Whether you’ve already purchased plane tickets and booked lodging, you’re still contemplating if you want to vacation here, or even if you are just curious, some details about PR may not be immediately evident. Starting with…
1. What time zone is Puerto Rico in?
Puerto Rico is in GMT -4 or AST. We don’t do Daylight Savings Time. When most of the US springs forward in March, Eastern Time matches the time here. Consequently, when it falls back in November, Eastern Time is an hour behind us.
2. Where is Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico is the easternmost of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. To the north is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south is the Caribbean Sea. The nearest territories are the Dominican Republic to the west, the US Virgin Islands to the east, and Venezuela, roughly 800 miles to the south. The closest point on the US mainland is Florida, about 1,000 miles northwest.
3. What is the capital of Puerto Rico?
San Juan is the capital of PR, but curiously, this wasn’t always the case. The original capital was Caparra (located in the neighboring city of Guaynabo), but it was moved to San Juan in 1521.
4. When did Puerto Rico become part of the United States?
After 400 years of being a Spanish colony, PR was acquired by the US in 1898 as a result of the end of the Hispanic-American war.
5. How big is Puerto Rico?
The commonly cited dimensions for Puerto Rico are 100×35 miles. We were first taught this in grade school, and it is a recognizable cultural reference. However, a more accurate measure is 110×40, as the 100×35 is about nautical miles, which is a bit longer.
6. When is hurricane season in Puerto Rico?
The hurricane season in PR runs from June to November, with the back half of that timeframe being the most active. In fact, the most devastating hurricanes to impact PR in the last 30 years have all made landfall in September.
7. What currency does Puerto Rico use?
PR is a US territory, so it makes sense that we also use the US Dollar.
8. What language is spoken in Puerto Rico?
Although the official languages are Spanish and English, most Puerto Ricans only speak Spanish. According to the US Census Bureau, over 94% identify as Spanish-speaking, with about 81% of those claiming they speak English “less than very well” and about 5.5% of the population identifying as English only.
9. What is the drinking age in Puerto Rico?
Though several proposals have been made to increase it to 21, the legal drinking age in PR is 18.
10. What is the population of Puerto Rico?
PR’s population has hovered over 3 M for the past several decades but never quite reached 4 M. It has been declining for the past several years, but the most recent numbers show an increase to 3,260,314.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is a lot more to PR than even some locals know. With such a rich history, geography, and culture, what we covered today is just the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully, this was enough to pique your interest and help you learn even more.
