Puerto Rico Gerald Gutscher 01.10.00 PUERTO RICO
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"Gerald Gutscher" [email protected] Puerto Rico Gerald Gutscher 01.10.00 PUERTO RICO Official name: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico). Digraph: PR/QR Type: Commonwealth associated with the US. The island's inhabitants possess1 all the rights and obligations of United States citizens, except for the right to vote in presidential elections and the obligation2 to pay federal taxes. Interesting Fact: The term "United States" when used in a geographical sense on official documents, acts and/or laws; includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. The U.S. has twelve unincorporated territories, also known as possessions, and two commonwealths. The major possessions are American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virigin Islands. All of these have a non-voting representative in the US Congress. The major commonwealths are Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas. Commonwealths have their own constitutions and greater autonomy than possessions, and Guam is currently in the process of moving from the status of unincorporated territory to commonwealth. The residents of all of these places are full U.S. citizens, with the exception of those on American Samoa who are U.S.nationals, but not citizens. Total Area: 3,515 sq mi (9,104 sq km or 100 by 35 miles). Land Area: 8,959 sq km Borders: Puerto Rico is under the U.S. customs jurisdiction3. Borders are open between P.R. and 1 besitzen 2 Pflicht 3 Zuständigkeitsbereich -1- "Gerald Gutscher" [email protected] Puerto Rico Gerald Gutscher 01.10.00 the U.S., allowing for free movement of people and merchandise. Capital: San Juan (founded in 1508, by Juan Ponce de León). Major Cities: Ponce, Caguas, Mayagüez, Bayamón, Carolina, Arecibo, Guaynabo, Cayey, Aguadilla, and Fajardo. Most Popular City Destinations: San Juan, Ponce, Mayagüez, Bayamón, Fajardo, San Germán Cayey, and Caguas. Native language: Spanish and English are the official languages. English is spoken for about 1/4 of the population-with limited capabilities4. English is required in all federal matters. English is spoken in all major tourist areas (%80 Spanish, %20 other). Interesting Facts: Language has been a central issue in Puerto Rican education and culture since 1898. Until 1930 U.S. authorities insisted5 upon making English the language of instruction in the schools, the intent being to produce English-speaking persons of American culture in the same way this is done in the United States public schools. But strong resistance to the policy finally brought a change to the use of Spanish as the basic school language, English becoming a second language studied by all. In 1991 the Puerto Rican legislature, following the lead of the pro-commonwealth Popular Democratic Party and the governor, Rafael Hernández Colon, endorsed6 a bill that made Spanish the island's official language, thus reversing a 1902 law that gave both Spanish and English official recognition7. In 1993 the pro- statehood governor, Pedro J. Rossello, signed legislation restoring8 equal status to Spanish and English. Note: Puerto Rico is a territory (Commonwealth) of the United States of America and they have common citizenship, currency and defense. Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, residents of Puerto Rico pay no federal income tax (but neither can they vote in presidential elections). Over 2 million Puerto Ricans live in the United States, primarily in the northeast. 4 Fähigkeiten 5 bestehen auf 6 unterzeichenen 7 Anerkennung 8 wiederherstellen -2- "Gerald Gutscher" [email protected] Puerto Rico Gerald Gutscher 01.10.00 Interesting Fact: Puerto Ricans consider themselves American but are fiercely9 proud of their island and their culture. Flag : Five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist10 side bears a large white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the Cuban flag. Population: 3,828,506 (July 1997 est.) Interesting Fact: Puerto Rico's population density11 of 1,100 people per square miles is among the world's highest - only Bangladesh, The Maldives, Barbados, Taiwan, South Korea and the city-states of Hong Kong and Singapore are more crowded. People: The 3.580 million people that inhabit the island of Puerto Rico make it one of the most densely12 populated islands in the world. There are about 1,000 people per square mile, a ratio13 higher than within any of the 50 states in the United States. It is estimated14 that some 2 million Puerto Ricans have migrated to the United States. Had these people remained in Puerto Rico, the island would be so densely populated that there would be virtually15 no room for people to live. Because of the massive migration to the mainland, more Puerto Ricans are said to live in New York City than in San Juan. In recent years, many Puerto Ricans have returned to their island home, in large part because of inadequate16 economic opportunity in the United States. On the island, one-third of the population is concentrated in the San Juan/Carolina/Bayamón 9 Steigerung: besonders... 10 hissen 11 Dichte 12 dicht 13 Verhältnis 14 schätzen 15 16 -3- "Gerald Gutscher" [email protected] Puerto Rico Gerald Gutscher 01.10.00 metropolitan area. When the United States acquired17 the island in 1898, most Puerto Ricans worked in agriculture, but today, most jobs are industrial and are situated in the metropolitan areas. The people of Puerto Rico represent a cultural and racial mix. When the Spanish forced the Taíno people into slavery, the entire indigenous18 population was virtually decimated, except for a few Amerindians who escaped into the remote19 mountains. Eventually they inter-married with the poor Spanish farmers and became known as jíbaros. Because of industrialization and migration to the cities, few jíbaros remain. Besides the slaves imported from Africa (Sudan, Kongo, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leona, and the Gold, Ivory, and Grain coasts), other ethnic groups brought to work on the plantations joined the island's racial mix. Fleeing Simón Bolívar's independence movements in South America, Spanish loyalists fled to Puerto Rico - a fiercely conservative Spanish colony during the early 1800s. French families also flocked20 here from both Louisiana and Haiti. As changing governments or violent revolutions depressed the economies of Scotland and Ireland, many farmers from those countries also journeyed to Puerto Rico in search of a better life. During the mid-19th century, labor was needed to build roads. Initially21, Chinese workers were imported for this task, followed by workers from such countries as Italy, France, Germany, and even Lebanon. American expatriates22 came to the island after 1898. Long after Spain had lost control of Puerto Rico, Spanish immigrants continued to arrive on the island. The most significant new immigrant population arrived in the 1960s, when thousands of Cubans fled from Fidel Castro's Communist state. The latest arrivals to Puerto Rico have come from the economically depressed Dominican Republic. Education: Education is a matter of high priority for Puerto Rico, it is evident in the island's overall literacy rate of 90 percent and its budget for education, approximately 40 percent. Education is obligatory23 between 6 to 17 years old. Primary school consists of six grades; the secondary levels is divided into 2 cycles of 3 years each. The school system is administered by the Department of Education and has several levels of 17 erworben 18einheimisch 19 weit entfernt 20 strömten 21 Zuerst 22 im Ausland lebenden -4- "Gerald Gutscher" [email protected] Puerto Rico Gerald Gutscher 01.10.00 learning. The language used in the schools is Spanish, however, English is taught from kindergarten to high school as part of the school curriculum24. Puerto Rico has more than 50 institutions of higher education. Puerto Rico has achieved one of the highest college education rates in the world (6th) with 56% of its college-age students attending institutions of higher learning, according25 to World Bank data. Religion: The Constitution guarantees freedom for all faiths. The major religions are: Catholic (85%), Protestants (8%), non religious (2.3%), and others (3%). Some islanders ascribe to spiritualism (espiritismo), and others practice Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean belief system brought to Puerto Rico from Cuba. There is also a small Jewish community. History: XV century Taino Indians who inhabited the territory, called the island Boriken or Borinquen which means: "the great land of the valiant and noble Lord. Today this word -used in various modifications- is still popularly used to designate26 the people and island of Puerto Rico. The Taino Indians , who came from South America, inhabited the major portion of the island when the Spaniards arrived. 1493 Christopher Columbus discovered the island in his second voyage to the New World (Nov. 19). He found the island populated by as many as 60,000 Taino or Arawak Indians. The Taíno Indians who greeted Columbus made a big mistake when they showed him gold nuggets in the river and told him to take all he wanted. Originally the newcomers called the island "San Juan", for St. John the Baptist and the town Puerto Rico. It was not until later that the two names were switched. Thanks in part to the enthusiasm of ambitious Juan Ponce de León, a lieutenant to Columbus, the city of Puerto Rico ("rich port") quickly became Spain's most important military outpost in the Caribbean. 1508 Spanish colonization begins. 1511 The Taíno Indians revolt against Spaniards with no success. Ponce de León orders 6,000 23 obligatorisch 24 Lehrplan 25 zufolge 26 ernennen -5- "Gerald Gutscher" [email protected] Puerto Rico Gerald Gutscher 01.10.00 shot; survivors flee to mountains or leave island. 1512 The Burgos Law was issued on Dec 27, by Ferdinand II, the Catholic, of Aragon, regulated relations between Spaniards and the conquered Indians, particularly to ensure the spiritual and material welfare of the latter27, who were often severely treated.