NATIONAL LEADERS Rev. Joseph Benigno is the National Leader in the Northern Division. Rev. Leonido Bacolod is the Superintendent for the Northern Division.

CHURCH STATISTICS
This church is a self-supporting church.

Work was organized in 1963.

PEOPLES
Most Puerto Ricans are descendants of African slave workers (20 percent) and Spanish colonizers (80 percent). In addition, about 3 million Puerto Ricans have emigrated to the United States to escape unemployment and poverty.

RELIGIONS
No official religion. Catholics- 85.3 percent; Protestants- 4.7 percent; others- 10 percent.

LANGUAGES
Spanish and English (both official); with the United States, English is used. Compulsory introduction of English in education, administration, and communications was supported when in 1993 it was declared joint official language together with Spanish.

POLITICAL PARTIES
The New Progressive Party (PNP), led by Pedro Rosselló, advocating total integration - or annexation - to the US as the 51st state of the Union; the Democratic People’s Party (PPD), founded in 1938 by Luis Muñoz Marín, supports the current Commonwealth status; the Puerto Rican Renewal Party (PRP), a split of the PNP; the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PI), founded in 1946 from a breakup of the PPD, Social-democrat; the Communist Party (PC), founded in 1934, had intense activity which lost momentum following a strong repression in the 1950s; Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP), founded in 1971.

THE STATE

OFFICIAL NAME
Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico.

CAPITAL
San Juan

OTHER CITIES
Ponce 159,151 people; Bayamon 196,206; Caguas 92,429 (1990).

GOVERNMENT
Pedro Roselló, Governor, in office since January 1993, re-elected in January 1997.

NATIONAL HOLIDAY
September 23, the Battle of Grito de Lares (start of the anti-colonial armed revolt in 1868).

ENVIRONMENT
The smallest and easternmost island of the Greater Antilles. A central mountain range, covered with rainforests, runs across the island. In the highlands, subsistence crops are grown (corn, manioc); on the western slopes there are large coffee plantations and in the central region small tobacco farms. On the northern slopes citrus and pineapples are grown, exported to the United States. The main crop is sugar cane which uses the best farmlands along the coastline. The islands of Vieques (43 sq km), Mona (40 sq km) and Culebra also belong to Puerto Rico.