Puerto Rico has had to overcome the consequences of wars and the diseases that armies brought from the US and from other countries. Around 80% of the population is white, which shows that the population has a variety of races not only Hispanic people living there. There is a lot of history about the origin of Puerto Rico. In 1521, the Spanish conquered Puerto Rico, forcing the natives to switch to speaking Spanish and making other demands on them. To this day, Puerto Ricans speak primarily Spanish because of the time that they were invaded and conquered by the Spanish. Then, in 1898, America took over the island from the Spanish colonists during the Spanish-American War. That is how the island became a US territory; though it is not a state, the people who live on the island are US citizens. Now, what is the official name is of the island, it's the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. All Puerto Rican citizens are granted American citizenship because the island is an official territory of the United States. In the 1940s, the US granted the island the right to chose it's own Governor. Lastly, the territory was hit by the COVID-19 virus in 2020. The island was struck very hard because there were already difficulties getting resources such as food, and in the pandemic everyone needed it all at one time. Because of the high demand, and lack of resources, the Island was hit hard during this time.   The island of Puerto Rico is home to a population that is made up of many ethnicities but primarily white Americans. The current population of Puerto Rico is 3.2 million people. The people of Puerto Rico have had to overcome many political and  financial hardships as an island.