The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is a commonwealth of the United States located east of the Dominican Republic in the northeastern Caribbean. Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles, includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys, including the populated island-municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, as well as unpopulated Mona island, located halfway between the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.
The nature of Puerto Rico's political relationship with the United States is the subject of ongoing debate on and off the island. Those who support maintaining the status quo (i.e., Commonwealth status) insist that upon attaining this status, Puerto Rico entered into a voluntary association with the U.S. "in the nature of a compact", but opponents of Commonwealth, disagree: according to them, Puerto Rico is no more than an unincorporated organized territory of the U.S., subject to the plenary powers of the United States Congress.
Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico is a federal assistance nutritional program provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) solely to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States. It provides over $1.5 billion in supplemental economic resources to just over 1 million impoverished residents to cope with their nutritional needs. The program is commonly known in Puerto Rico as Programa de Asistencia Nutricional, PAN, or Cupones in Spanish, and is based on, though not directly part of the USDA’s national Food Stamp Program.
Since its inception in 1982, the program has been providing low-income families living in Puerto Rico with cash benefits used for food purchases. Although the methods of providing such benefits have changed over the years, its basic objective of helping low-income families meet their nutritional needs has remained constant. It has, however, been controversial throughout its existence, attracting both criticism and advocacy from Puerto Rico and the United States. (more...)
Photo credit: Carlo Giovannetti (Thief12)
Puerto Rico has over 50 rivers, most originating from the island's central mountainous region which receives heavy rainfall. The largest of these rivers, Rio de la Plata, measures approximately 60.5 mi. (97 km), starting at an altitude of 2,625 ft (800 m) above sea level in Cayey before ending in the northern town of Toa Alta.
Featured content represents the best of what Wikipedia has to offer. The following Puerto Rico-related articles and lists have been designated as Featured (  ) by the community, as a result of many collaborative efforts of users and readers just like you.
Selected anniversaries for November
- November 1, 1912 - Birth of Alicia Moreda, television soap opera actress (d. 1983)
- November 1, 1950 - Two Puerto Rican nationalists try to storm the Blair House in a failed attempt to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman.
- November 1, 1963 - The Arecibo Observatory, the largest single-aperture telescope, officially opened for operations.
- November 1, 1927 - Birth of Victor Pellot, former Mayor League Baseball player
- November 2, 2004 - General elections were held in Puerto Rico, with no clear victor for the Governor seat. On December 28, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá was declared the winner following several recounts and court rulings.
- November 3, 1867 - Death of Segundo Ruiz Belvis, abolitionist and political activist (b. 1829)
- November 5, 1934 - Birth of Victor Argo, actor (d. 2004)
- November 6, 1958 - The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra performs in its first live concert in Mayagüez.
- November 7, 1944 -General elections were held in Puerto Rico. The Popular Democratic Party won by landslides.
- November 7, 1944 - 16 passengers lost their lives and 50 were injured when a train derailed in Aguadilla, making it the worst disaster in Puerto Rico rail transport history.
- November 9, 1945 - The 65th Infantry arrive in Puerto Rico after their participation in World War II.
- November 16, 1952 - Death of Jesus T. Piñero, first native Governor of Puerto Rico (b. 1897)
- November 19, 1493 - Cristopher Columbus discovers Puerto Rico, naming the island San Juan Bautista in honor of Saint John the Baptist. The day has since become a national holiday on the island.
- November 19, 1982 - Birth of Jonathan Sánchez, Mayor League Baseball pitcher
- November 20, 1878 - Birth of Félix Córdova Dávila, politician and Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico (d. 1938)
- November 22, 1595 - Sir Francis Drake, with 27 vessels and 2,500 troops, sails into San Juan Bay in an attempt to loot the city. His attack would ultimately fail.
- November 25, 1897 - The Carta Autonómica (Autonomic Charter) was approved in Spain, which conceded political and administrative autonomy to the island.
- November 29, 2005 - Death of Victor Pellot, as a result of cancer
- November 30, 1971 - Birth of Iván Rodríguez, Mayor League Baseball catcher
- ...that Puerto Rico had official coins minted and in circulation in 1898, and that extant samples of these coins in pristine condition are extremely valuable?
- ...that Felisa Rincón de Gautier (also known as Doña Fela) was the first woman to be elected as the mayor of a capital city in any of The Americas?
- ...that aside from a strong presence in music, sports, literature, politics, television, radio, etc., Puerto Rico also has a presence in the voice acting industry with voice actors such as Tony Oliver?
- ...that Dick Versace is the first person of Puerto Rican descent and the first Hispanic to become head coach of an NBA team?
Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace ( July 2, 1937– September 26, 1965) was a United States Army officer of Puerto Rican- Italian descent who was awarded the United States' highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his heroic actions while a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War.
While acting as intelligence advisor to South Vietnamese fighters, their unit was ambushed by opposing forces, and Versace provided sufficient covering fire for his unit to evacuate. However, he was wounded and taken prisoner deep in the jungle along with two other Americans. He tried to escape a total of four times, all unsuccessful. Versace insulted the Viet Cong and cited the Geneva Convention treaty during the indoctrination sessions, and was last seen singing "God Bless America" as he was taken away for execution. He was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity. (more...)
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