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By CH30 Published: December 14, 2008
 Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is composed of an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys, the largest of which are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. 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 Ricans often call the island Borinquen, from Borikén, its indigenous Taíno name. The island is also popularly known as "La Isla del Encanto", which translated means "The Island of Enchantment."
The first settlers were the Ortoiroid people, an Archaic Period culture of Amerindian hunters and fishermen. Between AD 120 and 400 arrived the Igneri, a tribe from the South American Orinoco region. Between the 4th and 10th centuries, the Arcaicos and Igneri co-existed (and perhaps clashed) on the island. Between the 7th and 11th centuries the Taíno culture developed on the island, and by approximately 1000 AD had become dominant. This lasted until Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. When Christopher Columbus arrived in Puerto Rico during his second voyage on November 19, 1493, the island was inhabited by a group of Arawak Indians known as Taínos. They called the island "Borikén". Columbus named the island San Juan Bautista, in honor of Saint John the Baptist. Later the island took the name of Puerto Rico (Spanish for "Rich Port") while the capital was named San Juan.
On July 25, 1898, during the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States with a landing at Guánica. As an outcome of the war, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam to the U.S. under the Treaty of Paris. The United States and Puerto Rico thus began a long-standing relationship. Puerto Rico began the 20th century under the military rule of the U.S. with officials, including the governor, appointed by the President of the United States. As a result of their new U.S. citizenship, many Puerto Ricans were drafted into World War I and all subsequent wars with U.S. participation.
Puerto Rico has been under U.S. sovereignty for over a century and Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917. Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Supreme Court's Insular Cases opinion, is “a territory appurtenant and belonging to the United States, but not a part of the United States.”
The official languages are Spanish and English with Spanish being the primary language. English is taught as a second language in public schools from elementary levels to high school and in universities. In private schools most teach English as the first language and spanish as the second from elementary levels to high school and in universities. The Roman Catholic Church has been historically the dominant religion in Puerto Rico.
Find out more about Puerto Rico at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico
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