Cantsbean Year Book 1978-79
COMMONWEALTH
PUERTO
POME
RICO
The Commonwealth of
PUERTO RICO
Capital: San Juan.
449
RICO
PUERTO
THE COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO includes the island of Puerto Rico, the island of Vieques (ar Crab Island), the islands of Culebra and Mona and a number of small islets and cays. It is an Overseas Commonwealth, an English term literally translated from the Spanish as "a free and associated State" of the United States of America.
It lies at the north of the Caribbean sea about a thousand miles south-east of Miami between the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and the Virgin Islands which give it some shelter from the open Atlantic.
The Coat of Arms (or seal) of Puerto Rico has its foundation in the Seal granted by Ferdinand of Aragon in 1511, the first ever granted to a Spanish Colony by its overlords. Its symbols include a lamb and a motto representing St John the Baptist for whom Columbus originally named the island, and signifying Peace and Brotherhood; a yoke and arrows which were the personal device of the Spanish sovereigns (yugo or yoke for Ysabel and flechas for Ferdinand) representing mutual affection, unity and a spirit of great achievement; lions and castles representing Leon and Castile, Isabella's hereditary kingdoms; crusader's crosses signifying the great struggle by which Ferdinand and Isabella conquered the Moors; and flags depicting the coats of arms of the various kingdoms then under their reign. A Government Committe studying the coat of arms is expected to recommend some changes in the sketch shown in an effort to produce a more authentic design.
The Flag of Puerto Rico, adopted by its legislative Assembly in 1952, is made up of five equal horizontal stripes broken by a blue equilateral triangle with the right hand side of the flag as its base and bearing in its centre a white five-pointed star.
The upper, lower and centre stripes are red, the other two, white.
Contents
The Islands
Government
Public and Social Services
450
452
454
Public Utilities
Communications
455
456
Natural Resources
Industries
Finance
Trade and Commerce
Newspapers and Periodicals
Business Directory
458
...
459
461 463
Travel and Tourist Information
469
470
471
Updated by: Earl Copeland Jr.
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ANIVERSARIO
PUERTO
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RICO
SAN JUAN
The coat-of-arms of San Juan, left, carries the words, "For its steadfastness, love and fidelity, this city is mos nobie and most loyal,” an_bonor conferred on the city by Carlos IV for its defense #gainst British invasion in 1797. Above, is embium representing the 450th anniversary of the founding of San Juan in 1521.
History
The island of Puerto Rico was first visited by Christopher Columbus in 1493. The original Indian name of the island was Boriquén, transformed in the course of years to Borinquen-a word which persists in the names of many local firms, societies and enterprises. The island was named San Juan Bautista by Columbus and the city that then served as the island's only port of entry was named Puerto Rico (Rich Port). In time, these names were reversed, the island being called Puerto Rico, and the port city San Juan Bautista, or, simply, San Juan. The island was first colon- ised by a group of settlers under the command of Juan Ponce de Leon, the discoverer of Florida in 1509, who settled at Caparra across the bay from the present old San Juan. Although the original seven- square-block colonial city was taken by the British for three months in 1596 - a Dutch attempt failed, as did another British attempt- the island was never occupied by any European Power save Spain, and remained a Spanish dependency until 1898, when it was ceded to the United States of America at the close of the Spanish-American War under the provisions of the Treaty of Paris.
Puerto Rico entered the commonwealth of the United States as an unincorporated territory directly under the supervision of the U.S. Congress. On July 3, 1950, President Truman signed legislation
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