The population of the island of Puerto Rico has been shaped by Native settlers, European colonization, slavery, economic migration, and Puerto Rico's status as a United States Commonwealth. For other uses, see Native Americans (disambiguation). ... An anachronous map of the overseas Spanish Empire (1492-1898) in red, and the Spanish Habsburg realms in Europe (1516-1714) in orange. ... Slave redirects here. ... In the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is an organized territory or colony that has established with the Federal Government a more highly developed relationship, which may be embodied in a written mutual agreement. ...

History of migration

Royal Decree of Graces, 1815

The inhabitants of Puerto Rico immediately before the first European contact were part of the Arawak group of Native Americans (also known as American Indians due to some historical confusion). They called themselves Boriquen (alt. Borikén, Borinquén, Boricuas) and were named by Christopher Columbus in 1493 as the Taíno, along with the inhabitants of other nearby islands. (The Taíno had replaced the original human culture on the island, the Ortoiroid.) Image File history File links Real_Cédula_de_Gracia. ... Image File history File links Real_Cédula_de_Gracia. ... Arowak woman (John Gabriel Stedman) The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for cassava flour), was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in the West Indies. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer and one of the first Europeans to explore the Americas after the Vikings. ... For other uses, see Taino (disambiguation). ... The Ortoiroid people are first human settlers of the Caribbean. ...

The Spanish conquered the island, assuming government in 1508, colonized it, and enslaved the natives. Taíno numbers dwindled due to disease, warfare, and forced labor, and the Spanish began importing large numbers of slaves from Africa. Spanish men arrived on the island disproportionately to Spanish women; Taíno women were sometimes forced to marry them, resulting in a mestizo, or "mixed" ethnicity. Some women used marriage to white men to improve their social status; "cleanliness of blood" documents were used on the island until the 1870s.^{[citations needed]} Language(s) Predominantly Spanish, (with a minority of other languages), while Mestiços speaks Portuguese Religion(s) Christianity (Predominantly Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestant and other Religions) Related ethnic groups European (mostly Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian), Amerindian people, Austronesian people, Hispanics and Latinos Mestizo (Portuguese: Mestiço... Limpieza de sangre (in Spanish), Limpeza de sangue (in Portuguese), both meaning cleanliness of blood was a concept of Iberian Modern History. ...

Racial demographic history

During the 1800s, hundreds of Corsican, French, Lebanese, Chinese, and Portuguese families, along with large numbers of immigrants from Spain (mainly from Catalonia, Asturias, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands) and numerous Spanish loyalists from Spain's former colonies in South America, arrived in Puerto Rico. Other settlers have included Irish, Scots, Germans, Italians, and thousands others who were granted land from Spain during the Real Cedula de Gracias de 1815 (Royal Decree of Graces of 1815), which allowed European Catholics to settle in the island with a certain amount of free land and enslaved persons. This mass immigration during the 19th century helped the population grow from 155,000 in 1800 to almost a million at the close of the century. Whites redirects here. ... Various factors during the mid-19th century contributed to the Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico; among those factors were the social-economic changes which came about in Europe as a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, political discontent and widespread crop failure due to long periods of drought, and crop... This article is about the Spanish autonomous community. ... Anthem: Asturias, patria querida Capital Oviedo Official language(s) Spanish; Asturian has special status Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th  10,604 km²  2. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official language(s) Spanish and Catalan Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4,992 km²  1. ... For other uses, see Andalusia (disambiguation). ... Anthem: Arrorró Capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 13th  7,447 km²  1. ... This article is about the country. ... Languages Italian, Sicilian, Neapolitan, Corsican, Sardinian, Emiliano-Romagnolo, Ligurian, Lombard, Piedmontese, Venetian, Ladin, Friulian Religions predominantly Roman Catholic      The Italians are a Southern European ethnic group found primarily in Italy and in a wide-ranging diaspora throughout Western Europe, the Americas and Australia. ... The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 is a legal order approved by the Spanish Crown in the early half of the 19th Century to encourage Spaniards and later Europeans of non-Spanish origin to settle and populate the colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico. ...

A census conducted by royal decree on September 30, 1858, gives the following totals of the Puerto Rican population at this time, with 300,430 identified as Whites ; 341,015 as Free colored; and 41,736 as Slaves. Like some U.S. states, Puerto Rico had in force a compulsory sterilization program in the 20th century.^{[citation needed]} is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the term used for people of African descent in North America. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... Compulsory sterilization programs are government policies which attempt to force people to undergo surgical sterilization. ...

According to the 1920 Puerto Rican census, 2,505 individuals immigrated to Puerto Rico between 1910 and 1920. Of these, 2,270 were classified as "white" in the 1920 census (1,205 from Spain), (280 from Venezuela), (180 from Cuba), & (135 from the Dominican Republic). Although, in the same decade 7873 Puerto Ricans emigrated to the U.S, out of these 6561 were "white" on the U.S mainland census, 909 as "Spanish white" and 403 as "black".^[2]

In recent years, over 100,000 legal immigrants from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Venezuela, have also settled in Puerto Rico, but together they represent less than 5% of the population.^{[citation needed]}

Illegal immigration from the Dominican Republic is also a current issue. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Emmigration

Emigration has been a major part of Puerto Rico's recent history as well. Starting in the Post-WWII period, due to poverty, cheap airfare, their U.S. citizenship, and promotion by the island government, waves of Puerto Ricans moved to the continental United States, particularly to New York City, New York; Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Camden, New Jersey; Chicago; Springfield and Boston, Massachusetts; Orlando, Miami and Tampa, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Hartford, Connecticut; Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, California. This continued even as Puerto Rico's economy improved and its birth rate declined. Emigration continues at the present time, and this, combined with Puerto Rico's slumping below-replacement birth rate, suggests that the island's population will age rapidly and start to decline sometime within the next couple of decades. A memorial statue in Hanko, Finland, commemorating the thousands of emigrants who left the country to start a new life in the United States Emigration is the act and the phenomenon of leaving ones native country or region to settle in another. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... New York, New York redirects here. ... Nickname: Map of Newark in Essex County Coordinates: , Country State County Essex Founded/Incorporated 1666/1836 Government  - Mayor Cory Booker, term of office 2006–2010 Area [1]  - Total 26. ... Location of Jersey City within Hudson County Coordinates: , Country State County Hudson Government  - Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy  - Business Administrator Brian P. OReilly Area  - City 21. ... “Paterson” redirects here. ... The City of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey in the United States. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Hampden Settled 1636 Incorporated 1852 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Charles Ryan (D) Area  - Total 33. ... Boston redirects here. ... Nickname: Location in Orange County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State County Government  - Mayor Buddy Dyer (D) Area  - City 261. ... Miami redirects here. ... Tampa redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Hartford redirects here. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

The word Nuyorican is sometimes used to describe Puerto Rican New Yorkers. Nuyorican Poets Cafe. ...

Further information: Puerto Ricans in the United States

Language(s) English and Spanish Religion(s) Roman Catholic, Christianity, Protestantism,Santeria,Judaism,Islam Related ethnic groups Other Spanish people, African people, Amerindians, Mulattos, Zambos, and Mestizos National Puerto Rican Parade in New York City, 2005 (photo by Angelo Falcón) A Puerto Rican American (Spanish: Puerto Ricans in the...

Race and ethnicity

The statistics show Puerto Rican's responses to the 2000/census 2006/survey, asking which race(s) they identify with. ("Hispanic" status is considered separately from race, since many consider it to be a linguistic distinction, rather than an ethnic/racial one.) Look up Total on Wiktionary, the free dictionary A total is a sum. ... Whites redirects here. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Note that this classification is now considered incorrect and should not be used in everyday writing. ... Alaskan Natives are Aboriginal Americans who live in Alaska. ... Asian people[1] is a demonym for people from Asia. ... In April of 1990, Daniel K. Akaka became the first native Hawaiian and Chinese American to serve in the United States Congress as a Senator from the State of Hawaii. ... Pacific Islands (or Pacific Person, pl: Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s]), is a geographic term used in several places, such as New Zealand and the United States, to describe the inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania. ... The Spanish people or Spaniards are an ethnic group native to Spain, in southwestern Europe, who are primarily descended from the autochthonous pre-Indo-European Euskaldunak, Latin, Visigothic, Celtic and Moorish peoples. ... Hispanic (Spanish: ; Portuguese: ; Latin: , adjective from Hispānia, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania and its peoples. ... Whites redirects here. ... Though most indigenous Africans possess relatively dark skin, they exhibit much variation in physical appearance. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... For other uses, see Native Americans (disambiguation). ... Alaskan Natives are Aboriginal Americans who live in Alaska. ... Asian people[1] is a demonym for people from Asia. ... In April of 1990, Daniel K. Akaka became the first native Hawaiian and Chinese American to serve in the United States Congress as a Senator from the State of Hawaii. ... Pacific Islands (or Pacific Person, pl: Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s]), is a geographic term used in several places, such as New Zealand and the United States, to describe the inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania. ... The Spanish people or Spaniards are an ethnic group native to Spain, in southwestern Europe, who are primarily descended from the autochthonous pre-Indo-European Euskaldunak, Latin, Visigothic, Celtic and Moorish peoples. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Russians (Русские - Russkie) are an ethnic group of East Slavic people, which live primarily in Russia and neighboring countries. ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... The Dutch (Ethnonym: Nederlanders meaning Lowlanders) are the dominant ethnic group[1] of the Netherlands[2]. They are usually seen as a Germanic people. ... This article is about the Scottish as an ethnic group. ... Hispanic (Spanish: ; Portuguese: ; Latin: , adjective from Hispānia, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania and its peoples. ...

Religion

The Roman Catholic Church has been historically the most dominant religion of the majority of Puerto Ricans, with Puerto Rico having the first dioceses in the Americas.^[8] The presence of various Protestant denominations has increased under American sovereignty, making modern Puerto Rico an interconfessional country. Protestantism was suppressed under the Spanish regime, but encouraged under American rule of the island. Catholic Church redirects here. ...

Taíno religious practices have to a degree been rediscovered/reinvented by a handful of advocates. Various African religious practices have been present since the arrival of enslaved Africans. In particular, the Yoruba beliefs of Santeria and/or Ifá, and the Kongo-derived Palo Mayombe (sometimes called an African belief system, but rather a way of Bantu lifestyle of Congo origin) find adherence among very few individuals who practice some form of African traditional religion. The Yoruba (Yorùbá in Yoruba orthography) are a large ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. ... Lukumí or Regla de Ocha, most widely known as Santeria, is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yorùbá beliefs. ... Ifá is a system of divination that originated in West Africa among the Yoruba people. ... The Bakongo or the Kongo people (meaning hunter) live along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire (Brazzaville) to Luanda, Angola. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Palo Monte. ... Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (light brown) vs. ... African traditional women and male priests, Togo, West Africa, 2006. ...

Miscellaneous

Puerto Rico has its own Olympic team and has international representation in many events including the Summer Olympics, the Pan-American Games, the Central American Games, the Caribbean World Series, and (famously) beauty pageants such as Miss Puerto Rico 2008. The Summer Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event held every four years, organised by the International Olympic Committee. ... The Pan American Games are a multi-sport event, held every four years between competitors from all nations of the Americas. ... Caribbean World Series logo The Caribbean World Series of Professional Baseball — or Serie del Caribe del Béisbol Profesional in Spanish — is an annual baseball tournament, usually played during the month of February, before the MLB trainings season in Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico or Venezuela. ... The 53rd Annual Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant will be held November 23, 2007 at the Centro de Bellas Artes of San Juan. ...

Statistics

Demographics of Puerto Rico, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population: 3,916,632 (July 2005 est.) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ...

Gender:^[9]

• Men: 1,845,154
• Woman: 2,020,126

Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 441,594; female 421,986)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 1,228,583; female 1,337,066)
65 years and over: 12.4% (male 211,283; female 276,120) (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.47% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 13.93 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 7.86 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.29 years
male: 74.35 years
female: 82.43 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican

Ethnic Groups:

White 80% (Most are of Spanish heritage)

Black 8%;

Amerindian 0.4%;

Asian 0.2%;

mixed and other 10.9%

Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%

Languages: Spanish (main language), English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1%
male: 93.9%
female: 94.4% (2002 est.)

See also

• Puerto Rican People
• Demographics of the United States

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Puerto Rican. ... Population of the United States, 1790 to 2000 The demographics of the United States depict a largely urban nation, with 57 percent of its population living in places more than 100 miles away from the ocean (2003). ...

References

1. ^ Puerto Rico's History on race
2. ^ How Puerto Rico became white
3. ^ Ethnicity 2000 census
4. ^ "Island Identity 2000 census
5. ^ 2006 Puerto Rico Community Survey;HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE
6. ^ Ancestry ACS 2006
7. ^ B03001. HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN
8. ^   "Porto Rico". Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company. 
9. ^ "2006 Survey

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Resources

• How Puerto Rico Became White: Racial analysis
• Puerto rico 2005 Fact finder statistics
• United Nations country profile
• Genetic Make-up of Puerto Ricans