This densely populated island has 3.6 million people, with about one third living in the metropolitan area around the capital city of San Juan. Another 2.5 million Puerto Ricans live on the United States mainland, largely in east coast cities like New York. More recently, Orlando, Fla. has become a mecca.

Spanish is the native language, but English is widely spoken, especially in San Juan, and the government recognizes both Spanish and English as official languages. The currency is the U.S. dollar.

The influence of its Spanish heritage and its close ties to American life creates an island of sharp contrasts, where the old mingles with the new. It is evident in the island's architecture, which mixes Spanish colonial with ultra-modern, and can be seen in the abundance of North American-style malls and fast-food restaurants that compete with small, family-run stores and restaurants.

Just what is Puerto Rico, part U.S. territory and part Latin America at the same time? It has held a commonwealth association with the United States, called Estado Libre Asociado or free associated state, since 1952. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, and the U.S. Constitution is the law of the land. Residents elect their own governor and representatives to two legislative bodies: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The island has a representative in the U.S. Congress, but the resident commissioner's vote doesn't count in passing federal legislation.

Puerto Rico contains aspects of both a state of the union and a separate nation. The Island receives federal transfers for social and infrastructure programs, and Puerto Ricans have been drafted to fight in U.S. wars. Yet, islanders don't pay federal taxes and can't vote for the president.