Portal:Puerto Rico
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Arts · Biography · Geography · History · Mathematics · Philosophy · Science · Society · Technology The Puerto Rico PortalPuerto Rico (Spanish for '"Rich Port"'; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit. "Free Associated State of Puerto Rico") and briefly called Porto Rico, is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami, Florida. An archipelago among the Greater Antilles, located between the Dominican Republic and the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico includes the eponymous main island and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. The capital and most populous city is San Juan. The territory's total population is approximately 3.4 million, more than 21 U.S. states. Spanish and English are the official languages of the executive branch of government, though Spanish predominates. Originally populated by the indigenous Taíno people, Puerto Rico was colonized by Spain following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493. It was contested by the French, Dutch, and British, but remained a Spanish possession for the next four centuries. The island's cultural and demographic landscapes were shaped by the displacement and assimilation of the native population, the forced migration of African slaves, and settlement from the Canary Islands and Andalusia. In the Spanish Empire, Puerto Rico played a secondary but strategic role compared to wealthier colonies like Peru and New Spain. Spain's distant administrative control continued up to the end of the 19th century, producing a distinctive creole Hispanic culture and language that combined indigenous, African, and European elements. On September 23, 1868, Ramón Emeterio Betances unleashed a revolt against Spanish rule, declaring for the first time the idea of Puerto Ricans as a distinct people, with right to sovereignty. This revolt, known as El Grito de Lares, was eventually put down by Spanish forces, but the movement continued. In 1898, following the Spanish–American War, the United States acquired Puerto Rico under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Since then, Puerto Rico has remained an unincorporated territorial possession, making it the world's oldest colony. Puerto Ricans have been citizens of the United States since 1917, and can move freely between the island and the mainland. As it is not a state, Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the United States Congress, which governs the territory with full jurisdiction under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950. However, Puerto Rico does have one non-voting member of the House called a Resident Commissioner. As residents of a U.S. territory, American citizens in Puerto Rico are disenfranchised at the national level and do not vote for the president or vice president of the United States, and only some residents pay federal income tax. Like other territories and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico does not have U.S. senators. Congress approved a local constitution in 1952, allowing U.S. citizens of the territory to elect a governor. Puerto Rico's future political status has consistently been a matter of significant debate.
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Selected article -
Selected biography -
Ángel Daniel Vassallo Colón (born April 21, 1986) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. After completing his high school education, he played for the Tigers of Hargrave Military Academy, reaching the preparatory national finals. Vassallo joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association playing for Virginia Tech. Throughout his college career, Vassallo received several recognitions, including two All-ACC second team inclusions. He finished fifth in the campus' all-time scoring list. In his first Baloncesto Superior Nacional season, Vassallo averaged 25.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game for the Criollos de Caguas. He made his LNB debut for Paris-Levallois Basket, leading the team to the playoffs. Vassallo has been an All-Star player in both the BSN and LNB.
He has been a member of the Puerto Rico national basketball team since his teenage years, representing Puerto Rico in the 2003 FIBA World Championship for Junior Men and the 2005 FIBA U-21 World Championship. In 2008, Vassallo joined the senior team, playing at the 2008 Centrobasket, FIBA Americas Championship 2009 and 2010 FIBA World Championship. Read more...Did you know -
- ... that Félix Rigau Carrera was the first Puerto Rican pilot and the first pilot to fly on air mail carrying duties in Puerto Rico?[1]
- ... that Melliangee Pérez was awarded the Soprano of the Year award by UNESCO?[2]
- ... that Irem Poventud was the first Puerto Rican to perform in the San Francisco Opera House?[3]
- ... that Margarita Castro Alberty was the recipient of the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation, Baltimore Opera Guild, Chicago Opera Guide and Metropolitan Opera Guild awards?[4]
- ... that in 1909, Elisa Rivera Díaz and Ana Janer became the first Puerto Rican female doctors?[5]
- ... that in 1919, Luisa Capetillo was the first woman to publicly wear pants in Puerto Rico and that she was sent to jail for it?
- ... that the Father of Black History in the United States was Arturo Schomburg who was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1874?
- ... that Blanca Canales may possibly have been the first woman to have led a revolt against the United States when she led the Jayuya Uprising?[6]
- ... that Marie Teresa Ríos, the mother of Medal of Honor recipient Humbert Roque Versace, was the author of the book The Fifteen Pelicans and that popular 1960s television sitcom The Flying Nun was based on her book?
- ... that Sylvia Méndez at age eight played an instrumental role in the Mendez v. Westminster case, the landmark desegregation case of 1946, which successfully ended de jure segregation in California[7] and paved the way for integration and the American civil rights movement?[8]
General images
'La escuela del Maestro Cordero' by Puerto Rican artist Francisco Oller.
Map of the departments of Puerto Rico during Spanish provincial times (1886).
Selected quote -
| “ | We should not be forced to give up our children's U.S. citizenship so that we can get a fuller measure of self-government. | ” |
| — Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, eighth elected and ex Governor of Puerto Rico, in U. S. Senate hearings on Puerto Rico's sovereignty (June 23, 1998.) | ||
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How you can help
- Add content to all articles on Puerto Rico's municipalities.
- Join WikiProject Puerto Rico today!
Related Wikimedia
Sources
- ^ joseosvaldo@freeyellow.com Félix Rigau Carrera, (Spanish)
- ^ Laura Rey: Soprano From Puerto Rico Wins Met's Gulf Coast Regional Finals; National Semifinals Next For 22-Year-Old. Keith Marshall. PuertoRico-Herald. February 17, 2003. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ San Francisco Opera Performance Archive, retrieved October 3, 2013
- ^ Proyecto Salon Hogar, retrieved October 3, 2013
- ^ "LA MUJER EN LAS PROFESIONES DE SALUD (1898-1930); By: YAMILA AZIZE VARGAS1 and LUIS ALBERTO AVILES; PRHSJ Vol, 9 No. 1
- ^ Blanca Canales
- ^ Geisler, Lindsey (September 11, 2006). "Mendez case paved way for Brown v. Board". Topeka Capital-Journal.
- ^ "Sauceda, Isis (March 28, 2007). "Cambio Historico (Historic Change)". People en Espanol (in Spanish): 111–112.
