Puerto Rico

 

There’s only one problem when you visit Puerto Rico – on this fascinating, 3,350-square-mile (8,670 sq km) island, you can’t see everything in a single visit. Sorry, you’ll have to keep coming back. Puerto Rico is a territory of the USA 
 
Capital:            San Juan

Currency:         US Dollar

Population:      3.7 million.

Area:                3,350 square miles (8,670 square kilometres).     

Languages:      Spanish and English

Economy:         Sugar, tourism and agriculture,
 
Predominant Religions: Anglican and other Protestant churches.
 
Government:    Commonwealth associated with the United States
 
Telephone Codes:   1 - 787, country code
 
Airport Departure Tax:   nil
 
Passport/Visa Requirements: Passports and no visas needed by citizens of Australia and New
 Zealand.

Health Certificates: None required. Contact health authorities for latest information.

Tipping: Tip 10%-15% in restaurants.
 
Shopping Hours: Shops are open 9am-6pm every day and Sundays from 11am-5pm.

Banking Hours: Banking hours are 9am-2.30pm, weekdays, and 9.45 to noon on Saturdays.
 
Weather
Warm and sunny year-round along the coast. Average temperatures during the summer are in the mid-80s and in the 70s during the winter. Temperatures in the mountains are slightly cooler by 5-10 degrees. The average annual rainfall is about 62 inches/24 centimeters, mostly falling from May to December.
 
Time Zone: 14 hours behind Sydney (EST).No Daylight Saving Time is observed.
 
Voltage Requirements: 110 .
Transport:  Publicos, cars or mini-buses provide low-cost public transportation around the island. Fares vary according to destination, and most depart from a town's main square. To tour the island on your own, rental cars are recommended and are available from major companies Driving is on the right side of the road. Road signs are in Spanish and distances in kilometers, but speed limits are in miles per hour
 
History: The Taino Indians of Puerto Rico welcomed Columbus when he arrived at their island in the year 1493. They didn't know they would soon be enslaved by the Spanish settlers. In 1508, the first European settlement was established under the guidance of Ponce de Leon. Thirteen years later, the settlement was moved to the vicinity of current San Juan.
Ironically, Columbus intended the entire island to be named San Juan, and its main port Puerto Rico or rich port. Somewhere along the way, the names got switched.
On behalf of the English, Sir Francis Drake attacked Spanish ships sailing between Spain and Puerto Rico at the end of the 16th century. Dazed by his failure to capture the island, he quickly retreated in shame. The Earl of Cumberland partially restored England's honor by seizing the mighty El Morro fortress. Attempts to secure the rest of the island were unsuccessful. In the early 1600s, the Dutch invaded Puerto Rico. The British, still inside the confines of the fort, steadfastly held their ground. The last time the British tried to claim territory on the outside, a parade of citizens carrying torches (whom the British mistook for soldiers) scared them off the island entirely.
Following the Spanish-American War, Spain gave Puerto Rico to the United States. In 1917, the citizens of Puerto Rico were made citizens of the United States. In 1952, Puerto Rico, located more than 1,000 miles southeast of Miami, became a Commonwealth associated with the United States.
Highlights: Viejo (Old) San Juan is crammed with history. El Morro stands much as it did in centuries past watching over the ocean. At the opposite end of the colonial city, FortSan Cristobal was designed to ward off surprise land attacks. La Casa Blanca on Calle San Sebastian was the home of Ponce de Leon's family for more than two and a half centuries. It is the oldest building in the historic district. La Fortaleza, the Western Hemisphere's oldest continuously inhabited executive manor, strikes an elegant pose on the Calle Recinto Oeste. So far, six governors have walked its gilded halls and slept in its stately rooms.
Whereas Old San Juan is a three-dimensional history lesson, Ponce--the island's second largest city--is art class. Painters, poets and architects come to study the Neo-classical, art deco, and Creole styles that graciously intermingle in this gloriously restored 17th-century coastal town. The black- and red-striped Parque de Bombas (firehouse) shows Ponce's proclivity for the exotic. North of Ponce, the Hacienda Buena Vista is representative of the coffee plantations that dotted the island in the 19th century. A demonstration of the preparation of the beans utilizes the plantation's original machinery. Overlooking the city, the Castillo Serralles is a throwback to Ponce's heyday as a rum and sugar cane producing center.
The west coast of Puerto Rico is favored by surfers in the winter, when the rollers come crashing ashore, and anglers vie for big game fish in the rich waters east of San Juan.
After dark, visit New San Juan for an evening of entertainment. Choose between flamenco dancers, piano bars, open-air concerts, discos, casinos, folkloric shows and Latin revues.
In fact, San Juan, from the cobbled streets of the OldTown to the more modern boulevards of the Condado district or Isla Verde, is usually hopping until dawn. Casinos can be found in almost every major hotel, discos for all shapes and tastes go in and out of trendy favor, and there are always new restaurants to sample