Surprising Facts About Puerto Rico

It’s not just one island – Puerto Rico includes 143 smaller islands, islets, and cays, including Vieques and Culebra.

El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System.

There’s a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico – Mosquito Bay on Vieques is the brightest in the world, according to the Guinness World Records.

Puerto Rico has no snakes that are harmful to humans – a rarity for a tropical region.

The island has karst topography, with rare formations like underground rivers, sinkholes, and limestone hills (mogotes).

Christopher Columbus “discovered” Puerto Rico in 1493 during his second voyage.

Its original name was San Juan Bautista; the capital was Puerto Rico — the two names switched over time.

Puerto Rico was under Spanish rule for over 400 years — until 1898, when it was ceded to the U.S. after the Spanish-American War.

The U.S. invaded Puerto Rico in Guánica, not San Juan, during that war.

The oldest governor’s mansion still in use in the Western Hemisphere is in Puerto Rico: La Fortaleza, built in 1533, almost six centuries ago.

Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens since 1917 but cannot vote in presidential elections unless they live in a U.S. state.

Puerto Rico has its own Olympic team, despite being a U.S. territory.

The island has held multiple referendums on statehood, but the issue remains politically unresolved.

U.S. federal income tax doesn’t apply to most Puerto Ricans, though they do pay Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Puerto Rican Spanish includes many Taíno (indigenous), African, and English influences, creating a unique dialect.

The traditional Puerto Rican Christmas music genre is called Aguinaldo, and the holidays last until mid-January, the longest Christmas season in the world.

Puerto Rico’s national frog, the coquí, is so beloved it appears in lullabies. Its distinctive “ko-kee” sound is famous across the island.

Salsa music, often associated with Cuba or NYC, has deep roots in Puerto Rican culture.

The famous dish “mofongo” is made from fried mashed plantains – an Afro-Caribbean culinary invention.

Cockfighting was legal in Puerto Rico until 2019 and was a major cultural tradition.

The Arecibo Observatory, once the world’s largest radio telescope, was located in Puerto Rico before it collapsed in 2020.

More than 70% of all pharmaceutical drugs manufactured in the U.S. were once produced or tested in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico was the first jurisdiction in the U.S. to have a woman as Attorney General (Blanca Canales, in 1946).

Old San Juan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – with cobblestone streets paved from ship ballast stones.

Casa Bacardí, in Cataño, is one of the largest rum distilleries in the world.

The island has three of the five bioluminescent bays in the world.

There’s a ZIP LINE over 7,000 feet long at Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park — one of the longest in the world.

Puerto Rico uses the U.S. dollar, but locals call it the “peso” or “ficha” in casual conversation.

The island is in the Atlantic Time Zone, but does not observe Daylight Saving Time.

A coconut tree is depicted on the Puerto Rican driver’s license – and coconuts are legally considered deadly weapons if used in an assault.