Puerto Rico at a Glance Capitol Building, San Juan, P.R The island Located in the northern Caribbean 1,050 miles of Miami Encompassing 3,492 square miles. It is similar in size to Connecticut Its 3.8 million population equals Arizona and Kentucky The capital city, San Juan, has nearly 500,000 residents Metropolitan San Juan boasts a population of over 1.6 million Temperatures average 75F in Winter, 81F in Summer Government Local self-governing territory under the US constitution Divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches General elections are held every four years Federal courts and agencies operate in Puerto Rico in the same manner as the 50 states Citizenship Puerto Ricans have been statutory US citizens since 1917 They have no voting representation in Congress and can't vote for the president They receive lower levels of federal benefits but don't pay federal income taxes Their future US citizenship and nationality is not guaranteed Language English and Spanish have been official languages since 1902 English is taught from first through twelfth grade 50% of all Puerto Ricans over the age of 5 speak English and Spanish 85% of Post -Secondary school students speak English and Spanish Federal courts and agencies use English Local governmental affairs are conducted in English and Spanish English is the language of Commerce Society 100 year tradition of cultural integration with mainland society Island has a Latin American and Caribbean historical and cultural heritage stemming from 400 years of Spanish rule 99% of the population is Christian, 80% are Catholic Education 86% of the student population is enrolled in public schools The balance attend private schools One of the world's highest post-secondary enrollments with students attending 29 private and 6 public institutions There are also 16 vocational and technological training institutes Voter Participation Over 80% of eligible voters cast ballots in the island's 1996 general elections Politics Political party alignment follows status preference The Commonwealth party (PPD) and the Statehood Party (PNP) have alternated the governorship since 1968 The Independence Party (PIP) has never won a gubernatorial election and received about 4% of the vote in 1996 Pro Statehood PNP Governor Rossello was re-elected with 51.8% of the vote, the first time a governor received a majority since 1968 Republicans and Democrats are members of all parties Economy Manufacturing (41.5%), service (38.2%) and government (10.4%) lead the economy The currency is the U.S. dollar The gross domestic product was $42.4 B in 1995 The gross national product was $28.4 B in 1995 The average family income is $26,266.00 (1999). Trade Total exports/imports surpassed $38 B in 1994 Puerto Rico had a $4.6 B trade surplus that year The island is one of the leading world customers for U.S. consumer products and industrial material, $12.1 B worth Puerto Rican exports to the U.S. exceeded $21.1 B in 1995 Borders Puerto Ricans do not need U.S. passports or visas to travel to or live on the mainland 2.5M Americans of Puerto Rican descent reside on the U.S. mainland There are no customs duties on products shipped to or from the U.S. mainland Defense Puerto Ricans have served in the U.S. armed forces since1917 Over 200,000 have fought in all U.S. wars since WWI More than 2,000 have made the supreme sacrifice Four were awarded the congressional medal of honor Roosevelt Roads Naval Base is a U.S. Defense cornerstone Ft. Buchanon is the tactical home of the U.S. Army's Southern Command Transport San Juan is one of the world's 20 busiest container ports It is also among the world's leading cruise ship ports Munoz Marin International Airport is among the top 33 U.S. passenger airports and 21st in cargo handling Puerto Rico Websites Puerto Rico by Magaly Rivera. The Voice of the People: Referendum Results by Manuel Alvarez Historic Letter from Congress to the Local Legislature on the 1993 Plebiscite process: Response Letter to Resolution 62 - February 29, 1996 John Hernández's Puerto Rico Webpage Agoré Telematica's Puerto Rico Webpage Puerto Rican Web Pages on Yahoo Self-Determination Legislation | Puerto Rico Herald Home Newsstand | Puerto Rico | U.S. Government | Archives Search | Mailing List | Contact Us | Feedback