Puerto Rico, formally the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit. 'Free Associated State of Puerto Rico,') is a Caribbean island and unincorporated territory of the United States. It is situated in the northeast Caribbean Sea, roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami, Florida.
The Commonwealth is an archipelago in the Greater Antilles situated between the Dominican Republic and the United States. It consists of the namesake main island and numerous other islands, including Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. San Juan, the capital and most largest city, with a population of around 3.2 million people. The official languages of the executive branch of government are Spanish and English, with Spanish predominating.
Puerto Rico was initially populated by a series of indigenous peoples between 2,000 and 4,000 years ago, including the Ortoiroid, Saladoid, and Tano. Following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493, it was colonized by Spain. Other European nations challenged Puerto Rico, but it remained a Spanish territory for the next four centuries. The arrival of African slaves and immigrants, particularly from the Canary Islands and Andalusia, drastically altered the island's cultural and demographic environment. Puerto Rico, in comparison to wealthy colonies like Peru and New Spain, had a minor yet vital position within the Spanish Empire. By the late nineteenth century, an unique Puerto Rican identity started to form, focusing on a mix of indigenous, African, and European components. Following the Spanish–American War in 1898, the United States conquered Puerto Rico.
Puerto Ricans have been US citizens since 1917 and may travel freely between the island and the mainland. However, as inhabitants of an unincorporated territory, American citizens of Puerto Rico are disenfranchised at the national level, do not vote for president or vice president, and typically do not pay federal income tax. Puerto Rico, like four other territory, sends a nonvoting representative to the US Congress. Because Puerto Rico is not a state, it does not have a vote in Congress, which controls it under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950. In 1952, Congress passed a local constitution that allowed US people living on the island to vote for a governor. The existing and future political status of Puerto Rico has long been a source of contention.
Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, the United States government, in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company, initiated a series of economic programs aimed at transforming Puerto Rico into an industrial high-income economy. The International Monetary Fund classifies it as a developed jurisdiction with an advanced, high-income economy; it ranks 40th on the Human Development Index. Manufacturing (mainly pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and electronics) is the largest sector of the Puerto Rican economy, followed by services (namely tourism and hospitality).