Hispanic, Afro-Caribbean and North American influences meld in Puerto Rico, a self-governing commonwealth that is part of the US.
The subtropical Caribbean territory is urbanised, industrialised and relatively prosperous.
Hispanic, Afro-Caribbean and North American influences meld in Puerto Rico, a self-governing commonwealth that is part of the US.
The subtropical Caribbean territory is urbanised, industrialised and relatively prosperous.
The US invaded and occupied Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War of 1898, ending centuries of rule from Spain. The US saw the island as a strategic asset and ran it as a colonial protectorate.
Under American administration Puerto Rico saw growth and development. But nationalist sentiment sometimes spilled over into violence, notably in the 1930s and 1940s. Nationalists staged an armed attack in the US Congress in 1954.
A series of bombings and killings in the 1970s and 1980s were blamed on a pro-independence group, the Macheteros, or Cane Cutters. The group's fugitive leader was killed by federal agents in 2005.
Puerto Rican voters, who elect a governor for the island, have tended to favour parties that support the union with the US. Puerto Ricans do not pay US income tax, and the island receives federal funds.
There is an established cycle of migration between Puerto Rico and the US; hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have lived and worked in New York and other cities.
The once substantial US military presence has been scaled down with the closures of a major naval base and a bombing range. Rancour over the latter grew after a civilian employee was killed by a stray bomb.
Explorer Christopher Columbus claimed Puerto Rico for Spain in 1493, heralding an influx of Spanish settlers. The newcomers, and the diseases they brought with them, decimated the territory's Taino indian population.
The main settlement, San Juan, became an important Spanish outpost. Slaves were brought to the island in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Puerto Rico's landscape is varied, and includes rainforests in the north-east. The territory is prone to hurricanes.
Tourism is an important money-earner; the island receives up to two million visitors each year and is a port-of-call for cruise liners.
Head of state: President Barack Obama
Governor: Luis Guillermo Fortuno
Luis Fortuno of the New Progressive Party began his term in January 2009, and is the ninth governor of Puerto Rico. His party also won the November 2008 elections to Puerto Rico's legislative assembly.
He succeeded Anibal Acevedo Vila of the Popular Democratic Party, who served from 2004-2008.
The Popular Democratic Party was at that time in favour of maintaining Puerto Rico's commonwealth status, whereas the New Progressive Party of Mr Acevedo's rival for the governorship, Pedro Rossello, favoured full integration into the US as the 51st state.
Since then, Mr Acevedo Vila has accused the US of failing to live up to the promises it made in the 1950s - when it gave the island greater self-governing powers in return for remaining a commonwealth - and has urged it to grant Puerto Rico the right to determine its own status.
He lost a bid for a second term as governor at elections in November 2008.
Puerto Ricans elect their governor for a four-year term. The constitution, modelled on that of the US, provides for a Senate and House of Representatives. However, voters in a referendum in 2005 backed the idea of replacing the bodies with a one-house legislature.
Residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote in US presidential elections. But they do elect a non-voting delegate to the US Congress.
Broadcasting is regulated by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Home-grown comedies, talk shows and Spanish-language soaps are staple fare on local TV stations. The multichannel offerings of cable TV are widely available.
News and talk and Spanish-language pop music are among the most popular radio formats.
The press
Television
Radio
RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Government of Puerto Rico
BBC Weather: Puerto Rico
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