About Puerto Rico
Government
Puerto Rico is a non-incorporated territory of the United States of America that has fiscal autonomy and operates under the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It has one of the most stable governments of the American Hemisphere.
The Constitution of the Commonwealth establishes separation of powers among three branches: the executive, the legislative and the judicial. The executive branch is directed by a Governor, who is elected every four years through general elections. The Governor, in turn, names his constitutional cabinet. The legislative branch is formed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, both of which, like the Governor, are elected every four years. Puerto Rico constitutes a District of the Federal Judicial System and it has its own U.S. District Court. The highest ranking court at the local level is the Puerto Rico Supreme Court.
The government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has responsibilities that are similar to those of the states of the United States. Areas such as currency, defense, foreign relations, and inter-state commerce, among others, fall under Federal jurisdiction. Puerto Rico residents do not vote in the U.S. national elections, but they have representation in the U.S. Congress through a Resident Commissioner, who has voice but no vote in that body.
Relationship with the United States of America
Puerto Rico fell under U.S. sovereignty on December 10, 1898, through the Treatise of Paris. On 1917, Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship. Following a long evolution, during which more autonomy for Puerto Rico was sought, the U.S. Congress enacted in 1950 Public Act 600, which authorized Puerto Ricans to write and approve their own Constitution. It was written by a Constitutional Assembly and it entered into effect on July 25, 1952. The Government of Puerto Rico has basically the same level of control over its internal affairs that any state of the United States. The differences show in areas such as not voting for the general national U.S. elections and in that the majority of Federal taxes do not apply to the Island.
Geography
Puerto Rico is located in the Northeast of the Caribbean and to the West of the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles is an almost-rectangular island, with a surface of about 3,435 square miles (about 9,000 squared kilometers). The mountainous terrain occupies just over 60% of the surface. Puerto Rico has almost 800 superficial running waterways; the largest ones are on the northern zone of the Island. This zone is humid and less warm than the southern zone thanks to the sea wind coming from the Bermudas to the North of Puerto Rico. This makes, in turn, the southern region and coast more dry and warmer than those to the East, North and West.
Climate
The average temperature is of 83°F (22.7°C) in the winter and 85°F (29.4°C) in the summer. Therefore, the climate of the Island is tropical.
Currency
The currency used in Puerto Rico is the U.S. dollar.
Municipalities and population.
Puerto Rico has a total of 78 municipalities and a population of 3.9 million inhabitants. Its capital is San Juan, which is located on the north coast of the Island and it has a population of more than 442,400 inhabitants.
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