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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Facts About Puerto Rico

From my friend Evelyn, "I LOVE Puerto Rico! I can attest to the beauty of the rain forest at El Yunque, the beaches, especially the gorgeous coconut tree lined beach, Luquillo, the horrendous traffic, the fabulous mall, the marvelous pina coladas, the shark pinchos (shark shishkabob), the music, the rum, the food, the fruits, the flowers, the people, the mountains, the bioluminescent waters, the weather and more...."

  • Here's some facts about Puerto Rico, formerly known by the Taino people as BORIKEN.
  • Puerto Rico is the country with the most cars per square mile in the world: 146 vehicles per street mile and 4,300 vehicles per square mile.
  • Plaza Las Americas mall in San Juan is the most profitable mall per square foot in the world.
  • The highest grossing Borders book store in US territory is located in Puerto Rico.
  • Busiest Toys "R" Us in the world is in Puerto Rico.
  • The highest grossing Sears store in the World is in Puerto Rico.
  • The highest selling Kmart in the US is in San Juan.
  • The Radio Shack store in Plaza Las Americas mall is the busiest and highest grossing Radio Shack in the world.
  • The largest JC Penney store in the world (a full 4 stories) is located at Plaza Las Americas mall.
  • The Port of San Juan is the fourth busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere.
  • San Juan is the oldest city in US territory (Older than the city of St. Augustine, FL) and was founded in 1508 by Juan Ponce de Leon.
  • PiƱa Colada was "born" in PR in 1954.
  • The legal drinking age is 18.
  • Puerto Rico has won the Miss Universe pageant a record five times.
  • Puerto Rico has the only rain forest in the US- El Yunque.
  • The place in the world with more pharmaceutical companies per square mile is Puerto Rico.
  • There are about 1,100 people per square mile, a ratio higher than within any of the 50 states in the United States. Puerto Rico's population density per square miles is among the world's highest - only Bangladesh, The Maldives, Barbados, Taiwan, South Korea and the city-states of Hong Kong and Singapore are more crowded.
  • Puerto Rico is the third country in the world with more physicians in proportion to its population.
  • The Camuy river in Puerto Rico is among the top three longest underground rivers in the world.
  • Puerto Rico has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in the world.
  • The longest pool in the world is located in a hotel in Dorado, PR.
  • It is estimated that there is more Nickel in the mountains of Puerto Rico than the whole United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.
  • There are more Puerto Ricans living in the rest of the United States than in the island of Puerto Rico itself.
  • La Fortaleza in San Juan is the oldest executive mansion in the New World.
  • The state of Florida was discovered by Puerto Rico's first governor, Don Juan Ponce de Leon.
  • The first shot fired by the United States in World War I was in Puerto Rico by Lt. Teofilo Marxuach.
  • 86% of the rum drunk in the U.S. is from Puerto Rico.
  • Puerto Rico has one of the world's highest productivity ratios.
  • The world's highest concentrations of bioluminescent waters are in Puerto Rico.
  • Coffee grown and brewed in Puerto Rico is the official coffee of the Vatican.
  • Puerto Rico ranks 6th in the world when it comes to college graduates.
  • Puerto Ricans are the only people in the world who regularly applaud when a plane lands and when it reaches the gate.
  • Puerto Rico has more Gas Stations, Churches, Cars, Roads, and Walgreens per square mile than any other country in the world.
  • World biggest and largest radio telescope is in Puerto Rico.
  • Telemundo, the second largest Spanish language television station in the United States, was founded in Puerto Rico.
  • Puerto Rico has more rivers per square mile than any other place in the world.
  • The second radio station to be inaugurated in the US was in PR.
  • The longest running TV program was in Puerto Rico.
  • The first Emmy went to a Puerto Rican... Jose Ferrer. He also got the Academy award for the same role.
  • Rita Moreno got those two and one for Best Actress in a Broadway show. No one elso has matched that.
  • The most outstanding soldier in Europe at the end of the Second WW was chosen from the Pueto Rican 66th Infantry.
  • One of the three still living WWI veterans is a Puerto Rican.
NOT TOO BAD FOR A 100 X 35 MILES ISLAND...
Brief History of Puerto Rico