About Puerto Rico

 

Overview

Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico") is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States. The island is located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands.

The main island of Puerto Rico is the smallest by land area and second smallest by population among the four Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico). Puerto Rico is also composed of a number of smaller islands and keys, the largest of which are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona.

Puerto Ricans often call the island Borinquen, from “Borikén”, its indigenous Taíno name. The terms “boricua” and “borincano” derive from Borikén and Borinquen respectively, and are commonly used to identify someone of Puerto Rican heritage.

Puerto Rican culture is a mix of four cultures, African (from the slaves), Taíno (Amerindians), Spanish, and more recently, North American.

The island is also popularly known as "La Isla del Encanto", which translated means "The Island of Enchantment."