Interesting facts about san juan puerto rico: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Facts

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Puerto Rico Facts

Puerto Rico is located in the northeastern Caribbean, west of the United States Virgin Islands and east of the Dominican Republic. Its full official name is the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated United States territory. The official languages in Puerto Rico are Spanish and English. Prior to European colonization, Puerto Rico had been inhabited for centuries by aboriginal people known as Taino. On Christopher Columbus’ second voyage he claimed the island for Spain, The Taino people were forced into slavery and many died from brutality and infectious disease brought by the colonists. Spain held the island for more than 400 years but ceded the island to the United States when it was defeated in the Spanish-American War. In 1917, Puerto Ricans were granted American citizenship.

The capital city and largest city of Puerto Rico is San Juan, with approximately 2,478,905 residents.

Puerto Rico covers 8,959 square km of land and 145 square km of water in its boundaries.

There are 501km of coastline on the island of Puerto Rico, much of which is sandy beaches.

The population of Puerto Rico in 2011 was 3,998,905.

Agriculture in Puerto Rico includes sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas, and livestock such as chickens.

Industry in Puerto Rico includes tourism, food products, apparel, electronics, and pharmaceuticals.

Puerto Rico’s constitution was ratified on March 3rd, 1952, approved by the US Congress on July 3rd, 1952, and became effective on July 25th, 1952.

Governors have been elected by vote in Puerto Rico since 1948. They are elected for four-year terms and there are no limits to the number of terms.

The climate in Puerto Rico is a tropical marine climate, being mild with little variation in temperature from season to season.

The natural hazards that occur in Puerto Rico include hurricanes and droughts.

Residents of Puerto Rico are referred to as Puerto Ricans.

The literacy rate in Puerto Rico (those who can read and write at age 15 and older) is 94.1%.

Although Puerto Rican resident are citizens of the United States they do not vote in United States Presidential elections.

Puerto Ricans are also subject to military service and most of the federal laws in the United States.

In 1950, Puerto Rican extremists who wanted Puerto Rico to be an independent nation attempted to assassinate President Truman.

The Puerto Rican flag is red, white and blue. There are five horizontal red and white alternating stripes (three red and two white). A blue triangle (isosceles triangle) on the left pointing to the right, with a white, 5-point star in its center.

Approximately 90% of Puerto Rican residents speak Spanish, and although most can speak English, only 10% can speak it fluently.

Puerto Rico has won the Miss Universe contest five times.

The world’s largest telescope is located in Puerto Rico. It is 305 meters in diameter.

On the island of Puerto Rico there are 16 bird species, 39 types of reptiles and 239 plant varieties that are found only in Puerto Rico.


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40 interesting Puerto Rico Facts

From having the largest distillery in the world and a rain forest without snakes, Puerto Rico is definitely a country to visit. Check out this list of interesting facts about Puerto Rico.

1. The name of Puerto Rico is derived from its abundance of natural resources, especially gold.

2. Puerto Rico is also called the land of the Valiant Lord.

3. San Juan is the most populous city in Puerto Rico.

Source: Media Source

4. Puerto Rico was first discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493.

5. Barceloneta in Puerto Rico has the world’s biggest pharmaceutical complex.

6. “Coqui” is a frog that can only be found in Puerto Rico.

Source: Media Source

7. The current population of Puerto Rico is 3,661,548 as of November 18, 2017.

8. Puerto Rico is the only place that has a tropical rainforest without bears and snakes.

9. The Bacardi rum factory located in San Juan, is the largest rum distillery in the world.

Source: Media Source

10. Approximately five million people visit San Juan each year.

11. San Juan has the world’s busiest cruise-ship ports.

12. Arroz con Gandules is the national dish of Puerto Rico.

Source: Media Source

13. Puerto Rico’s main trading partner is the United States.

14. Puerto Rico is famous for three things: Ricky Martin, Recession, and Rum.

15. Puerto Ricans pays no income tax.

Source: Media Source

16. Puerto Ricans’s official currency is the United States Dollar.

17. Rio De La Plata is the longest river in the Puerto Rico.

18. Cock-fighting is a legal and popular sport in Puerto Rico.

Source: Media Source

19. Spanish and English are the official languages of Puerto Rico.

20. The total area of Puerto Rico is only 13,791 sq km.

21. Puerto Rico is also home to the world’s largest living reptile, the leatherback sea turtle.

Source: Media Source

22. Over two hundred caves can be explored at the Rio Camuy Cave Park.

23. Puerto Rico streets are paved with blue cobblestones.

24. Rita Moreno, a Puerto Rican actress is the first person in the world to win an Oscar.

Source: Media Source

25. The ‘Puerto Rico Trench’ is the deepest point of the Atlantic Ocean & second in the world.

26. San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico and second oldest city in the America.

27. Playa Quique Bravo in Rincon has the world’s best beach for surfing and windsurfing.

Source: Media Source

28. The hibiscus is the Puerto Rico’s national flower.

29. The highest point in Puerto Rico is Cerro de Punta at 1,338 m height.

30. Basketball and Boxing are the most popular sports in Puerto Rico.

Source: Media Source

31. 60% of Puerto Rico is covered with mountains.

32. 99% of the Puerto Rican population is Latino.

33. The Rio Camuy Cave system is the world’s third-largest cave designed by water.

Source: Media Source

34. The legal drinking age in Puerto Rico is 18.

35. Salta de Dona Juana is a top tourist attraction in the area.

36. They have 5 Miss Universe winners.

Source: Media Source

37.

The Pina Colada was invented at the San Juan Caribe Hilton Hotel bar in 1963.

38. La Fortaleza is the oldest executive mansion in the world.

39. Two of the oldest churches found in America are in San Juan.

Source: Media Source

40. Puerto Rico has the world’s largest telescope.

7 interesting facts from the biography of Benicio Del Toro

Entertainment famous Hollywood actor Benicio Del Toro.

Benicio Monserrate Rafael Del Toro Sanchez was born in San Juan (Puerto Rico). When the boy was nine years old, his mother died of hepatitis. While she was ill, Benicio tried to cheer her up and put on performances, which became his first experience in acting. After the death of their mother, the godmother Sara Tores took over the upbringing of Benicio and his brother Gustavo. At the Catholic school, Del Toro was considered the main bully. Nuns and priests constantly complained about the behavior of a tomboy, but some teachers managed to discern in him an ordinary child in need of advice. At school, he had many problems not only with behavior, but also with his studies. The father tried to keep his son in a tight rein, so quarrels constantly arose between them. After his father married for the third time, he let 13-year-old Benicio go to study in the USA. nine0005

At boarding school in Pennsylvania , Del Toro discovered basketball and art, and in college he added acting to his hobbies. Benicio began to play in a theater group, and immediately got the lead role. After the first performance, Del Toro decided to change his specialization. Before that, he studied business disciplines, but it didn’t work out for him. Now he firmly decided to become an actor and moved to New York, and later to Los Angeles, where his brother lived. In addition, he won a grant at the Stella Adler School of Acting, where he studied for almost four years. The young man barely made ends meet – he did not starve only thanks to the grant and the fact that he lived in his brother’s apartment. He earned pocket money by helping to build a theater for the School. nine0005

Two years later, he got his first real job, a role in the television series Miami Vice: Vice . After a break, Del Toro starred in the Bond series “License to Kill” (1988), but the turning point in his career was the role of the eccentric criminal Fenster in Bryan Singer’s film “The Usual Suspects” (1995). In 1997, Benicio first played a major role – in the action comedy “Excess Luggage” . His partner on the set was Alicia Silverstone, who also directed and produced the film. Critics dismantled the film piece by piece and left an extremely low opinion of it, but noted the impressive performance of Del Toro. The big success of the actor was the work in the film Terry Gilliam “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998). For the opportunity to play with his friend Johnny Depp in the film based on the book of his friend Hunter Thompson , Del Toro gained almost 20 kilograms. The masterful transformation of the Puerto Rican handsome man into the reckless lawyer Gonzo was liked by both critics and viewers.

After a short break, Del Toro once again demonstrated his outstanding acting talent in Steven Soderbergh’s drama “Traffic” (2000), for which he received several prestigious awards. No less striking works of the actor were the roles in the criminal action films “The Way of the Weapon” (2000) by Christopher McQuarrie and “Snatch” (2000) Guy Ritchie , the crime-psychological drama “The Promise” (2001) by Sean Penn and the historical epic “Che” (2008) by Steven Soderbergh.

“Evening Moscow” offers you some interesting facts from the biography of a talented artist. nine0005

1. As a child, Benicio loved to play basketball and watch horror films – especially the boy loved films about Frankenstein’s monster , Wolfman and “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” (in 2010 he played the main role in the remake of “The Man- wolf” ). The only film that Benicio managed to see with his mother was the crime drama “Moth” by Franklin Sheffner (1973).

2. When a 13-year-old boy came to the US, he had a lot of problems because of the language barrier, because at home the boy spoke only Spanish. Sports and music helped him learn English – a sociable young man quickly made new acquaintances. For the personality of Benicio, this was a useful experience – it was then that he realized that he could adapt to any conditions. nine0005

3. Del Toro’s parents wanted him to become a lawyer. The father and godmother still continue to say that Benicio should continue the family tradition. Even now, the godmother might start saying things like, “‘You know, you can still go back to college and graduate now. ..”. The actor felt even more disapproval of the family when he began studying at an acting school. Relatives believed that he would not last in this business. Moreover, they believed that money can only be earned in advertising, but not on the acting platform. nine0005

4. Benicio was a real bully. Once, a friend of his friend (and Del Toro did not even know him) had his house robbed. The future actor got his phone number and terrorized the whole family for a whole week with stories that he was one of the thieves who robbed the house. He swore that the gang would rob this house again, and he did it so convincingly that the family changed their phone number and moved away.

5. In 2005, Del Toro starred as Prefect Macron in the trailer for a non-existent remake of the cult film Tinto Brass “Caligula” (1979), staged by Francesco Vezzoli. His partners on the set were Helen Miren, Milla Jovovich, Karen Black, Gerard Butler and Courtney Love.

6. Benicio del Toro is one of only four actors to win an Oscar for playing a character whose most lines are not in English (in “Traffic” , he mostly speaks Spanish). The other three actors are Sophia Loren, Robert De Niro and Roberto Benigni.

7. Benicio thinks that ever since Puerto Ricans started traveling around America, they have become almost like North Americans. Del Toro often travels to his homeland, but says that he could not live there – he is stopped by the situation with a poorly developed film industry.

Hollywood Cinema

Secrets of the oceans: 11 interesting facts

Oceans cover most of the surface of our planet – about 72%. And they formed millions of years ago: in some waters you can find very ancient species of marine animals. Do you remember how many oceans there are on Earth? Five, and you can tell something interesting about each. nine0005

The largest ocean is the Pacific . Its area is 180 million square kilometers. I wonder where this name comes from? The Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan called him Pacific (Pasifico): during the voyage, which lasted almost 4 months, he crossed the ocean, and the expedition never got into a storm. Of course, it was just incredible luck: the nature of these waters is not at all calm and peaceful.

The deepest place on Earth is in the Pacific Ocean: Mariana Trench . Its depth is 10994 meters, almost 11 km. That is, if you put Everest in this place, then the highest mountain in the world would be completely hidden under water.

The bottom of the cavity is covered with a layer of viscous gray mucus – these are the remains of all kinds of organic matter that sink down. Despite the enormous water pressure, living organisms were found there: unicellular xenophyophores, mollusks, and worms.

The fauna of the Pacific Ocean is richer than in others. The most ancient species that no longer exist in other waters live here: for example, the Gilbertidia fish. There are also endemic species of mammals: fur seal, sea lion, dugong .

dugong

fur seal

Does anyone live at the very bottom? Yes, about 45 species are known to live at depths of more than 8 kilometers, the most common being holothurians (“sea cucumbers”).

The Atlantic Ocean , the second largest, was named after the titan Atlanta, holding the vault of heaven on his shoulders. It is the most salty of all: evenly over the entire territory, the salt concentration reaches about 35%. nine0005

There is a mysterious place in the Atlantic – Bermuda Triangle . This is the name of the area in the Sargasso Sea. The vertices of the triangle are Miami, Bermuda and San Juan, a city in Puerto Rico. At one time it was believed that ships and even planes mysteriously perished here – because of the giant kraken or aliens. Here, in fact, the bottom topography is complex, there are many reefs and shallows, the area is considered difficult to navigate. And there are no more crashes here than in other areas of the ocean. nine0005

There is also an incredibly beautiful place in the Atlantic Ocean called The Great Blue Hole is a huge cave in the Belize Barrier Reef. This is a huge round funnel with a diameter of 300 meters and a depth of 120.

Divers love this place (with the light hand of Jacques-Yves Cousteau), here you can meet unusual fish: stone perch – grouper, nurse sharks.

The Indian Ocean has been a major trade route for many years. The first European who sailed across this ocean to India from Europe was Vasco de Gama. He was granted the title “Admiral of the Indian Ocean”. nine0005

There are many interesting inhabitants here, for example, organisms that shine at night : dinophyte algae, some species of jellyfish, tunicates.

An interesting phenomenon that can be observed here is “milky sea”. This is the name of a large iridescent light patch of water on the surface of the ocean, this natural phenomenon is associated with special luminescent bacteria Vibrio harvey

Arctic Ocean severe in nature. But in terms of size and depth – the smallest. Its average depth is “only” 1225 m. This is the coldest ocean: there is always ice in its waters, even in summer.

We imagine that only large, harsh creatures, like polar bears with their thick skins or huge seals, can live in these icy waters. But there are even jellyfish here – for example, arctic cyanide . This is a very large and dangerous jellyfish, the dome of which can reach a diameter of 2 meters, and tentacles – 35-40 cm long! nine0005

Southern Ocean – huge bodies of water washing Antarctica.

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