10 Intriguing facts about Puerto Rico

Here are 10 intriguing facts about Puerto Rico- The land with the largest rum distillery

10. Puerto Rico has changed its name several times. Before Christopher Colombus set foot on the island, the local Taíno Indians called it Borikén, which means Land of the Valiant and Noble Lord in the Taino language. The name also referred to the Great Spirit or Creator.

9. Clapping is a Puerto Rican gesture of thanks that the plane has landed safely. Puerto Ricans love to clap right after an airplane landing in Puerto Rico. Although the popularity of it has declined in recent years.  

8. Love Pina Colada? Thank the Puerto Ricans. Puerto Rico invented Pina Colada. A combination of rum, coconut milk, and pineapple juice with ice is Puerto Rico’s signature cocktail. Moreover, the name Pina Colada means strained pineapple.

7. El Monstruo is one of the longest zip lines in the world. If you’re feeling adventurous, you would love to go for a ride at El Monstruo. It was once the longest zip line in the world, but nowadays it is ranked third with a distance of 8,300 ft.  

6. This land had a real pirate of the Caribbean. The legendary Cofresí Pirate is Puerto Rico’s most famous, real-life pirate as the legend goes. Cofresí was born in the seaside town of Cabo Rojo, and from a young age, he was encouraged by sailors in town to dream about exploring the sea.   

5. Casa Bacardi, in Cataño, is the largest rum distillery in the world. It’s so big that more than 70% of the rum sold in the United States comes from Puerto Rico. Besides, Puerto Rico is the only rum-producer in the world to maintain a minimum aging law for its rum.  

4. Miss Universe, Puerto Rico has won the title five times! Traditionally, the winner of Miss Puerto gets to advance in Miss Universe to represent the island. Each city in Puerto Rico chooses a representative for the competition. Above all, the 5 Ms. Universe of Puerto Rico are Marisol Malaret, Deborah Carthy-Deu, Dayanara Torres, Denise Quiñones, and Zuleyka Rivera.

3. Puerto Rico is not a country but behaves like a country. It has a strong cultural identity, which is why many people around the world, including in the US, think that Puerto Rico is a country. But it is not. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth governed by the United States and is therefore not a sovereign state.  

2. Puerto Ricans are US Citizens. After the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917, Puerto Rico officially became a territory of the United States, granting Puerto Ricans US   citizenship. But they cannot vote in the U.S presidential elections  

1.Puerto Rico has the second-largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. For over 50 years, from its completion in 1963 until July 2016, the Arecibo Observatory’s 1,000 feet radio telescope was the world’s largest single-aperture telescope as well as the most sensitive. It was displaced to its current second place when China’s 1,640 feet aperture spherical telescope was completed in 2016.  

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We hope that you enjoyed these 10 intriguing facts that you probably didn’t know about Puerto Rico, but now you do!

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