Puerto Rico Exchange

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Puerto
Rico
Exchange
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Aims for this trip

• Explore and interact with the Puerto Rican
  culture
• History
• Geography
• Language
• Diet
• Society
• Fellow 4-H members

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PR Videos
Click to view PR video 1
Click to view PR video 2
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Eastern Puerto Rico

• San Juan
• El Yunque National Rain Forrest
• Vieques and Culebra Island

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San Juan

• El Morro This fort was completed in 1589.
  Rising 140 feet above the sea, its 18-foot-thick
  wall proved a formidable defense. It fell only
  once, in 1598, to a land assault by the Earl of
  Cumberland's forces.
• The fort is a maze of tunnels, dungeons,
  barracks, outposts and ramps.
• The area was designated a National Historic Site
  in February, 1949 with 74 total acres. It has the
  distinction of being the largest fortification in
  the Caribbean.
• El Morro Fortress is a National Historic Site
  administered by the National Park Service

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San Juan

• Castillo de San Cristóbal (San Cristóbal Fort) -
  is El Morro's partner in the city's defense.
• Built in 1634 (completed in 1771), was considered
  the Gibraltar of the West Indies.
• San Cristóbal was supported by a massive system
  of outworks which provided defense in depth and
  is one of the largest defenses ever built in the
  Americas. It rose 150 feet, covering 27 acres of
  land. As if its size and height weren't
  sufficient to intimidate enemies, its intricate
  modular design was sure to foil them.

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San Juan

• Old San Juan
• La Fortaleza (also known as the Palacio de Santa
  Catalina began construction in 1533 and finalized
  the 25 of May of 1540, as a fortress. It was
  built as a defense against Carib Indian attacks.
• Proved inadequate to guard the entrance to the
  harbor, and became the official Governor's
  Residence.
• El Capitolio (Capitol Building of Puerto Rico)
• The Catedral de San Juan (San Juan Cathedral) was
  built in the 1520's.
• Many theaters, museums, stores, and cafés.

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Luquillo

• El Yunque National Forest with a total area is
  28,000 acres.
• Has an estimated 240 types of trees, and many
  other plants, such as tiny wild orchids, bamboo
  trees, giant ferns, and trumpet trees.
• Hiking trails and rest areas available.
• El Portal Tropical Forest Center has film
  exhibits and interactive displays about the rain
  forest.

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Vieques Culebra

• Vieques - The island is located between Puerto
  Rico and St. Thomas (USVI),
• 8 miles of sea.
• Numerous other small cays (islets) lie offshore
  of Vieques.
• 21 by 4 mile
• Arawak Indians once lived here and it was an
  infamous heaven for pirates during the 17th
  century.
• Snorkeling is excellent, especially at Blue
  Beach.
• The island is also the home of phosphorescent
  Mosquito Bay.

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Vieques Culebra

• Culebra - Located 27 km (17 miles) east of Puerto
  Rico and 19 km (12 miles) west to Saint Thomas
• Its dimensions are about 11 km (7 miles) long and
  5 km (3.5 miles) wide. Its total area including
  surrounding Cays is 7,000 acres.
• Today, snorkelers wander through its coral
  kingdoms, nodding good-day to an astounding
  variety of sea creatures.
• Coral reefs in this area are considered some of
  the most spectacular of the entire Caribbean
  region.

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Northern Puerto Rico

• Arecibo
• Radiotelescope of Arecibo
• Utuado
• Caguana Indian Ceremonial Park
• Camuy
• Camuy Caves and Underground River Park

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Arecibo

• Radiotelescope - is a astronomical observatory,
  which is one of the world's most powerful
  radar-radio telescopes, and the largest
  single-unit radio telescope in the world.
• This instrument, inaugurated in 1963
• The antenna can be moved in any direction, making
  it possible to track a celestial object in
  different regions of the sky
• It collects radio astronomy, terrestrial
  aeronomy, and planetary radar data for scientists
  around the world.
• The telescope was featured in the movies
  GoldenEye (1995) and Contact (1997).

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Utuado

• Caguana Indian Ceremonial Park - the most
  important archaeological deposit in the Antilles.
• Built by the Taino Indians some 800 years ago.
• Cobbled walkways ten Indian courts.
• Stone monoliths are decorated with petroglyphs.

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Camuy

• Las Cavernas de Camuy (Camuy Caves) - If you take
  only one sightseeing trip from San Juan, this
  should be it.
• This incredible 268-acre park is the site of the
  great subterranean caverns carved out by the
  Camuy River over one million years ago.
• Trails gently descend 200 feet through a fern
  filled ravine to the yawning, cathedral-like
  caverns.
• The caves are home to a unique species of fish
  that is totally blind.
• Rio Camuy Cave Park is the third-largest cave
  system in the world.

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Western Puerto Rico

• Cabo Rojo
• Playa Sucia Wildlife Refuge
• Boquerón Village
• Villa La Mela
• Lajas
• La Parguera bioluminiscent bay
• Matalagata Island

• Aguadilla
• Crash Boat Beach
• Rincón
• Rincón Lighthouse
• Mayaguez
• University of Puerto Rico

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Aguadilla

• Aguadilla is best known to visitors for its
  beaches. Aguadilla's most popular surfing beaches
  include Crash Boat, famous for it's crystal clear
  waters, Gas Chambers, and Wilderness.
• Crash Boat Beach - A popular surfing and sports
  beach located just north of Aguadilla on the west
  coast.

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Rincón

• The town of Rincón is located in the Western
  Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada.
• The half-dozen reef-lined Atlantic beaches have
  become a winter mecca for skilled surfers since
  the World Surfing Championship was held here
  nearly twenty years ago.
• Endangered humpback whales visit in the winter.
• Rincón Lighthouse the Punta Higuero Lighthouse
  was built by the Spaniards in the early 1890s,
  rebuilt after an earthquake in 1921. This
  lighthouse still in use and it uses an unmanned
  26,000-candlepower rotating beacon.

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Rincón

• It is just a great place to watch the sunset.

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Mayaguez

• University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus
• Tropical Agricultural Research Station Visitors
  can take self-guided tours. There are many
  species of exotic plants and trees such as the
  traveler's tree, shower of orchids, ceylon
  cinnamon and pink torch ginger
• Downtown Mayaguez
• Plaza
• Teatro Yagüez  This historic landmark first
  opened its doors in the early 1900s. This theater
  has an Art Deco style that is based on the Ecole
  des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

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Cabo Rojo

• Cabo Rojo Lighthouse Wildlife Refuge The
  Cabo Rojo Lighthouse was built in 1881 over
  limestone cliffs that drop 200 feet into the sea.
  Spectacular views!
• Villa La Mela Bosques Family beach house

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Lajas

• La Parguera
• La Parguera Phosphorescent Bay millions of
  luminescent dinoflagellates light up when
  disturbed by movement a tiny form of marine
  life, which produce sparks of chemical light when
  disturbed.
• Matalagata Island Great little island to relax
  and explore. It has a swimming area and mangrove
  trail. Its shallow waters are great for
  snorkeling.

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Central Puerto Rico

• Maricao
• Maricao Forest Reserve
• Montoso Gardens
• Jayuya
• Toro Negro Forest Park

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Maricao

• Maricao Forest Reserve - home of a vast amount of
  flora, 582 species, 339 genera and 113 families.
• Montoso Gardens a 90 acre botanical garden,
  tropical flower and fruit farm, and nursery
• Over 600 species of exotic tropical flowers,
  fruits, nuts, spices, and palms.
• Located at 1500 feet (457 m) altitude in the
  heart of the rugged coffee growing region.

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Jayuya

• Toro Negro Forest Park -Its 7,000 acres include
  Puerto Rico's tallest peak. Spectacular views
  extending to the Atlantic and the Caribbean.

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Southern Puerto Rico

• Ponce
• Hacienda Buena Vista
• Tibes Indian Ceremonial Center
• Caja de Muertos Island
• Salinas
• Aguirre Forest Reserve

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Ponce

• With a population of 194,636, Ponce is Puerto
  Rico's second largest city. Ponce is known as "La
  Perla del Sur" (pearl of the south) . Ponce was
  founded in 1692 by Juan Ponce de León's
  great-grandson - Loíza Ponce de León.
• Hacienda Buena Vista - The estate house, slave
  quarters and farm machinery of this coffee
  plantation, built in 1833 and in operation until
  the 1950s
• Visitors are allowed a unique insight into Puerto
  Rican history. The rooms of the hacienda have
  been furnished with authentic pieces from the
  1850s.

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Ponce

• Tibes Indian Ceremonial Center - This ancient
  Indian site, dating from A.D. 700, includes seven
  bateyes (ball courts), some carved with
  petroglyphs, said to have been used for a soccer
  like game.
• The site also includes two dance grounds, stones
  line up with the sun during the equinox and
  solstice, making Tibes a pre-Columbian
  astronomical observatory.
• Caja de Muertos Island -Located 5 miles south of
  Ponce laid "Caja de Muertos".
• The island is approximately 2.75 km wide by 1.85
  km long, with a total area of 202 hectares.
• The island has no permanent inhabitants.

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Salinas

• Aguirre Forest Reserve
• Find mangroves, tidal flats, bird rookeries a
  large manatee population.
• It is a great little place to go to discover the
  wonders of coastal forests.
• The reserve is easy to navigate as there is a
  boardwalk which takes you through the mangroves
  and keeps you dry.
• You can also board a kayak for a trip down the
  canals.

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Come explore with us.
It will be a great trip, so prepare for Summer
2009!