Hi Theodoric,
Puerto Rico is part of the USA and no passport is needed.
They are not a state, but an
unincorporated territory, as are several other countries in the world. Panama was, the Philippines were, Samoa still is, and we still maintain military bases (deemed to be American soil politically - why McCain could run for president) on the Philippines (as well as other places in the world where soldiers need no passport to be stationed).
That no passport is needed is not a good criteria - I needed no passport to visit Mexico or Canada (1984).
Puerto Rico - Wikipedia
quote:
Puerto Rico ... officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, literally, "Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"), is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
The relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States dates back to the Spanish-American War, in which Spain, under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898, ceded the island to the United States. Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens in 1917, and the United States Congress legislates many aspects of Puerto Rican life.[14] However, the islanders may not vote in U.S. presidential elections.[15][16] Since 1947, Puerto Ricans have been able to elect their own governor. Its official languages are Spanish and English, with Spanish being the primary language. The island's current political status, including the possibility of statehood or independence, is widely debated in Puerto Rico. A referendum on statehood, independence, or continuance of the status quo will be held on November 6, 2012.
Seems they do a referendum every election cycle.
So they are borderline between states and foreign countries, and they certainly are
different cultures from the ones in our mainland states. Hawaii is also different but a state (Hawaii 5-0 is a reference to their being the 50th state). Alaska is just out there (Palin comes from a different planet imho).
And they can have athletes represent them in the Olympics (to nod at the topic ... )
It is exposure to different cultures that is important not how much planet land mass you have covered, yes?
Enjoy
Edited by RAZD, : nod