Compare and Contrast: Puerto Rico vs United States

Food is a major part of every culture, some very different and some very similar. American and Spanish cultures are very different because of eating habits, meal times, and how people interact over food. There are several differences between American and Spanish food, but there is one similarity: it brings people closer together like nothing else.

One of the first things I noticed while attending the Puerto Rican Festival was the language differences (2017). Most people spoke Spanish, and Spanish seemed to be their preferred language over English. At the festival, it was difficult to communicate. People carried

There are many celebrations that both countries celebrate such as Christmas and Easter. One can find many similarities and differences within the countries of Spain and Puerto Rico.

To begin with, food is perhaps the first difference that people notice between these countries. For example, Americans eat turkey and mash potato for Thanksgiving dinner while Colombians eat “ajiaco” as a typical dish. Cheeseburger is a traditional lunch for Americans. However, a traditional lunch in Colombia is called “bandeja paisa”. Americans love hot dogs, nothing complements a baseball game better than a hot dogs. In contrast, Colombian enjoys their games with “arepas” which is a mix of flour and cheese. In addition, neither American nor Colombian has a better food than the other; they are simply different.

Are they Puerto Rico citizens or simply just United States citizens inhabited on the caribbean island? Puerto Ricans are actually required to pay many of the same federal taxes as United States citizens. “Considering Commonwealth government has their own set of laws, Puerto Ricans are still required to pay

As I mentioned above, the government is run the same way, both countries have beautiful beaches and resorts, and much more. To compare differences, if you lived in the Dominican Republic compared to the U.S., you would be 2.1% more likely to be unemployed, make 81.63% less money, be 5.8% times more likely to be murdered, use 89.61% less electricity, die 1.76 years sooner, be 16.67% more likely to have HIV/AIDS, and have 41.36% more babies- just to name a few! That’s crazy! It tells us how fortunate we are here in the states to have great nurses and doctors as well as stable jobs and good

Are there differences between living in Puerto Rico and living in the United States? I believe that there are big differences. I came to the United States when I was fifteen years old. Although, I am currently living in the United States, I always go back to Puerto Rico to visit my family. I love it there. I like living in the United States but there are many things that differ from Puerto Rico such as food, education and weather.

Since the last part of the 19th Century, the official language of Puerto Rico has stirred debate. Until the early 1900’s United States authorities insisted that the official language should be English, at least for the instruction in schools. Their reasoning was to produce English speaking students that were enriched in American culture, in the same way that was conducted by schools in the United States. However, objection to this policy brought a change in a sense that Spanish overcame English as the official language in schools. Later, in 1991, the governor of Puerto Rico, Rafael Hernandez Colon, endorsed a bill that made Spanish the official speaking language of the

The first difference between living in Venezuela and living in the USA is the security. Nowadays, living in Venezuela, is hard work because it has been having so many problems with thefts. There is no control of the situation. People do not feel comfortable staying there because there

Living in two different countries can be a great experience that can change someone's way of thinking. We live in a world with many countries and different types of people, making us compare each other and ask ourselves how is this different or similar. For example, in Brazil, they speak Portuguese, but in Colombia they speak Spanish. That's one difference. Yet, Brazil and Colombia are in the same continent. Now, that's one similarity. In my case, I have lived in Venezuela and in the United States and sometimes I start comparing many things like economy, government, culture, topography, weather, traditions, etc. Many people don't notice how many difference and similarities two countries can have.

The unique tax benefits Puerto Rico offers to corporations to establish operations on their island are very attractive to companies who want to increase their profits. With these tax benefits in place, Puerto

To argue on Puerto Rican Independence, Commonwealth, or Statehood, we must first learn of the history of Puerto Rico. Growing up I was very ignorant about Puerto Rico. It wasn’t till I was in the Navy and got stationed in Puerto Rico did I really find out the small Caribbean island. Although Puerto Rico has an extensive history, I will only give a brief synopsis of it: In November 1493 Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Puerto Rico for the country of Spain. It remained a colonization of Spain until 1898 when Spain ceded the island to the United States after the Spanish-American war. In 1917 Puerto Rican’s became U.S. Citizens, but only 24% consider themselves as American (2000 census). Puerto Rico was also granted its own

The commonwealth status of Puerto Rico between the 1950-1952 was with limited autonomy since the Island was still under the Sovereignty of the United States (Francesco, C. & Eugene, 1999). The United States annexed Puerto Rico following the end of the Spanish-American War. For almost a century Puerto Rico has been under the influence of the United States. The constitutional convention of 1952 gave Puerto Rico the right to form a republican government.

Since Puerto Rico was first discovered by Christopher Columbus on November 19, 1493, and Spanish colonization ensued in 1508, Puerto Rico has experienced all of these pressures of identity and culture.

One of the most interesting and exciting places I have had the pleasure of visiting was the Island of Puerto Rico. Getting on the plane and arriving on the island was the easy part, but learning to navigate the island and getting reliable transportation was a whole other ball game.