Population: 3,578,056 (July 2016 est.)
Languages Spoken: Spanish,English
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%
History: Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher Columbus second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self-government.
Notable Newspapers: El Nuevo Día, Primera Hora, El Vocero
Notable Television: WKAQ-TV,WORA-TV,WAPA-TV,WLII-DT
Current Events: Puerto Rico is facing a major ongoing debt crisis which could cause the beautiful Caribbean island to sink. The amount of the fiscal crisis is still to be determined, due to the lack of communication between public agencies and Government. Overall, Puerto Rico is looking to restructure its nearly $72 billion in public debt, and the island has defaulted on millions of dollars worth of bond payments, leaving many creditors filing multiple lawsuits. The crisis has lead many citizens of Puerto Rico to flee to the United States.
“Unlike American cities such as Detroit, Puerto Rico isn’t allowed to file for a court-arranged bankruptcy reorganization. And unlike sovereign nations such as Greece, it can’t seek emergency assistance from the International Monetary Fund.”
– Mary Williams Walsh
Notable Puerto Rican Communities in New York: Sound view Bronx, Sunset Park Brooklyn, Spanish Harlem Manhattan.
Throughout the semester I want to focus on the ongoing Puerto Rican debt crisis. I’m looking into many ways I want to go about this whether it be a written feature or some sort of video interview on the crisis.I am still in the process of looking relevant sources who can give a analytical or first hand approach to the debt crisis. Perhaps, I can locate individuals through social media who would be willing to discuss these issues.
Sources
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rq.html