House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor,
he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last
held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); results -
percent of vote by party - PNP 48.6%; seats by party - PNP 1; Luis
FORTUNO elected resident commissioner

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of
two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for
all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the
Senate)

Political parties and leaders:
National Democratic Party [Celeste BENITEZ]; National Republican
Party of Puerto Rico [Dr. Tiody FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP
(pro-US statehood) [Pedro ROSSELLO]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD
(pro-commonwealth) [Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA]; Puerto Rican Independence
Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN; Armed Forces of
Popular Resistance; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the
Macheteros); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution

International organization participation:
ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WToO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Flag description:
five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating
with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears
a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially
influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the
colors of the bands and triangle reversed

Economy Puerto Rico

Economy - overview:
Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean
region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as
the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by
duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have
invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage
laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and
other livestock products as the main source of income in the
agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important
source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million
tourists in 1999. Growth fell off in 2001-03