A little history
The population of the West Indies amounted to 230,000 inhabitants, before the arrival of the Europeans. The majority were Taino Indians, an indigenous ethnic group descended from the Arawaks (Amerindians of the Antilles). The colonization of the region has had a negative impact on their survival. With the exception of Puerto Rico, where they have survived longer than in Cuba or Haiti. The ancestral cultural heritage remains nevertheless alive: the Puerto Ricans of today ("Puertorriqueños") are also nicknamed Borinquens or Borinkens ("Boricuas"), after the name that the Taïnos had given to their island before the arrival of the Spaniards: Boriquén meaning "Land of the great god".
Between 30,000 and 60,000 Tainos populated the island of Puerto Rico before Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493. After the first years of Spanish colonization in the early 16th century, another great wave of immigration occurred in the early 19th century. The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815, ordered by Spain, allowed many European Catholics to own a substantial piece of land in Puerto Rico. French, Corsicans, but also Portuguese, Irish, Germans and Italians arrived. While 150,000 souls lived in Puerto Rico in 1800, a century later there were 1 million.
In the 1930's and 1940's, many Jews who came from Europe to escape the horror of Nazi Germany, settled in Puerto Rico. They were joined by their brothers from Cuba in the early 1960s, who fled Fidel Castro's policies. The 20th century was also marked by a strong wave of emigration for many Puerto Ricans, who wanted to settle in the United States in order to fully benefit from their American citizenship. The first wave of departures began in 1940, but it is incomparable to the one that occurred at the end of the 1950s, which lasted for about ten years. During this period, 1 million people left Puerto Rico! Many of these migrants moved to New York to escape the island's rampant unemployment. They became what would later be called "Nuyoricans". Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Philadelphia, Newark and Boston were their main landing places.
In recent years, Puerto Rican authorities have recorded the arrival of Latin American immigrants. They come mainly from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela, Argentina and Colombia.
A predominantly urban population
At the beginning of the 1970s, Puerto Rico's population barely passed the 3 million mark. If in the early 2000s, the population of the archipelago was close to 4 million, in 2020 it stabilized again at around 3 million, 94% of which are in urban areas.
Puerto Rico's population recorded its largest increase in 1963 (+2.21%) and its largest decrease in 2018 (-3.97%). This mass exodus began in 2015 and increased after Maria hit in 2017. Nevertheless, Puerto Rico remains one of the most densely populated islands, not only in the Caribbean, but also in the world, with a density of 360 inhabitants/km2 (2020).
Puerto Rico's population is not overwhelmingly Afro-Caribbean like other Caribbean islands nor is it completely Anglo-Saxon, but a little bit of everything. And this is what makes the Puerto Rican identity so special. Without going into the details of ethnic differentiation, the population is globally composed of 70% "white", 8% "black" and 20% mixed race. With an average age of 43.6 years (2020), it remains within the international "norm". Children aged 0 to 14 make up 19% of the population, adults aged 15 to 64 make up 66%, while those over 65 make up 15%. Puerto Rican women have an average of 1.6 children. Life expectancy in the country is 78.9 years.
Spanish, first official language
Just because English and Spanish are the two official languages of the island does not mean that all Puerto Ricans are bilingual. Far from it. While everyone in the tourism industry is fluent in both English and Spanish, it is better for visitors to be fluent in the language of Cervantes, rather than Shakespeare, since so many Puerto Ricans do not speak English, and they all speak Spanish among themselves.
Until the American takeover of Puerto Rico in 1898, everyone spoke Spanish. By then, the Taino language had almost completely disappeared from everyday speech.in 1902, under the Foraker Act, it was established that in each island department, the governmental bodies had to adopt English as a co-official language with Spanish. But when on March 2, 1917, the President of the United States, Wilson, signed the Jones Act, which made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory, English was established as the only official language. Confusion reigned. It was difficult to spread English throughout the country when only a small minority spoke it. In 1946, a law was passed to clarify the situation. Spanish was the only language that could be used for teaching in public schools. However, it was not until 1993 that Spanish became one of the two official languages of Puerto Rico.
Tiempo latino
With the Caribbean air, Puerto Ricans live in a casual atmosphere, especially outside of San Juan. But just because it's hot doesn't mean you should forget to dress smartly. In fact, when going out or for business meetings, people like to be well-dressed, even if it means sweating a little. And the air conditioning is so widespread that there is no need to worry about it. Tiempo Latino or local rhythm, Puerto Ricans take time to live. So, for punctuality, you'll have to come back. Among friends, you often have to wait; in the professional world, being late is much less tolerated. On the whole, Puerto Ricans are open and generous. They are often caring and benevolent and do not hesitate to help their fellow man.
