XVII 
PORTO RICO 
Porto Rico was discovered by Columbus in 
1493, and colonized by Ponce de Leon in 
1309. 'Because the greater percentage of the 
population of the island speak Spanish and 
have the traits, desires and inclinations of that 
race, it may be briefly considered despite the 
fact that it has been an American possession 
since 1898. Within another 23 years prac 
tically all of its 1,120,000 inhabitants will be 
able to speak or understand English, which is 
now taught in all the schools, education being 
compulsory. A large portion of the popula 
tion are negroes and mulattoes. There are 
also many Americans and Europeans. 
The island is 100 miles long and 35 wide, 
containing 2,300,000 acres of which but 24 per 
cent, is under cultivation. It is extremely 
mountainous toward the interior, one peak 
reaching a height of 3700 feet, the lowland on 
186