All righty! Who hasn’t heard the song Despacito by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee? I bet you have! It’s been a worldwide mega hit that has put my little island on the map.
With that being said, I’m pretty excited to share with you 10 fun facts about Puerto Rico.
When you think of Puerto Rico you think of sandy white beaches and blue turquoise water..
1. First fun fact about Puerto Rico we have a beach with black sand! It’s called Playa Negra. Yes, Black Beach! The black sand is caused by mixture of sedimentary rocks and the shifting of the tectonic plates that formed the island so many millions of years ago.
2. Monica Puig is Puerto Rico’s first Olympic Gold Medalist. Yes, although Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States, it can still send their athletes to represent us in the Olympics. (Psst: Have you seen these fun-tastic Olympics themed Printable Passports?)
3. Unlike the United States where English is the de facto language, Puerto Rico has two official languages Spanish and English. People born in Puerto Rico are also U.S. citizens. However, Puerto Ricans can’t vote for the President of the United States.
4. The largest telescope in the world is located in Puerto Rico. It is used to look at asteroids in space, and determine if ever any get too close to the Earth’s surface.
https://www.instagram.com/p/sYWG1ag2Mj/?tagged=arecibotelescope
5. Puerto Rico has a line-up of life-like bronze statues that are aligned across the Capitol building: Walkway of the Presidents. The Walkway of the Presidents is a homage to all of the presidents that have ever visited Puerto Rico.
6. You can explore 100’s of caves in Las Cavernas de Camuy . It is the 3rd largest underground cave system in the world and the Rio Camuy runs through it. It is also home to 13 species of bats, and hundreds of other insect, arachnid and frog species.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXbWqKxAFY6/
7. Americans do not need a passport to visit Puerto Rico. This beautiful island is part of the United States and as such a commonwealth. There’s no passport or visa requirement for U.S. citizens. Basically traveling to Puerto Rico is considered a domestic flight.
8. El coquí is a tiny tree frog named after the loud sound that it makes; it is also the “unofficial mascot” of Puerto Rico. Check out these children’s book about Puerto Rico’s beloved coquí: here, here and here.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZajqe3l3Pn/
9. Puerto Rico is home to the one of the most important archaeological site in the Caribbean of the Igneri, pre-Taíno and Taíno cultures of ancient Puerto Rico at the Tibes Indian Ceremonial Center. You can explore more about the Taíno petroglyph here.
10. The piña colada is the official drink of Puerto Rico. Get your kid-friendly piña colada recipe here. You can read more about Puerto Rican Food and Culture here.
If you’d like to learn more about Puerto Rico’s landmarks snag your free printable here.
As I am finalizing this post, I can’t help but get emotional. I am on the verge of tears. On September 20, 2017 Puerto Rico was struck by Hurricane Maria. Hurricane Maria has become Puerto Rico’s strongest storm in 85 years I’m not sure if any of the landmarks that I write about in this post are still there.
However, I can say that the resilience and strength of Puerto Ricans is present, and amidst the chaos ensued by this hurricane we will continue to smile and rebuild our beautiful island.
If you find it in your heart to help Puerto Rico here’s how you can help.
We are so excited for our sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Month series and giveaway! Through the month (September 15 – October 15), you’ll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can enter to win in our great giveaway and link up your own posts on Hispanic Heritage!
September 15
Embracing Diversity on Multicultural Kid Blogs: 10 Fun Facts About Dominican Republic
September 18
Spanish Mama: Nazca Lines – Exploratory Art Project
September 19
Hispanic Mama: Fun Ways to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Your Children
September 20
Inspired by Family: 16 Great Children’s Books About South America
September 21
Spanish Mama: Folk Songs in Spanish
September 25
Spanish Playground: Food from Latin America Infographic Picture Cards Activities
September 26
All Done Monkey: 60+ Hispanic Heritage Month Recipes to Try with Kids
September 27
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: Hispanic Inspired Crafts for Kids
September 28
Kid World Citizen: 35+ Best Resources and Activities to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
September 29
Pura Vida Moms on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Costa Rican Food – 9 Favorite Recipes
October 2
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes on Multicultural Kid Blogs: 10 Fun Facts About Puerto Rico
October 5
Spanglish House
October 6
Mama Tortuga
October 12
Tiny Tapping Toes
Don’t miss all of the great posts from previous years as well: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Hispanic Heritage Month Giveaway!
Giveaway begins September 15 and goes through October 15, 2017. Enter below for a chance to win one of these amazing prize packages! Some prizes have shipping restrictions. In the event that a winner lives outside the designated shipping area, that prize will then become part of the following prize package. For more information, read our full giveaway rules.
Grand Prize
From Mariana Iranzi: A digital copy of her new CD Primavera
From Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer: A print copy of Cántale a tu bebé with music download – US Shipping Only
From 123 Andrés: A copy of the CD Arriba Abajo (digital copy if outside the US)
From Spanish Playground: Set of books, crafts, and toys from Latin America – US Shipping Only
From Carole P. Roman: Set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books on Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and the Mayan Empire – US Shipping Only
From Mister G: A copy of the new CD Mundo Verde/Green World (digital copy if outside the US)
From World Music with Daria: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Musical Craft and Coloring E-Book
From Gus on the Go: Spanish Alphabet Print (US Shipping Only) & single-use promo code for Spanish for kids language app
From Lectura Para Niños: A set of printable little readers, one for each letter of the Spanish alphabet. Designed to last the entire school year, with one new book each week plus several review weeks included throughout the set
1st Prize
From Mariana Iranzi: A digital copy of her new CD Primavera
From Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer: A print copy of Cántale a tu bebé with music download – US Shipping Only
From 123 Andrés: A copy of the CD Arriba Abajo (digital copy if outside the US)
From Spanish Playground: Set of books, crafts, and toys from Latin America – US Shipping Only
From Carole P. Roman: Set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books on Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and the Mayan Empire – US Shipping Only
From Mister G: A copy of the new CD Mundo Verde/Green World (digital copy if outside the US)
From World Music with Daria: Set of maracas and a Spanish fan – US Shipping Only
From Gus on the Go: Spanish Alphabet Print (US Shipping Only) & single-use promo code for Spanish for kids language app
2nd Prize
From Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer: A print copy of Cántale a tu bebé with music download – US Shipping Only
From 123 Andrés: A copy of the CD Uno, Dos, Tres, Andrés! (digital copy if outside the US)
From Spanish Playground: Set of books, crafts, and toys from Latin America – US Shipping Only
From Carole P. Roman: Set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books on Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and the Mayan Empire – US Shipping Only
From Mister G: A copy of the new CD Mundo Verde/Green World (digital copy if outside the US)
From Lee and Low Books: Martí’s Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos por la libertad; Rainbow Weaver/Tejedora del arcoíris; Mamá the Alien/Mamá la extraterreste; Marisol McDonald and the Monster/Marisol McDonald y el monstruo – US Shipping Only
3rd Prize
From Carole P. Roman: Set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books on Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and the Mayan Empire – US Shipping Only
From Mister G: A copy of the new CD Mundo Verde/Green World (digital copy if outside the US)
From Sarah Aroeste: A copy of the new Ladino/English bilingual picture book Ora de Despertar/Time to Wake Up – US Shipping Only
From Arte Público Press: Picture books Esteban de Luna, Baby Rescuer! / Esteban de Luna, ¡rescatador de bebés!, The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, Dalia’s Wondrous Hair / El cabello maravilloso de Dalia, Grandma’s Chocolate / El chocolate de Abuelita, I Kick the Ball / Pateo el balón, Level Up / Paso de nivel, A Surprise for Teresita / Una sorpresa para Teresita – US Shipping Only
Bonus Prizes
We are giving away an extra copy of the CD Mundo Verde/Green World from Mister G (US Shipping Only) and up to 10 digital downloads of this brand new album: Watch a video of the title track!
Frances
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Thank you beautiful well informed post ♥
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