Brian O'Hare, age 12, of Biloxi, Miss., for his question:
DOES THE UNITED STATES OWN PUERTO RICO?
Puerto Rico is a United States possession. Since 1952 the country has officially been a self governing commonwealth voluntarily associated with the U.S. In 1967 the citizens voted to continue this status, although there was then and continues to be support to make Puerto Rico the nation's 51st state.
Columbus discovered Puerto Rico in 1493 and named it San Juan Bautista. Ponce de Leon was commissioned by the king of Spain to settle the island in 1508. Because one bay had many natural advantages as a port, he named it Puerto Rico, which means "rich harbor." The name came to be applied to the island as a whole.
The Indian inhabitants long ago called the island Boriquen.
The Spanish turned Puerto Rico into a stronghold of the Spanish Empire during the 17th Century.
When Spain lost the Spanish American War in 1898, Spain ceded the island to the United States. In 1917, Congress granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship.
The government of the island was handled by a governor from the U.S. until 1946, when a Puerto Rican was appointed governor by the President. In 1948, Puerto Ricans elected their first governor. His name was Luis Munoz Marin and he governed the land through 1964. Puerto Ricans have governed ever since.
Puerto Rico is the smallest of the Greater Antilles, which include the large islands of the West Indies. Puerto Rico can be found at the eastern end of this group.
On the north and east is the Atlantic Ocean. On the south is the Caribbean Sea while on the west is Mona Passage, a sea channel that separates Puerto Rico from the island of Hispaniola.
Puerto Rico's sunny and tropical climate is cooled by northeast trade winds. The average temperature is a pleasant 76 degrees Fahrenheit. It is rarely more than seven degrees hotter or cooler than this.
Puerto Rico is about 1,000 miles southeast of Florins and almost twice as far from the mainland of North America as it is from South America. Its greatest east to west distance is about 110 miles and its extreme north to south distance is about 40 miles.
Puerto Rico, which is larger than Rhode Island, has a coastline that measures about 300 miles.
The island's annual rainfall is about 60 inches each year. Many areas of the island have thick rain forests.
Heavy winds from time to time turn into hurricanes.
There are few wild animals on Puerto Rico, other than toads and lizards, but there are lots of birds. The feathered population includes ducks, gulls, coots, herons, pelicans, parrots, hawks, frigate birds and pigeons. In the nearby waters are barracuda, kingfish, tuna, Spanish mackerel, mullet, lobster and oysters.