directs a program of education in music, visual arts, ballet, dramatic arts, and modern dance, culminating in the university-level Higher Institute of Art. More than 200 neighborhood cultural centers (casas de cultura) offer workshops in all branches of the arts.

NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: WORD OF THE WEEK To help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Inclusion and Diversity Committee is testing your language skills with a word of the week.

This week’s word: “¿qué bolá?” Pronounced Keh-Bo-Lah – Which means, “What’s up, buddy?”

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HARRIS BEACH RECOGNIZES NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

MEXICO To help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Inclusion and Diversity Committee has researched interesting facts about people, places and cultures. In this installment, our focus is on Mexico.

Mexico, much in the news over the past few years, is the United States’ southern neighbor. The country is officially known as the United Mexican States and located in the southern portion of .

In addition to the United States, the country is bordered to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. The country has an estimated population of 129 million and is the world’s 15th largest economy.

Mexican culture is a hugely diverse domain that encompasses vast differences in identity. The variety of influences throughout Mexican history, from the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations to the domineering European presence, have come to shape and define the enthralling country it is today.

Click here as a starting point to learn more about the wonderful cultures of Mexico. Make sure to explore some of the references at the bottom of the article as well.

NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: WORD OF THE WEEK To help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Inclusion and Diversity Committee is testing your language skills with a word of the week.

This week’s word: ¿Qué onda? Pronounced (Keh-Ohn-dah) Mexican/Mexican American slang for “What’s up?!”

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