Visit Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a self-governing Commonwealth that is part of the US, yet sits in the Caribbean. The country, with a population of 3.9 million, was invaded by the US in 1898 further to centuries of Spanish rule, and following Columbus' claim of the land for Spain in 1493. The influx of Spanish pioneers caused the decline of the Taino Indian population and today its people are primarily white (80%) with the remainder black (8%), Amerindian (.4%), Asian (.2%), mixed (4.2%) and other (6.7%).

The capital, San Juan, is one of its main tourism hot spots. The second oldest European-founded city in the Americas, it contains one of the biggest natural harbours in the Caribbean. As a result, San Juan is the largest cruise port in the world.

The tourism industry earns the island up to 2 million visitors each year and with locations like the eastern region's El Yunque, known as the Caribbean National Forest, the western region's Boqueron Beach, with its pristine waters, and the largest city in the Southern region of the country, Ponce, which is rich in heritage and colonial architecture, its no wonder why.

Country: Puerto Rico
Population: 3.9 million
Currency: U.S. Dollar
Language: Spanish
Religion: Roman Catholic
Area size: 13.700 square km's
Capital: San Juan