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Puerto Rico |
With its 3,977,663 people Puerto Rico is the 129th largest country in the world by population. It is the 162nd largest country by area with 13,790 square kilometers. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status.
Check out the recommended reading list below for great sources of information on Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay)
Jorge Rigau
Fodor's Puerto Rico (Full-color Travel Guide)
Fodor's
Puerto Rico (True Books)
Howard Gutner
Lonely Planet Puerto Rico (Regional Travel Guide)
Nate Cavalieri
Puerto Rico (Insight Guides)
Sarah Cameron
Puerto Rico Remembered
Dr. Fernando Pico
Puerto Rico Mio
Arturo Carrion
Islands Under Fire: The Improbable Quest to Save the Corals of Puerto Rico
Kevin McCarey
Moon Spotlight San Juan & Puerto Rico's East Coast: Including Vieques & Culebra
Suzanne Van Atten
Frommer's Puerto Rico Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day - Pocket)
John Marino