Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and from 1898 to 1932 also called Porto Rico in English, an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea. It is an archipelago among the Greater Antilles including the eponymous main island and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques.
Originally populated by the indigenous Taíno people, Puerto Rico was colonized by Spain following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493. It was contested by various other European powers, but remained a Spanish possession for the next four centuries as part of the Spanish West Indies (Spanish Antilles).
In the Spanish Empire, Puerto Rico played a secondary but strategic role compared to wealthier colonies like Peru and New Spain. In 1898, following the Spanish–American War, the United States acquired Puerto Rico, which remains an unincorporated territorial possession, making it the world’s oldest colony.
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- American Topical Association: Puerto Rico Checklist – How I Prepared It
- RMPL Denver: Unravelling Puerto Rico Philately – Part 1
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