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Overview of Puerto Rico's History and Culture

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the Caribbean Sea. It is an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico as well as smaller islands like Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. Originally populated by indigenous Taíno people, Puerto Rico was claimed by Spain in 1493 and remained under Spanish colonial rule for over 400 years, developing a unique creole culture with influences from Native Americans, Africans, and Iberians. Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 after the Spanish-American War.

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Corina Taraș-Lungu
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13 views1 page

Overview of Puerto Rico's History and Culture

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the Caribbean Sea. It is an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico as well as smaller islands like Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. Originally populated by indigenous Taíno people, Puerto Rico was claimed by Spain in 1493 and remained under Spanish colonial rule for over 400 years, developing a unique creole culture with influences from Native Americans, Africans, and Iberians. Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 after the Spanish-American War.

Uploaded by

Corina Taraș-Lungu
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Puerto Rico[a] (Spanish for "Rich Port"), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto

Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit. "Free Associated State of Puerto
Rico")[b] and briefly called Porto Rico,[c][16][17][18] is an unincorporated territory of the United
States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea.
An archipelago among the Greater Antilles, Puerto Rico includes the main island of Puerto Rico and
a number of smaller ones, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. The capital and most populous
city is San Juan. Its official languages are Spanish and English, though Spanish
predominates.[19] The island's population is approximately 3.4 million. Puerto Rico's history, tropical
climate, diverse natural scenery, traditional cuisine, and tax incentives make it a destination for
travelers from around the world.
Originally populated by the indigenous Tano people, the island was claimed in 1493 by Christopher
Columbus for the Crown of Castileduring his second voyage. Later it endured invasion attempts from
the French, Dutch, and British. Four centuries of Spanish colonial government transformed the
island's ethnic, cultural and physical landscapes primarily with waves of African slaves, Canarian,
and Andalusian settlers. In the Spanish imperial imagination, Puerto Rico played a secondary, but
strategic role when compared to wealthier colonies like Peru and the mainland parts of New
Spain.[20][21] Spain's distant administrative control continued up to the end of the 19th century, helping
to produce a distinctive creole Hispanic culture and language that combined elements from the
Native Americans, Africans, and Iberians.[22] In 1898, following the SpanishAmerican War,
the United States acquired Puerto Rico under the terms of the Treaty of Paris.

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