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Puerto Rico Facts & Worksheets

Puerto Rico is located in the northeast Caribbean Sea and is an unincorporated US territory. It is an archipelago among the Greater Antilles, and is known for its beautiful beaches and Spanish Caribbean culture with an American twist.

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Puerto Rico is located in the northeast Caribbean Sea and is an unincorporated US territory. It is an archipelago among the Greater Antilles, and is known for its beautiful beaches and Spanish Caribbean culture with an American twist. San Juan is the capital and largest city known for its hotel strip, beach bars and casinos.

See the fact file below for more information on the Puerto Rico or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Puerto Rico worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

  • Puerto Rico is a large island that is east of the Greater Antilles and was originally occupied by the Taino Indians from South America.
  • They called themselves Boriken or Borinquen, meaning “the great land of the valiant and noble lord”.
  • Puerto Rico is Spanish for “rich port”.
  • The island is also popularly known in Spanish as la isla del encanto, meaning “the island of enchantment”.

GOVERNMENT

  • Puerto Rico has a republican form of government with separation of powers subject to the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States.
  • It has 8 senatorial districts, 40 representative districts, and 78 municipalities.
  • Puerto Rico’s head of state is the president of the United States since its current powers are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution.
  • The government is composed of three branches: executive, legislative, judicial.

CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY

  • Puerto Rico is almost rectangular in shape, approximately 100 miles long by 35 miles wide, and is the smallest and the most eastern island of the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico).
  • Although often referred to as an island, Puerto Rico is an archipelago formed by the main island and 143 small islands, islets, and cays.
  • Puerto Rico’s climate is classified as tropical marine, which means it is typically sunny, hot, and humid year-round. The temperature fluctuates between 76°F and 88°F in the coastal plains and 73-78°F in the mountains.

FOOD TO TRY

  • Puerto Rican dishes are full of herbs and spices that give the cuisine a distinctive taste and color. They promise to satisfy your taste buds with a unique tasty blend of Spanish, African, Taino, and American influences that can be traced back to the Arawaks and Tainos.
  • Mofongo is made with green plantain, seasonings, garlic, and olive oil.
  • The plantain is fried and mashed into the shape of a ball, and filled with pork rind or bacon. It is served at many roadside kiosks and restaurants around the island.
  • Pasteles are made of mashed plantain, yucca, eddoe (yaut’a), potato, and tropical pumpkins, filled with meat and other vegetables, wrapped in banana leaves. and boiled. They are a Puerto Rican staple, especially at Christmas.
  • Papa rellena is made with baked potato dough into which a filling made of chopped beef and onions, whole olives, hard-boiled eggs, cumin, and other spices is stuffed. Once prepared, the ball-shaped mass is deep-fried.

BRIEF HISTORY

  • Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Native American Taino people for hundreds of years when Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493.
  • Columbus claimed the island for Spain and called it San Juan Bautista after St. John the Baptist. Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon established Caparra as the first settlement on the island. He would later become the first governor of the colony. Over the years the local Taino tribes people were nearly wiped out by disease.
  • After the Spanish-American War in 1898, Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States. In 1917, Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship.

PEOPLE

  • When the Spaniards arrived on the island over 500 years ago, it was inhabited by the Taínos — an indigenous group with a significant presence throughout the Caribbean. The multicultural tradition that began resulted in Puerto Ricans becoming known as Boricuas. African influences were added when the Spaniards brought slaves to the island to work on sugar and coffee plantations. These three races led to the modern-day Puerto Ricans.
  • Puerto Ricans are friendly and cheerful people who move their hands a lot when they talk and express their emotions with intensity and passion.
  • There are over five million additional boricuas residing in the mainland United States, while Puerto Rico has a population of around 3.6 million.

Puerto Rico Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Puerto Rico across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Puerto Rico worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Puerto Rico which is located in the northeast Caribbean Sea and is an unincorporated US territory. It is an archipelago among the Greater Antilles, and is known for its beautiful beaches and Spanish Caribbean culture with an American twist. San Juan is the capital and largest city known for its hotel strip, beach bars and casinos.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Puerto Rico Facts
  • About Section
  • Puerto Rico Info
  • Friendly Talk
  • Puerto Rican
  • PR’s Largest Cities
  • Interesting Facts
  • Buen Provecho
  • Island of Enchantment
  • Fun Facts
  • Headline News

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Link will appear as Puerto Rico Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 27, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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