12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory since 1898. People born on the island are U.S. citizens, but Puerto Ricans cannot vote in presidential elections unless they reside in one of the 50 states. The island has its own constitution, but federal law still applies.

Puerto Rico is home to Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Laguna Grande in Fajardo, and La Parguera in Lajas—three of the few bioluminescent bays in the world. Mosquito Bay holds the Guinness World Record as the brightest.

Puerto Rico is home to Casa Bacardí in Cataño, the largest rum distillery in the world. It produces over 100,000 liters of rum every single day. While rum is widely associated with Puerto Rico, many people don’t realize just how massive the industry is — or that such a globally recognized brand is produced at this scale on the island.

Located about an hour from San Juan, El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rainforest managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It’s home to waterfalls, hiking trails, and a diverse ecosystem.

Puerto Rico recognizes both English and Spanish as official languages. However, Spanish is the primary language spoken in daily life, with English mostly used in government, business, and tourism.

The tiny coquí frog, known for its loud call, is one of Puerto Rico’s most recognized symbols. It’s native to the island and can be heard almost everywhere at night.

Puerto Rican coffee was once considered among the best in the world, even served at the Vatican in the 19th century. Today, rum is its largest export, with brands like Bacardí and Don Q produced locally.

The Arecibo Observatory was home to one of the world’s largest radio telescopes for nearly 60 years before its collapse in 2020. It played a major role in astronomy and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.Locals turned part of the dish into a basketball court for fun, painting the surface so players could shoot hoops in the middle of a world-class scientific facility. It’s a strange mix of advanced astronomy and casual sports, and it became one of those “only in Puerto Rico” details.

Before Spanish colonization, Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Taíno people. Many place names, such as Arecibo and Utuado, come from Taíno words, and cultural traditions remain part of Puerto Rican identity.

In Puerto Rico, it’s not unusual to hear roosters crowing in the middle of San Juan or other urban areas. Chickens and roosters often roam freely, not just in the countryside but also in residential neighborhoods and city streets. They’ve become part of the island’s daily background noise, no matter the time of day.

In Puerto Rico’s mountains, you’ll find a municipality called Culebra, which literally means “snake” in Spanish — but that’s not the strangest. There’s also a barrio (district) in the town of San Sebastián called Sapo Blanco, which translates to “White Toad.” Puerto Rico has several quirky place names tied to animals and odd descriptors, many of which come from indigenous Taíno words or old Spanish nicknames.

Miami Modernist (MiMo) is a regional architecture style featuring elements like breeze blocks, glass, curved lines, and tropical design—visible along Biscayne Boulevard and Miami Beach.