History And Geography

History

The history of civilization in Puerto Rico dates as far back as 3000 B.C. Settlement on the islands began with migratory groups from North and South America. The first inhabitants on Puerto Rico were part of the Ortoroid culture and these were followed by Igneri and the Arawak. However, at the time of the island's discovery by Europeans, the dominant indigenous group was that of the Taínos.

Christopher Columbus reached the island on the 9th of November 1493, and this marked the beginning of the colonial era of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico was one of the first Spanish conquests in Southern America and like their future conquests; the ravaging of Puerto Rico was driven by just one thought - GOLD. The Taínos inhabiting the region, were naive enough to show Columbus the stockpiles of gold nuggets lolling in their waters. They also invited the foreigners to take as much gold as they wanted. It was not like the Spaniards needed an invitation, but they did take back more gold than their king and queen had ever imagined. In the process, they destroyed whatever native life was left on the island by either waging war or by exposing them to European diseases that they were completely unfit to fight off. As of today, no people of Taíno origin exist anywhere around the world, mainly because of the mass wipeout in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Spanish started importing African slaves to the island as the dying native population left a gaping hole in the labor needs. Thus, the ethnicity of the Puerto Rican classes became diverse. In the latter half of the 19th century, the newly formed United States of America waged war on the Spanish, seeking possession of their colonies. With the same aim, Puerto Rico was invaded in 1898 and following a brief struggle it was ceded to the Americans. Soon afterwards, the Puerto Rican masses began a struggle to obtain equal rights from the American rule. During the years that followed, the citizens of Puerto Rico were given more rights and the island received greater autonomy.

The first democratic elections were held on the island in the year 1948. However, the jury continues to be out on the exact political status of Puerto Rico. Officially, it is part of the American commonwealth and has its own constitution and self-government.

Geography

The Caribbean Sea is bound by the Archipelago of the Antilles, which is made up two different sets of islands - the Lesser and the Greater Antilles. Puerto Rico is the smallest island of the Greater Antilles, although the nation proper refers to this island as well as the surrounding inland dependencies that it governs. It is bound completely by water - the Caribbean Sea to the South and the Atlantic Ocean to the North. Including the dependencies, the coastline of Puerto Rico extends to over 1000 km. The surrounding waters are home to the Mona Passage, an underwater ravine that separates Puerto Rico from Hispaniola and the infamous Puerto Rico Trench - the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean at 8500m.

The island of Puerto Rico is largely mountainous and the large limestone mountains form the interior of the island. Locally, this mountainous stretch is called the Cordillera Central and it is made up of the ranges La Cordillera Central, La Sierra de Cayey, La Sierra de Luquillo, and La Sierra Bermeja from east to west. The tallest peak on the island is Cerro La Punta at 1,338 m and is followed by Rosas at 1,267 m and Guilarte at 1,205 m. The mountains receive an astounding amount of rainfall each year and are home to the most amazing flora and fauna. Several valuable woods such as mahogany are found in the forests along with several varieties of orchids. The forests are also home to several rare animal species that can be found only in this area.

The second most important geographic feature of the island is the coastal lowlands that have been due to centuries of mountain erosion. The coastal region is characterized by shallowness and a lack of plant life, due to which hardly any agriculture is carried out in this area. The third feature of the island is the tropical karst or plateau. It is a rocky terrain formed due to the erosion of volcanic rock by the rainwater. A beautiful array of stratified hills, limestone cliffs sinkholes and caves await those who visit the karst belt, extending from Aguadilla in the west to Loíza, east of San Juan.

Puerto Rico lies in the trade wind zone with winds blowing east and northeast for most of the year. This makes the island especially susceptible to hurricanes. Proximity to the Puerto Rico Trench also underlines a serious risk of earthquakes.