The island of Puerto Rico is at the eastern end of the Greater Antilles. The island is shaped like a rectangle with a maximum length from east to west of 178 kilometers with a width from north to south of 68 kilometers. The total area of Puerto Rico (including the islands of Vieques, Culebra, and Mona Island) is 8,897 square kilometers. The population is predominantly of Spanish and African ancestry, mainly bilingual; with Spanish being the official language (Cevallos, 1985). Puerto Rico has been filled with controversy (due to conflict over status of the island as well as conflict between those living on the mainland and those remaining on the island) long before United States occupation in 1898. Controversies and conflicts continue and may never cease, however, it is imperative that attention be given to the difficulties which confront the Puerto Rican of today. As the turn of the century quickly approaches and another election year draws near, the issues of empowerment and greater understanding of this population become crucial to their self-actualization. It is with this in mind that the references in this annotated bibliography have been chosen. They were compiled over a four year period which began while I was a doctoral student at Iowa State University. I chose to include references which cover a broad range of topics and cover as many aspects of the Puerto Rican experience as possible, both historical and present day. The topics included are from the social sciences, economics, and politics. A great effort was made to include both scholarly research as well as general interest information for those desiring to become better informed about Puerto Rico and its people.

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