Puerto Rico (Boriquén in Taíno) is a U.S. Commonwealth. Located in the Greater Antilles, the island of Puerto Rico proper is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. The territory includes several smaller islands, including the Spanish Virgin Islands to the east and Isla Mona to the west.

The 3.2 million Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, and Puerto Rico has its own constitution, just like the states of the United States.

As an unincorporated organized territory with Commonwealth status, Puerto Rico (officially, the Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) has enjoyed a high degree of autonomy since the 1950s. Its citizens elect their government and governor, as well as their resident commissioner (the equivalent of a lieutenant governor). However, they do not have the right to vote in presidential elections, and defense, foreign policy, and currency remain under the jurisdiction of the United States.