Puerto Rico is a Caribbean country
Puerto Rico is a Caribbean country, formerly one of the Spanish colonies, which today has the status of a Freely Associated state, but at the same time is located on the territory controlled by the United States. Despite the formal independence, the influence of America in these places is still quite noticeable: they teach English here, profess Catholicism, pay with dollars – in general, they do everything to please a stronger neighbor. Puerto Rico is an island state, most of the population of which lives on the island of the same name. Less significant land areas that are part of the country include the islands of Vieques, Desecheo, Caja de Muertos, Culebra and Mona.
For tourists
For most travelers, this sultry piece of Central America is associated, first of all, with cozy beaches, the ultramarine shade of the sea surface, pina colada and the groovy rhythms of salsa. Despite the fact that Puerto Rico is still inferior in popularity to the neighboring Dominican Republic, you can relax here no worse. And the notorious exotics, which usually attract tourists to the Caribbean, are in abundance in this country, whether it is local nature or national cuisine. Add to this the architectural heritage of the colonial past, the obligatory Latin American carnivals and the best rum in the world and you will understand why most downshifters are aiming for Puerto Rico.
History of Puerto Rico
The history of the country is not much different from the history of other Caribbean colonies. With the appearance of European conquerors on the islands, the local Indian culture of Taino was almost destroyed. The already unenviable situation of the indigenous population was aggravated by the Spanish conquistadors, who declared the territories of Puerto Rico their own colony and brought black slaves here, and with them new diseases. As a result, most of the Indians died as a result of epidemics and hard labor on cane plantations. Gradually, the insignificant remnants of the representatives of the Taino culture mixed with Europeans and African slaves, thus giving an impetus to the emergence of a new nation – the Puerto Ricans.
The very name "Puerto Rico" translates as "rich port". At first, this was the name of the administrative center of the colony, but gradually the sonorous phrase was fixed for the entire island. In 1898, after a military-armed conflict, Spain ceded this section of the Caribbean Islands to the United States. From that moment, an active process of emigration of the local population to the Country of Freedom began in Puerto Rico, flavored with a very sluggish struggle for independence. In 1952, an attempt on the American president, arranged by Puerto Rican separatists, gave the country the opportunity to acquire its own constitution and the status of an associated territory, with which it still exists.
The very name "Puerto Rico" translates as "rich port". At first, this was the name of the administrative center of the colony, but gradually the sonorous phrase was fixed for the entire island. In 1898, after a military-armed conflict, Spain ceded this section of the Caribbean Islands to the United States. From that moment, an active process of emigration of the local population to the Country of Freedom began in Puerto Rico, flavored with a very sluggish struggle for independence. In 1952, an attempt on the American president, arranged by Puerto Rican separatists, gave the country the opportunity to acquire its own constitution and the status of an associated territory, with which it still exists.
Economy
Economists often call Puerto Rico "the poorest American state". At the same time, the modern state has long been not an exclusively agrarian country, which has nothing to put on the world market, except sugar cane and rum. At the beginning of the XX century, the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries began to actively develop in Puerto Rico, to which tourism was later added, which today constitutes the main income of the state. However, the standard of living of the islanders is still far from meeting the American realities. In addition, Puerto Rico is included in the list of debtor countries that almost never manage to repay the amount borrowed to creditors, so defaults are common for this state. The United States does not allow the "rich port" to completely drown in debt, from time to time extending a financial assistance hand to an unlucky neighbor.
Nature and climate
For the fashionable eco-tourism destination in Puerto Rico today, if not a paradise, then something very reminiscent of it. Covered with impenetrable tropical thickets, dotted with stormy rivers and washed by the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, the local islands have an incredible magic of attraction. In addition, some of them remain uninhabited to this day, which attracts downshifters and all seekers of secluded places here.
If you have watched all the documentaries of National Geographic and are firmly convinced that you know all the animals of the planet "by sight", Puerto Rico will dispel your arrogance. About 239 species of animals, 16 species of birds, and 39 species of reptiles and amphibians living on the territory of this small state are not found in any other corner of the globe. By the way, the best place to explore the local biosphere is protected areas and national parks, of which there are as many as seven in tiny Puerto Rico. And this is not only the traditional tropical jungle, most often seen on the advertising brochures of travel agencies, but also entire islands with their unique flora and fauna, as well as karst areas entangled in a network of underground labyrinths.
Puerto Rico belongs to the zone with a mild tropical marine climate, which is characterized by slight temperature fluctuations. The average annual thermometer in this part of the Caribbean does not fall below +28 °C. From June to November, weather conditions slightly worsen due to the traditional arrival of Atlantic hurricanes.
If you have watched all the documentaries of National Geographic and are firmly convinced that you know all the animals of the planet "by sight", Puerto Rico will dispel your arrogance. About 239 species of animals, 16 species of birds, and 39 species of reptiles and amphibians living on the territory of this small state are not found in any other corner of the globe. By the way, the best place to explore the local biosphere is protected areas and national parks, of which there are as many as seven in tiny Puerto Rico. And this is not only the traditional tropical jungle, most often seen on the advertising brochures of travel agencies, but also entire islands with their unique flora and fauna, as well as karst areas entangled in a network of underground labyrinths.
Puerto Rico belongs to the zone with a mild tropical marine climate, which is characterized by slight temperature fluctuations. The average annual thermometer in this part of the Caribbean does not fall below +28 °C. From June to November, weather conditions slightly worsen due to the traditional arrival of Atlantic hurricanes.
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