Puerto Rico
latinamerica
[pwɛrto riko]
17.254761
-63.748169
km from you
none
4
The island of Puerto Rico is located in the northwestern part of the Caribbean, east
of the Dominican Republic, and west of the Virgin Islands.
17.254761
-63.748169
KM FROM YOU
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18°26'55"N 66°3'9"W
El Vejigante
A 'Vejigante' takes a break in Loíza, San Juan.
El Vejigante
KM FROM YOU
The vejigante is a folkloric figure who's origins trace back to medieval Spain.
The legend goes that the vejigante represented the infidel Moors who were defeated in a battle led by
Saint James. To honor the saint, the people dressed as demons took to the street in an annual
procession. Over time, the vejigante became a kind of folkloric demon, but in Puerto Rico, it took on a
new dimension with the introduction of African and native Taíno cultural influence. The Africans
supplied the drum-heavy music of bomba y plena, while the Taíno contributed native elements to the most
important part of the vejigante costume: the mask.
The mask of the vejigante is known as the Careta. Made from either papier-mâché or coconut husks
(although I've also seen plenty of masks made with gourd), it typically sports a fearsome assortment of
horns, fangs and beaks, and are often polka-dotted. Masks are hand-painted and assembled by local
artisans.
Vejigante is an amalgamation of two Spanish words: vejiga, or cow bladder, and gigante, or giant. The
name refers to the vejigas that the characters carry with them. The bladder, which is dried, inflated,
filled with seeds and painted, is the trusty weapon of the vejigante. During the Ponce Carnival, the
largest cultural event in Puerto Rico and an annual stage for the vejigante to strut his stuff, the
characters will happily walk among the crowds, chanting, singing, and whacking random passersby with
their vejigas. The banter between vejigantes and the crowds is all part of the fun.
latinamerica
'Nails did' in Loíza, the center of PR’s black community.
Mother & son look on during the ‘Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol’.
A 'Vegigante' takes a break in Loíza, San Juan.
Coffee plantations, home of the ‘Jibaro’. Lares.
Angeles in front of a print at the Hotel Colombus in Aguada.
Loíza community member poses in front of shop.
A 'Vegigante' takes a break in Loíza, San Juan.
PNP supporters rally at a political event in Bayamón.
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The smallest of the Greater Antilles island chain, the archipelago of Puerto Rico
includes Puerto Rico, referred to as the “The Big Island” and several minor islands; Vieques, also known
as “La Isla Nena” (Little Girl Island), Culebra, (Snake Island) and Mona (Monkey Island).
by: source_name
Mid, Min
COASTLINE
#*501#* km
Mid, Min
POPULATION
#*3.578.056#*
Mid, Min
CAPITAL
San Juan
GDP (PURCHASING POWER PARITY)
$#*131.9#* B
Mid, Min
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
#*80#*°F
17.254761
-63.748169
KM FROM YOU
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18°17'40"N 66°52'37"W
Industry, Commerce and Labor
Two ‘Jibaros’ working the coffee field in Lares.
Industry, Commerce and Labor
KM FROM YOU
Today, Puerto Rico is facing a serious financial crisis with an accumulated debt of $73 billion, its
particular status prevents it from enjoying the same rights as other US regional governments, and the
Island has no independence to declare bankruptcy and obtain legal protection from its creditors, as was
done by the state of Detroit. The governor of Puerto Rico, Alejandro García Padilla, had already
announced that the debt is "unpayable". On June 30, 2016, President Barack Obama made into a Law the
"Promise" project, imposing the Federal Fiscal Control Board.
Unemployment rate has risen to almost 12%. In recent years nearly 300,000 Puerto Ricans have emigrated
because of the high cost of living and the lack of stable work places; the vast majority to the United
States. According to the Federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS, for its acronym in English),
2014 registered the departure of 83,010 people, reaching levels of emigration never before seen. This
same source stated that in the first six months of 2015, 71,297 Puerto Ricans left the country.
The population of Puerto Rico has been reduced to 3.4 million yet 4.5 million Puerto Ricans live in the
United States; in other words, there are more Puerto Ricans outside the Island than living in it.
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Our next destination is Siberia, the coldest inhabited area in the world.
siberia
siberia
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51.887267
95.626017
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