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| Conventional Long Form: | Commonwealth of Puerto Rico |
| Conventional Short Form: | Puerto Rico |
| Location: | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic |
| Capital City: | San Juan |
| Government Type: | Commonwealth |
| Population: | 3,937,316 (July 2001 est.) |
| Area [sq.km]: | 9,104 (slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island) |
| Currency: | US dollar (USD) |
| Languages: | Spanish, English |
| National Holiday: | US Independence Day, 4 July (1776) |
| Background: | Discovered by Columbus in 1493, the island was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. A popularly elected governor has served since 1948. In plebiscites held in 1967 and 1993, voters chose to retain commonwealth status. |
