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The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is an unincorporated territory of the United States.
Puerto Rico was colonized by Spain the late 1400s and remained a Spanish colony for four centuries. In 1898, the United States of America acquired Puerto Rico under the terms of the peace treaty that ended the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans didn’t become citizens of the United States until 1917.
Where is Puerto Rico?
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is an archipelgo located in the north-eastern part of the Caribbean Sea, roughly 1,600 km south-east of Miami, Florida, USA.
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico consists of the main island, which is called Puerto Rico, and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques.
What’s the official language in Puerto Rico?
Both English and Spanish are official languages in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, but Spanish is the everyday language for over 90% of the population.
What’s the official currency in Puerto Rico?
The United States Dollar (USD).
Tourism
In September 2017, Puerto Rico was seriously battered by Hurricane Maria which caused widespread destruction to the infrastructure of the island. Prospective visitors are therefore encouraged to obtain up-to-date information about the situation before booking their trip, e.g. to find out if electricity is reliably available in the part or parts of the island that they wish to visit. As of March 2018, electricity had been restored to 90% of the island but the electric grid was still in pretty bad shape.
All airports on Puerto Rico are back in operation after the hurricane, and Luis Munoz Marin International Airport has been handling the full number of flights since the summer of 2018.
Flyging in
Many large cities in the United States have direct flights to Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico is also used as a hub for getting to other parts of the Caribbean. Puerto Rico’s main airport is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (IATA: SJU) in Carolina, not far from the capital San Juan. The island is also home to smaller airports in the cities Aguadilla and Ponce, which are chiefly used by charter flights and by low-cost airlines such as Spirit and Jet Blue.
Cruise ships
In an average year, more than a million passengers visit Puerto Rico as a part of their cruise ship vacation.
Ferry
A ferry connects the port town Mayaguez in Puerto Rico with Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic (on the island Hispaniola).
There is also a daily ferry connection between Puerot Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Using the ferries is an easy and afforable way to enjoy more than one island during a vacation in the Caribbean.
Casino gambling in Puerto Rico
Casino gambling is legal in Puerto Rico, and the legal gambling age is 18. A majority of the casinos are located in the San Juan metropolitan area, but you can also visit the casinos in places such as Ponce and Mayagüez. San Juan have several luxury hotel with very glitzy casinos.
Tips! Horse race betting is also legal in Puerto Rico and there is a race track on the island. Cockfighting and betting on cockfights is also legal and regulated, and there are cockfighting areanas scattered throughout the island.
Examples of casinos in the San Juan metropolitan area
- San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino in Condado. Condado is an oceanfront, pedestrian-oriented community in Santurce in San Juan.
- Embassy Suites Hotel & Casino in Carolina’s Isla Verde area. Isla Verde (Green Island) in the municipality Carolina, is just west of San Juan, and not far from Puerto Rico’s main airport.
- El San Juan Resort & Casino (Hilton Hotel) in Carolina’s Isla Verede area
- Ritz-Carlton San Juan Hotel & Casino in Carolina’s Isla Verede area
- Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar in Dorado. Dorado is a town at the northern coast of the island, just 24 km west of San Juan.
- Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Casino Country Club in Dorado
- Casino Doral Resort at Palmas Del Mar in Humacao. Humacao is a municipality on the eastern coast of the island.
Examples of casinos in Mayagüez
- Holiday Inn Tropical Casino Mayagüez
- Mayagüez Resort & Casino
Examples of casinos in Ponce
- Ponce Plaza Hotel & Casino
- Holiday Inn and El Tropical Casino
- Ponce Hilton & Casino
Good to know about Puerto Rico
Size: 9,104 km2 (3,515 sq mi)
Population: Circa 3.2 million according to the 2018 estimate
Capital: San Juan
Most populous city: San Juan
Official languages: Spanish, English
Official currency: USD
Time zone: UTC -4 (Atlantic Timeo Zone), DST is not observed
Driving side: Right
Internet top level domain: .pr
ISO 3166 code: PR