

A giant telescope: Puerto Rico is also home to the largest single-aperture telescope ever constructed – “the Arecibo Observatory.” It has 40,000 aluminum panels, each measuring three feet by six feet. If you want to visit the island, also be aware that Barceloneta is famous for its blue sand beaches.ġ5. Barceloneta is also known as the “pineapple city” because of its extensive pineapple plantations.ġ4. Wondering why? The water in Barceloneta is so pure that it requires very little treatment for use in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products.ġ3. Barceloneta in Puerto Rico has the biggest pharmaceutical complex in the world (14 industries). However, it was changed back to “Puerto Rico” in 1931.ġ2. Change of name: The island’s name was changed to “Porto Rico” in 1898 by the U.S. The country’s population grew from 155,428 in 1800 to nearly one million in the 19 th century.ġ1. acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris. planned to purchase Puerto Rico for a sum of $160 million? However, Spain refused (Puerto Rico was under Spanish treaty at the time).ĩ. Christopher Columbus named the island “San Juan Bautista” for St. Before his arrival, the archipelago was inhabited by Taíno Indians, who called it ‘Borinquen.’ħ. Before discovery: It is notable here that Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, one year before discovering Puerto Rico. During his journey, he stayed on the island for two days.Ħ. Discovered by Columbus: Puerto Rico was first discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, and several invasion attempts were made by the French, Dutch, and British. Puerto Rico was one of Spain’s last two colonies in the New World (the other being Cuba).ĥ. However, after the accidental death of a civilian, the area was abandoned as a Navy base and eventually became a wildlife reserve. The Navy used the area extensively for bombing and military training purposes. Slaves were imported from Africa to help with the production of cattle, sugar cane, coffee and tobacco on the island.ģ. The name Puerto Rico (rich port) is derived from the abundant gold that the initial Spanish settlers found on the island.Ģ.

With these 77 interesting facts about Puerto Rico, let’s learn about its history, culture, people, beaches, wildlife, trade, economy, caves, food, flag and more. It is an archipelago consisting of the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands. Its official currency is the United States dollar (USD). Spanish and English are its official languages. Its capital and largest city is San Juan. Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea.
