PUERTO RICOBy. Antoan Ibarra

LOCATION The island is located in the

Caribbean, between the Caribbean sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic, about a 1,000 miles east of Miami, Florida.

CAPITAL AND MAJOR CITIES Puerto Rico's capital is San Juan and is the most populated city.

Major Cities San Juan Bayamon Carolina Ponce Caguas

INDEPENDENCE DAY Puerto Rico does not have an

official independence date, they celebrate July 4th and any and every US holiday and also some of their own.

MEANING OF THE FLAGS COLORS The three red stripes

represent the blood from the brave warriors. The two white stripes represent the victory and peace that they would have after gaining independence. The white star represented the island of Puerto Rico. The blue represents the sky and blue coastal waters.

TYPICAL FOODS Plantians: When peeling plátanos, moisten hands and rub with salt to prevent the juices from sticking to your hands.

Cut off about 1 inch from both ends as in figures 1 & 2.

Using a sharp knife, make 2 lengthwise cuts at opposite ends of the plátano (fig. 3)

Now drop them in very hot water for easier peeling. Just let them sit in the water for a few minutes or so.

While holding the plátano steady with your left hand, use your right hand to slide the tip of the knife under the skin and begin to pull it away, going from top to bottom. (fig 4).

Soak the peeled plátanos in salted water. Drain on a paper towel to use in your recipe.

In Puerto Rico we also eat green unrippened bananas - the same bananas we get at the grocery store, but still green. We boil them or fry them, and use them in many recipes. The peeling process for green bananas is the same as shown here.

MAJOR RELIGION Roman Catholic

The majority of Puerto Ricans are Roman Catholic, but religious freedom for all faiths is guaranteed by the Commonwealth Constitution. There is a Jewish Community Center in Miramar, and there's a Jewish Reformed Congregation in Santurce.

TOURISM Garcia beach: Head to García

Beach for a quiet escape with a palm tree–dotted island just a short swim away.

San Juan National Historic Site: The San Juan National Historic Site (World Heritage Site).

CLIMATE The climate of Puerto Rico

falls into the tropical climatic zone.

MONETARY SYSTEM After one hundred years of

use of the United States monetary system, Puerto Ricans still refer to the dollar, as the "peso"; to "quarter" (25 cents), as "peseta"; to "nickel" (5 cents), as "vellon" or "ficha" and to the cent, as "chavo" or "perrita".

FORM OF GOVERNMENT AND CURRENT PRESIDENT OR LEADER Alejandro Garcia Padilla:

nauguration of Alejandro García Padilla as the 11th Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on the Capitol steps.