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recognizing the right of people to frame and approve their own Con- stitution, with greater control of their own affairs. The proposed new Constitution was approved by a Constitutional Convention in San Juan in February, 1952, and by a national plebiscite in the island in the following month. After approval by the U.S. Congress it was signed by President Truman on July 3, and formally proclaimed in San Juan on July 25.
Thus Puerto Rico is the first overseas commonwealth territory (defined as a free and associated State") of the United States of America.
As the populace of a
Commonwealth " territory the Puerto- ricans have enjoyed a steadily rising standard of living, and United States citizenship without the disadvantage of liability for Federal income taxes. The territory however cannot, with this statuts, qualify for international recognition as an indepen- dent state, become a fully fledged Spanish-speaking State of the Union, or qualify for legislative representation in Washington; ·
Nationalist all of which may effect the
pride and offend against its urge to fight vassaldom but offer the counter advantage of not having to meet the considerable expenditures which accompany international recognition as an Independent State.
A plebiscite was held on July 23, 1967, in which the people, by an overwhelming majority, indicated their will to retain their present relationship with the U.S.A.
The Islands
The island of Puerto Rico lies between longitudes 65° 35' and 67° 17' west and latitudes 17° 55′ and 18° 32′ north.
It is almost rectangular in shape, slightly smaller than Jamaica, measuring about 100 miles in length (east to west) and 35 miles in width with a total land area of some 3,435 square miles, including offshore islands.
Old volcanic mountains, long inactive, occupy a large part of the area with a divide or watershed running irregularly on an east to west line some 24 miles from the north coast and roughly parallel to it.
The fertile coastal plains in the north are about 12 miles wide and extend the whole length of the island, between 2 and 8 miles wide in the south, and 5 and 8 miles wide in the east.
The west coast is irregular and precipitous in places where the mountains run right down to the sea.
The highest peaks are found in the south central area, in the municipal district of Jayuya, and include the Cerro Punta (4,398 ft.) Jayuya (4.226ft.) and Tres Dias (4.094 ft.), peaks known as Tres Picachos. The highest outside this region are El Toro (3,524 ft.) and El Yunque (3.494 ft.) in the extreme north-east on the slopes of which the island's principal forest reserves, the Luquillo National Forest. are located.
It is a well-watered island with a great number of rivers, mostly small, and all dropping through series of rapids from the high central mountains to the sea. They are not navigable, but many of them have been dammed for irrigation and the generation of hydro-electric power.
San Juan, the capital city of the Commonwealth is sited on the north coast of the island. Although boasting all modern facilities it still retains a great deal of its historic buildings and atmosphere giving it a charm and interest almost unique in the western hemisphere.
Founded in 1521, 44 years before the second oldest city under the U.S. flag, St. Augustine, Florida, San Juan is the oldest city under the American Flag and yields only to Santo Domingo (1496) in the western hemisphere.
In 1508, some 28 years after Columbus, on his second voyage, discovered the island, the Indians called Boriquen, Ponce de Leon arrived with 50 men to colonise the island. About a league south of San Juan Bay he located his first settlement which he named Caparra to house his party and to defend it against Indian attack. its foundations are still preserved.
In 1519. against Ponce's personal wishes, authority was granted for moving from Caparra and 1521 saw the completion of the transfer across the bay to the Isleta San Juan, the long, narrow island that forms its north side.
Throughout the sixteenth century the new capital of San Juan was continually threatened by Carib Indians and sea rovers.
CARIBBEAN YEAR BOOK
Its defences were inadequate for several decades but as the bitter rivalry of European powers became fiercer, Spain determined to make the city impregnable.
By the middle of the nineteenth century the entire Isleta de San Juan had been fortified from the harbour channel on the west to Fort San Jeronimo on the east. Forts, batteries, accessory buildings, dry moats and walls covered 266 acres, all designed to defend the walled city which itself covered only 62 acres.
Around the end of the century many residents of Old San Juan moved to the country, now the Miramar and Condado sections of Santurce, and many Spaniards returned home after the transfer of sovereignty from Spain to the U.S.A. in 1898.
In 1949, the Old City was declared an Ancient and Historic Zone and in 1955, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture was created, and charged, among other things, with responsibility to preserve and give suitable use to the handsome old houses, most of which had been designed by military engineers working on the fortifications.
·
Old San Juan is now unique because of the great number of fine colonial houses that remain within the frame of the massive City Wall and the two great forts. These old residences are built of a strong mixture of stone, brick, lime and sand. They are simple but beautiful because of the proportions and details of arches, shuttered doorways, and much lovely woodwork. Their characteristics are a long balcony or series of balconies across the façade, wide entrance halls, archways, interior patios, broad impressive stairways and high ceilings supported by beams of ausubo (bulletwood).
Many of the streets are paved with adoquines, small grey-blu. blocks cast from residue of iron furnaces in Spain and brought to Puerto Rico as ballast in the late nineteenth century.
In the present century the municipality of San Juan has grown apace, and now covers nearly 30,000 acres with a population » more than 500,000.
The San Juan Metropolitan area, with a population of abou 1 million, includes San Juan and its suburbs (Santurce, Rio Piedras. Hato Rey) and the cities of Bayamon, Carolina, Catano, Guayanab and Trujillo Alto. Bayamon now has the second largest population of any city on the island.
Arecibo on the north coast, about 48 miles west of San Juan is. developing industrial centre with new enterprises bolstering th traditional rum production.
Mayaguez on the east coast is a thriving modern city with a b of old world charm. It is considered the Island's third city, and : growing rapidly. It boasts a varied industrial complex. Its clima: is a little cooler than that of the capital.
Ponce, an old colonial town on the south coast. only 20 minut. by the regular air service from San Juan, is considered the island second city. It is a major commercial centre, with somewhat les tourist appeal than several other coastal cities as it lacks go beaches. Its museum of art has an exceptional collection of a quali and range seldom found outside a relatively small number of citi. on the U.S. mainland.
Vieques or Crab Island, lying a few miles east of Puerto Ric about half way towards St. Thomas, is approximately 20 mile long and two to three miles wide with an area of 52 square miles It has a population of about 8,500 of whom nearly half live 1: the town of Isabel Segunda.
About two-thirds of the island is a U.S. Navy reservation, an tourist accommodations are limited, most visitors making thr from the main island by air from San Juan or by ferry from Fajard.
The island of Culebra, a few miles north with a population of 1.00. is smaller. Its only town, Dewey, is beautifully situated, surround: ' by high protecting hills. Until recently, part of the island was us as a naval gunnery range.
The island of Mona lies off the west coast of Puerto Rico.
Climate
Lying only 18 degrees above the equator Puerto Rico enjoys a tropical climate with extremes of heat tempered by the almost constant north-east trades and other winds from the Atlantic c the Caribbean; and by altitude in the mountain areas of the island.
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