The smallest island in the Greater Antilles, yet it holds a rainforest, a dry forest, and 100 waterfalls. 

The first known indigenous people of the island were the Taino, a subgroup of the Arawak people. They arrived in the land in 1000 CE and lived in small settlements led by chiefs. They had little agricultural knowledge but managed to grow tropical fruits like Pineapples and Cassava, and also fished for seafood. They built defenses and were able to fend off invaders from neighboring islands like the Virgin Islands. In 1493, while the Taino people were working on agriculture and defenses, Columbus set sail on his second voyage with 17 ships and 1500 men. On their way, Columbus and his men rescued many Taino people who were captured by neighboring islands. They agreed to return the captured Taino but in return wanted to stay on the island and build their settlements. Columbus then named the Island San Juan Bautista which means San Juan the baptist. Columbus neglected the island for a while but returned 15 years later. Columbus granted permission to his officers to search the island. His officers noticed a huge opportunity in a harbor that looked over the water and had protection, while also housing many ships. They decided to stay on the island and founded a town where people could live and where workers could mine for gold and other minerals. They named the town Cappara, but it didnt last long. They soon moved the civilization to another spot on the island toward the northern end of the island, farther away from the harbor, but close enough that they could still monitor everything coming in and out. They named the town Puerto Rico, which means Rich Port in English. As time went on, people started calling the town San Juan, and the name Puerto Rico, or Rich Port, became the name for the whole island. The Taino People were in Puerto Rico the whole time that all of this was happening, and they soon began to lose their respect for the Spanish. The Spanish assumed that the Taino did not care what they were doing, and the Spanish also assumed that the Taino would gift gold and other gifts to them, while also being instructed on the Christian religion. When more Spanish arrived, they started bringing sicknesses that devasted the Taino population because they didnt have medicines to counter the diseases. The Taino people tried many times to rebel but most of the attempts failed. In the 16th century, the French started attacking the island and burning forts that the Spanish were putting up. Spanish colonists left the island, but later the Spanish realized that the island was a very huge political and influential spot and decided to start a covert mission to work on getting it back. The covert mission worked and the Spanish took control of the island. They built huge defenses and got rid of the Taino people still there. Many of these walls that were built can still be seen in Puerto Rico today. Many things were imported to Puerto Rico like coffee. Later, the island was mostly abandoned due to disease going through the island. In 1830, Inhabitants of Puerto Rico started selling all of their imports and that was the people's main source of income. Then the Spanish-American war changed everything. The USA gained control of many Spanish islands, including Puerto Rico and Cuba. Ever since then, the United States has owned the island, and Puerto Rico has been a US territory.