Puerto Rico is a 100 by 35-mile island, located in the Caribbean, East of the Dominican Republic and Southeast of Miami, Florida. It is the smallest of the Greater Antilles. After being a colony of Spain for more than 400 years, it passed to the United States, after the conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1898. In 1952 the Island became a Commonwealth of the United States, with a local Constitution that gave Puerto Rico self-governing power. Its inhabitants possess all the rights and obligations of United States citizens, except the right to vote in presidential elections and the obligation to pay federal taxes. As a territory of the United States, Puerto Rico has common citizenship, currency and defense. Therefore, Puerto Ricans travel to the mainland with no passports or visas necessary; which also applies to all US citizens who visit the Island.
Key facts:
| - | San Juan, the Capital of Puerto Rico, is located to the North of the Island | |||||||||||||||
| - | Spanish and English are the official languages | |||||||||||||||
| - | Currency: US Dollar | |||||||||||||||
| - | Total area: 3, 515 square miles | |||||||||||||||
| - | Land Area: 8,959 square kilometers | |||||||||||||||
| - | Time: Atlantic Standard (AST), which is one hour later than Eastern Standard Time (EST) and four hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), however, the Island does not observe Daylight Savings Time. | |||||||||||||||
| - | Travel time Reference
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| - | Major Cities: Ponce, Caguas, Mayagüez, Bayamón, Carolina, Arecibo, Guaynabo, Cayey, Fajardo, San Germán | |||||||||||||||
| - | Tropical climate, warm and sunny most of the year |
CToday, the Coamo Hot Springs are a significant source of health, since its thermal waters help alleviate certain ailments, some of them related to arthritis.
Coamo was founded in 1579 and its name derives from Coamex or Camuy, name of the Indian chief of the area. Coamo became a town in 1616 and later a village in 1778. Until 1880, it was known as the Capital of the South and staged important battles during the Spanish-American War in 1898.
At present, Coamo is mainly dedicated to agriculture and manufacturing. It has the distinction of being the first town to produce coffee in the Island.
Other interesting facts:
| Population | 33,837 |
| Area | 200 square kilometers |
| Location | Central South |