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Puerto Rico is NOT independent. It's a bit complicated but here it goes: Puerto Rico was "discovered" and colonized by Spain in 1493. Spain governed Puerto Rico for well over 300 years when a group of Puertorricans fought for its independence from Spain in 1868 but Spain did not recognized Puerto Rico's autonomy until 1897. After recognizing Puerto Rico's autonomy, Spain also gave Puerto Rico to the United States as a result of them loosing the Spanish-American War; this under the Treaty of Paris. (If it were a property, you might say that the island was "sold" to two different owners at the same time.) At the time the US did not recognize Puerto Rico's autonomy and in some way Puertorricans though that this was probably a step towards independence or statehood. Yet here we are, more than 100 years later in 2010 and Puerto Rico is still owned by the US. Now it is called the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

They currently receive all the benefits of Statehood without having to pay taxes to the country. Pretty sweet deal. Becoming a state would entail their willingness to contribute to the income base of the United States. This is something that should have been done decades ago.
They became independent of Spain in 1898 and are now a US Territory.

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15y ago

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