PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

[Music] one of the minutes in the west indies is puerto rico morrow castle suggests the history of this latin american island a history rich in spanish explorers and conquistadores built in 1584 as a defensive fortress morrow castle over the harbor of san juan puerto rico's capital and lot city the name puerto rico is spanish and means rich port in san juan harbor one of the best in the west indies ships take on some of puerto rico's chief exports sugar is one of puerto rico's leading agricultural products some agricultural exports act in trailer trucks low directly on the ships among the fruits and vegetables exported are pineapples the port offers work to many men near the harbor in the city of san juan is the capital building where the legislature meet puerto rico is a self-governing democracy a commonwealth under the not far from the capital luxury hotels border the fine beaches the sub-tropical climate makes the island a popular vacation resort the tourist trade is a major part of puerto rico's income the greatest increase in income since the nineteen forties has come from the tremendous industrial growth on the island these puerto ricans are employed by an internationally known pharmaceutical company contrasting sharply with modern developments on the island are the old sections of san juan which reflect the spanish heritage and influence still to be seen on the island this woman like many other puerto ricans is a descendant of the first spanish settlers who came to the island in 1508 15 years before in 1493 columbus had discovered the island on his second voyage to the new world here at aguadilla columbus landed and this monument marks the place and it was here that columbus took one of the island for spain this statue in san juan is a monument to ponte de leon who became the first spanish governor of puerto rico in 1508. puerto ricans saw the end of spanish rule after the spanish-american war in 1898 at guanica harbor on the southern coast of puerto rico american marines landed and that military action is commemorated by this monument as a result of the spanish-american war spain ceded her possessions in the west indies cuba and puerto rico to the united states since then puerto rico has been under the protection of the united states now let's take a closer look at the commonwealth of puerto rico on the map we see that it also includes the small islands of mona vieques and culebra the island is 100 miles in length 35 miles in width east of the commonwealth of puerto rico are the virgin islands some of which are owned by great britain some by the united states three of the virgin islands of the united states are important saint croix is the largest st thomas has the best harbor and st john has a large national park these virgin islands were purchased from denmark in 1917. the virgin islands and the commonwealth of puerto rico are important to the united states because of their strategic location in puerto rico for example there are a number of military bases these bases can be used to defend united states interests in the caribbean situated about one thousand miles southeast of florida and one thousand miles northeast of the panama canal puerto rico and the virgin islands are located along important passages from the atlantic to the caribbean and to the panama canal the commonwealth of puerto rico and the virgin islands as well as all the islands in the west indies lie in the path of the trade winds the gentle warm air of the trade winds plus the rich volcanic soil of puerto rico help make it possible to grow several valuable crops these men are planting pineapples a crop which yields a high rate of income per acre about half the farm workers in puerto rico are employed in the sugar industry sugar cane which thrives in the sub-tropical climate is a leading crop in puerto rico and the virgin islands on sugar plantations modern machinery is replacing hand labor on the dry southern coast of puerto rico new farmlands are being developed by irrigation an irrigated truck farms vegetables are grown such food crops are used in hotels and restaurants for the tourist trade here on the virgin islands new hotels are being built to handle the thousands of tourists who visit the islands each year this beach is part of the virgin islands national park located on the island of saint john within this park remnants of the past and natural beauty will be preserved the most astounding change to occur in the commonwealth of puerto rico within the last quarter of a century is an industrial plan called operation bootstrap a successful effort to boost the economy of the commonwealth through industrialization with the help of the united states the puerto rican government planned and built hundreds of new factories operation bootstrap is called fomento by puerto ricans fomento is spanish for development promotion and stirring up workers for these new factories have been encouraged to learn trades which in turn provide an adequate wage puerto ricans are now working in many industries industries that produce wearing apparel metal goods chemicals and pharmaceuticals and scientific instruments representatives from other latin american countries come to study puerto rican achievements in industry finance and business and some latin american countries are following puerto rico's efforts to raise living standards but not all of the islands problems are solved there are still slum areas like this where living conditions are substandard puerto ricans are replacing slums with new housing projects rented mostly by factory workers and their families the father of this family is paid an adequate wage and his children do not have to work to help support the family they are able to go to school for the children of puerto rico there are many new modern schools puerto rican high schools teach vocational and college preparatory courses the university of puerto rico is the chief cultural center of the island fomento has indirectly resulted in other new developments which show the influence of american culture shopping centers supermarkets and modern expressways which link cities on the island airways link the island to other lands this is san juan international airport it takes only a few hours to fly from puerto rico to united states cities on the mainland and in the past many puerto ricans have gone to the united states seeking better opportunities but today most puerto ricans are finding work and opportunities in puerto rico this caribbean island is undergoing rapid growth and development against a background of a spanish culture and heritage a modern american influence is part of the island's future puerto rico's agriculture has long been a part of its economy but far more important is a revolutionary program fomento that is reshaping the economy providing jobs creating and bringing a better life to the people of puerto rico [Music] you