Welcome to the beautiful tropical island of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is the easternmost island of the Greater Antilles. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and the Caribbean Sea on the south. The island is shaped like a rectangle, with a maximum length from east to west of 180 km and from north to south of 65 km. The climate is averaged with an annual temperature of about 80 F; the population estimated for 2004 was 3,897,960. Latinos, who may be of any race, are 98.8 percent of Puerto Rico’s population. The main city of the island is called San Juan, as the capital and chief port, it is the most important city on the island. Government offices, industries, the University of Puerto Rico, and the majority of tourist hotels and entertainment facilities are concentrated in the San Juan area. San Juan is one of the oldest cities in the western hemisphere, founded in the early 16th century.

LANGUAGE:
Spanish and English are the official languages of the commonwealth, but Spanish is the primary language.

TOURISM:
Puerto Rico is high in tourism, the year-round warm climate in Puerto Rico and its abundant sunshine and coastal beaches attract millions of tourists each year. Tourists were an insignificant source of income before 1940, but the Puerto Rican Tourism Company has promoted tourism with great success. A little over 3.1 million tourists visit the island annually. Approximately 1.3 million tourists arrived via cruise ships. Their primary destination is the San Juan area, the location of numerous luxury hotels.

MUSIC:
In music, Puerto Rico has a long tradition of folk songs and romantic ballads based on African and Spanish rhythms such as décimas or coplas. Puerto Rican musicians on the island and on the mainland have contributed greatly to the creation of Latin jazz, and more recently to innovations in salsa, a genre of Latin music. Puerto Ricans are also dedicated to dance. In the island’s interior, the seis are the representative dance of the jíbaros (peasant farmers). It is usually danced by six couples, to the accompaniment of a guitar. The bomba is the predominant dance among Afro-Puerto Ricans in coastal regions. By some accounts, it came to Puerto Rico with slaves from Africa. Bomba is played with two drums and maracas, accompanied by vocals. The refined danza is popular with Puerto Ricans of all walks of life.

FESTIVALS:
Every year, each town celebrates patron saint festivals (fiestas patron ales) in honor of the town's patron saint. The festivities include religious processions since they were originated as a Catholic tradition. However, they have adopted other elements of African and local origin. Usually held in the town square, these festivals are colorful displays of pride and joy, featuring parades, games, rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

So when you are looking for an exotic location, miles upon miles of white sand beaches plus an unbelievable rainforest and beautiful mountain regions, visit Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a modern and progressive vacation spot that maintains the hospitality of days gone by. You will find everything that the Caribbean has to offer in this well rounded family destination, with native people whose warmth is equaled only by the sunshine that graces its shores.

By Melissa Hunte