Puerto Rico (1983: Doomsday)
From Alternative History
 This 1983: Doomsday page is a Proposal.
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Motto: Juan es su nombre | |||||||
| Capital: | San Juan | ||||||
| Language: | English, Spanish | ||||||
| Type of government: | Democracy | ||||||
| President: | Luis Fortuño | ||||||
| Area: | 173,540 km² | ||||||
| Population: | est. 990,000 inh. | ||||||
| Currency: | Puerto Rican Dollar, Mexican Peso | ||||||
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Until 1983, Puerto Rico had been an self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States. Obviously the collapse of the U.S. left the island free to follow their existence alone.
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[edit] History
[edit] Post-Doomsday
Like all of the United States, Puerto Rico was affected by Doomsday. The US Naval base at Vieques Island was hit, causing major damage to the surrounding area. The main island was raked with fallout from the Southeastern US mainland and Cuba. Governor Carlos Romero Barcelo declared a state of emergency. Vieques was quarantined, and citizens were ordered to stay inside at all times to avoid the fallout. Despite these precautions, many people died from radiation poisoning. There was also a wave of suicides, as many people believed that the world was ending and decided to take their own lives before things got worse. Attempts were made to contact the mainland, though these proved fruitless due to the lingering EMP waves in the atmosphere.
[edit] 1984
By this time, many citizens of the Commonwealth were still in the dark about the state of the American mainland. Many people had relatives there who were most likely killed by the nuclear strikes. As refugees from the mainland poured in, the government of the Commonwealth concluded that the USA had been destroyed beyond all doubt, and it was time for Puerto Rico to move on. On June 26, 1984, 9 months after Doomsday, Puerto Rico declared independence. In the November elections, former governor Rafael Hernandez Colon became the new nation's first President.
Meanwhile Puerto Rico kept in contact with the new goverment for the former United States Virgin Islands. Though the two nations agreed to mutual aid during the crisis, the Virgin Islands rejected any proposal to form a more permanent union between the two island nations.
[edit] 1985-1999
Puerto Rico managed to remain self-sufficient in the years after Doomsday and became a regional economic powerhouse. In 1987 it rejected an offer to join the East Caribbean Federation, seeking to remain completely independent, though it did try to foster good relations with the new federation, especially since the Virgin Islands had become a member state.
[edit] The 21st Century
More to come.
[edit] International relations
Puerto Rico is a member of the League of Nations and an observer in the South American Confederation. It has also been offered membership in the planned League of the United American States.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Americans
There is a somewhat large American survivor community in the Puerto Rico. Like the American communities in Oceania, it has attempted to preserve its cultural heritage. The Committee to Restore the United States of America have long-range plans to open a chapter house in San Juan in the future.
[edit] Sports
Baseball is the national sport of Puerto Rico. Though the country has its own national league, most of the better Puerto Rican players play in the national leagues of Mexico and Cuba. The Puerto Rican league tends to act as a minor league to the other leagues. Little League baseball was restarted in 1992.
Football (aka soccer) is also popular in Puerto Rico and the country is a member of FIFA. Puerto Rico, however, failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Basketball is also played in Puerto Rico.
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