Libre Borinquen factbook: Open to comments and questions.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Thu May 12, 2011 8:15 pm

Libre Borinquen:

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Official Name: The Republic of Libre Borinquen
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Common Name: Libre Borinquen
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Demonym: Borinquen
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Motto: Libre o Muerto
Latin: Free or Dead
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Anthem: La Libertad
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Capital: San Juan
Largest City: Mayaguez
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Official Language: Spanish
Other spoken languages: English.
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Official Religion: Christian Catholic
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Ethnic groups: (2010 Census)
-European:13%
-Taino:13%
-African:25%
-Mixed: 49%
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Government Type: Democratic
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- President: Alejandro Ferrer
- Vice President: Javier Jugo
- President of the National Assembly: Filiberto Sanches

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Judicial: Supreme Court of Libre Borinquen.
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Discovery: September 12, 1889.
Settlement: October 4th, 1889.
Current Government: May 21st, 1940.
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Area:
- Total: 9,104 km2, 3,515 sq mi

- Water (%): 1.6
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Population:
2011 Census: 3,725,789
Density: 1,113/sq mile

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GDP (PPP): 2010 Estimate
Total: $15,203,555,854,376.10
Per Capita: $26,033.49
Exchnage rate:1 peso = $1.2692
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National Holidays:
Independence Day: January 5
Veteran’s Day [15th September]
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Gini: (2010) 53.5
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HDI: (2010) .894 (High)
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Currency: El Peso
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Date Format: dd / mm / yyyy (CE)
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ISO 3166 code: LB
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Drives on the: Right
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Internet TLD: .lb
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Calling Code: 777

by **Libre Borinquen** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:40 pm

Content:

History
Government and Politics
Geography
Economy
Demographics
Culture
Sports
Education
Transportation
Law Enforcement
Military

by **Libre Borinquen** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:41 pm

HISTORY:

President Manny Cortez had commenced Operation Renacimiento, a plan to modernize the island and to bring the island to the international stage. The main objectives of the Operation were to:

Bring modern education to the people
Modernize transportation, military, police, and health care
Introduce the island to the intrnational stage
Create a modern economy safe for Libre Borinquen

On May 15, 2001, President Cortez had made a meeting to several International Learers, introducing the island of Libre Borinquen to the world, and looking for foreign teachers that would help educate the teachers of Libre Borinquen. More than 158 teachers accepted, and came to teach agriculture, economics, medicine, law, music, constructions, etc.
The President had also made a deal with a foreign construnction company to build highways and roads on the island, which would take a year. The ViZion World Cellular Network had also made a contract with the island to provide cell phone coverage and network. The construction of an Air Port was made to modernize the air transportation, and when it was constructed, it was named Ruben Rodriguez, after the father of President Manny Cortez. He also invited foreign Car Companies to bring land transportation to the island. And with the flow of tourists that were coming to the island, it was decided that the main economy of the island should for now be tourism. It was working quite well, with the economy recieveing a small boom. The government decided then to reorganize the National Police and the Military, introducing the new weapons, vehicles, and systems that made the Police force and the Armed forces modern. All this that had occured took from May 15, 2001-June 14, 2011. On June 15, 2011, President Cortez had allowed the newly formed national Volleyball team "Los Macheteros" to join an international game, for the first time in the nations history. The elections of 2011 were won by the Communist Party, as President Manny Cortez did not look for a reelection. He would be known in History as "The Father of Modern Libre Borinquen". Though negotiations for better health care were futile, President Cortez was able to accomplish Operation Renacimiento. And with this, he left the Presidency.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:21 pm

Government and Politics:

Executive branch:
The president of Libre Borinquen is both the Head of State and the Head of Government, and is Commander in Chief of the armed forces. A cabinet of ministers ("Secretarios de Estado") that the president designates assists the President in his functions.

The President and Vice President are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term, and they can be re-elected only for a consecutive period, according to the last amendment made to the Constitution in 2010. Elections are held in years evenly divisible by four. The Borinquen Constitution takes twenty-seven paragraphs to spell out the president's extensive powers. Among the most important are those that grant him authority over virtually all appointments and removals of public officials, and even popular elected ones; empower him to promulgate the laws passed by Congress; direct him to engage in diplomatic relations; and empower him to command, to deploy, and to make appointments in, the armed forces. The president also has vast emergency powers to suspend basic rights in times of emergency, to defer the legislature, to declare a state of siege, and to rule by decree.

The 2011 Constitution provides for ministers and subcabinet ministers to assist in public administration. These officials must be Borinquen citizens, at least twenty-five years of age, with full civil and political rights. The powers of the ministers are determined by law. However, the president is constitutionally responsible for the actions of his ministers. Ministers serve at the president's discretion, and function both as administrators of their ministries and as agents of presidential authority.

Legislative branch:

Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la República). The upper house is the Senate (Senado) with 32 members, elected for a four year term in single-seat constituencies. The lower house is the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) with 178 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation in accordance to each province, as follows: one deputy is elected for every 50,000 inhabitants plus fraction exceeding 25,000, but never less than two.

Among the attributions of the Senate are the following:

Studying and approving laws.
To appoint the President and other members of the Central Electoral Board and their deputies.
To appoint the members of the Public Accounts Chamber.
To approve or not the appointment of diplomatic agents made by the Executive.
To decide on the claims of the Chamber of Deputies against public officers for misconduct or serious faults in the performance of their duties.
In the event of public accusation, the Senate may only impose the sanction of removal from office. However, the removed officer may be subject to being tried according to the respective statutes, if applicable. For the removal of office, a vote of at least ¾ of all members of the Senate is required.

Congressional and municipal elections are held separately from the presidential elections. Re-election is always possible, without any limitation. The office of Senator and Deputy are incompatible with any other position or employment at the Public Administration.

Judicial branch:

The Judicial Power is charged of administering justice in order to ensure the respect, protection and supervision of rights recognized under the Constitution and laws.The National Council of Magistrates is nominated by the three major political parties. It is presided by the President of the Republic and has the following members:

The President of the Senate, and a Senator chosen by the Senate from a different party than the President of the Senate.
The President of the Chamber of Deputies, and a Deputy chosen by the Chamber of Deputies from a different party than the President of the Chamber of Deputies.
The current President of the Supreme Court of Justice.
A judge of the Supreme Court of Justice chosen by this court, which serves as Secretary.

Apart from working as an appeals court for all judgments rendered by judicial courts, the Supreme Court supervises all judges in the Dominican territory. Its judicial and administrative functions may be summarized as follows:

To decide on appeals as statutorily established.
To decide as last instance on the matters that are under the jurisdiction of Appeals Courts as court of first instance.
To decide as only instance on the criminal cases against the President and Vice-president of the Republic, Senators, Deputies, Ministers, Vice-ministers, Supreme Court Judges, Public General Attorney, Judges and General Attorneys of Appeals Courts, State attorneys of the Land Courts and Judges of Administrative Courts.
To decide as only instance on the constitutionality of laws, at the request of the Executive Power, one of the Presidents of the legislative chambers or an interested party.
To appoint the judges of the Appeals court, the Land courts, the Courts of First Instance, the Judges of Instruction, the Peace Courts and their deputies, the Administrative-Tax Court and the judges of any other judicial courts created by law, according to the provisions of the Law on Judicial Career.
To exercise the highest disciplinary authority on all members of the Judicial Power, being able to impose sanctions such as suspension, removal or prison.
To transfer provisionally or definitively from one jurisdiction to another, as it may deem necessary, the judges of the Appeals Court, the judges of First Instance of the Land Courts, the Judges of Instruction, the Peace Judges and other court judges created by law.
To create the administrative positions that may be necessary to comply with the attributions granted by the Constitution and laws.
To appoint all officers and employees of the Judicial Power.
To determine the wages and other payments of Judges and administrative personnel belonging to the Judicial Power.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:35 pm

Geography:

The Republic of Libre borinquen has an area of 13,790 square kilometers (5,320 sq mi), of which 8,870 km2 (3,420 sq mi) is land and 4,921 km2 (1,900 sq mi) is water.The maximum length of the main island from east to west is 180 km (110 mi), and the maximum width from north to south is 65 km (40 mi). Libre Borinquen is mostly mountainous with large coastal areas in the north and south. Libre Borinquen has 17 lakes, all man-made, and more than 50 rivers. Located in the tropics, Libre Borinquen has an average temperature of 82.4 °F (28 °C) throughout the year. Temperatures do not change drastically throughout the seasons. The temperature in the south is usually a few degrees higher than the north and temperatures in the central interior mountains are always cooler than the rest of the island. The Hurricane season spans from June to November. The all-time low in Libre Borinquen has been 39 °F (4 °C).

Divisions:

Libre Borinquen has 78 municipalities at the secondary level which function as counties. Municipalities are further subdivided into barrios, and those into sectors. Each municipality has a mayor and a municipal legislature elected for four year terms.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:15 pm

Economy:

Tourism:
Tourism is an important component of the Libre Borinquen economy supplying an approximate $1.8 billion. In 1999, an estimated five million tourists visited the island. Nearly a third of these are plane passengers. An increase in hotel registrations, which has been observed since 1998, and the construction of new hotels and the Libre Borinquen Convention Center are indicators of the current strength of the tourism industry.
The following are significant public and private projects (finished, planned or under construction) which are aimed at increasing the tourism industry in Libre Borinquen:

The Libre Borinquen Convention Center (finished)
The Libre Borinquen Convention Center District (under construction)
The Libre Borinquen Port Terminal in Isla Grande for cruise ships and liners (finished)
The Coliseum of Libre Borinquen John John Canino(finished)
La Belleza Trio Renovation Project (Condado Vanderbilt and La Concha hotels) (under construction)
Ruben Rodriguez International Airport expansion and renovation project (under construction)
Fairmont Coco Beach Resort
JW Marriot Resort at Río Grande (planned)
Numerous other hotel projects underway (including new hotels and expansions) adding hundreds of rooms to the industry

Industry:
The government has begun to expand the Industrial work, creating more jobs and saving the economy from a bankrupsy.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 2:52 pm

Demographics:

RACE:
The first census by Libre Borinquen in 2010 reported that of the modern population, 61.8% of them classified as mixed, 31.9% as white, and 6.3% as black. Many of the ancestors of Libre Borinquen come from Europeans for whites, Africa for blacks, and Europe, Africa, or Natives from the island for Mixed.

LANGUAGE:
The official languages are Spanish and English with Spanish being the primary language. English is taught as a second language in public and private schools from elementary levels to high school and at the university level. Of those speaking a language other than English at home, 100 percent spoke Spanish and less than 0.5 percent spoke some other language; 85 percent reported that they did not speak English "very well."

RELIGION:
The Roman Catholic Church has historically been the dominant religion in Libre Borinquen. All municipalities in the island have at least one Catholic church, most of which are located at the town center or "plaza". Protestantism, which was suppressed under the Spanish regime, has spread under democratic rule, making modern Libre Borinquen interconfessional. Taíno religious practices have been rediscovered/reinvented to a degree by a handful of advocates. Various African religious practices have been present since the arrival of African slaves. In particular, the Yoruba beliefs of Santeria and/or Ifá, and the Kongo-derived Palo Mayombe find adherence among a few individuals who practice some form of African traditional religion. In 2007, there were about 5,000 Muslims in the island, representing about 0.13% of the population, and there are eight Islamic mosques spread throughout the island.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:28 pm

Culture of Libre Borinquen:

Africa:
With the introduction of slavery to the colony, the island experienced an influx of Africans who brought with them the cultural trappings of their own tribes. These influences are evident in the fields of dance and music,such as la bomba, la plena, and most recently in reggaeton, and in Libre Borinquen Spanglish. They can also be found in many cultural traditions such as the baquiné and the florón. Many everyday words can also be traced to the African heritage of the island. More subtle ties also exist, such as those that connect Libre Borinquen's literary history with the rich African tradition of oral storytelling.

Europe:
Spanish heritage has left an indelible mark on the island and signs of this cultural exchange can be found everywhere, from the official language to the local culinary styles. The culture of European countries has also influenced the development of the performing arts on the island, especially in music. Many of the island's musical genres have their origins in the Spanish culture, which is responsible for such genres of music like decima, seis, danza, mambo, and so on. Libre Boricuas even adopted Europe's classical music, which was popular among the members of the elite upper-class.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 9:45 pm

Sports in Libre Borinquen:

Local:

The most common sports in the island are horse racing, cockfighting, basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, and dominoes. It is widely common to see all these sports be played by the population of every town and city in the island.

International:

Volleyball:
The island first competed internationally with it's new, fresh volleyball team. Though most of the population thought that the new team would never even make it in the beginning of the tournament, the team showed valiant success, reaching as far to the semi-semi-finals.

Soccer:
The island entered its first soccer tournament during the communist regime, with its female team.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Mon Aug 29, 2011 7:19 pm

Education:

Education in Libre Borinquen is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 18, which comprises the elementary and high school grades. Students in Libre Borinquen may attend either public or private schools. As of 2003, there were 1521 public schools and 562 private schools in the island.

The literacy rate of the Libre Borinquen population was 94.1% in 2002; when divided by gender, this is distributed as 93.9% for males and 94.4% for females. According to the 2000 Census, 60.0% of the population attained a high school degree or higher level of education, and 18.3% has a bachelor's degree or higher. The Constitution of the Republic of Libre Borinquen grants the right to an education to every citizen on the island. To this end, public schools in the island provide free and non-sectarian education at the elementary and secondary levels.

The public school system is funded by the state and is operated Libre Borinquen Department of Education (Departamento de Educación de la Republica de Libre Borinquen). The department employs over 45 thousand teachers of which 32,000 have full-time tenureships and are organized under the independent union Teachers' Federation of Libre Borinquen. The remaining teachers are either temporary or contracted in a yearly basis.

Homeschooling is legal in Libre Borinquen, and Private Schools are treated like Corporations, in which they recieve no help from the government and are allowed to run the school as the owner pleases.

The largest public university in Libre Borinquen is the multi-campus University of Libre Borinquen built in 2004.

Problems in the Education of Libre Borinquen:
Dropout Rate is as high as 20%

by **Libre Borinquen** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:48 pm

Transportation:

Libre Borinquen has a total of 4 airports (2 of which are international, both on the main island), including one in each of the smaller islands of Vieques and Culebra. The main airport is Ruben Blades International Airport, and consists of two runways and three concourses. It is by far the busiest airport in the island, with direct connections to more than 10 countries.

Libre Borinquen has a total of 3 major ports, which are busy year-round. They serve as transportation to the island countries that surround Libre Borinquen, and also serve for the economy. The 3 major ports are:

San Juan Port - Mainly divided in three: one in Old San Juan which includes cargo/freight and cruise ships, the Pan American Port Terminal in Isla Grande section mostly for cruise ships, and Puerto Nuevo, exclusively for freight/cargo ships. It is the main port of the island.
Port of Ponce - The second largest port in Puerto Rico and can handle both freight/cargo and cruise ships. It is also called Port of the Americas, because of its historical use by the Spanish as the main economical port to bring goods from the New World colonies to Spain.
Port of Mayagüez - The third largest port in Puerto Rico. It is mainly used for freight/cargo ships but is also home to the South American passenger ferry and has also been used for cruise ships.

Libre Borinquen has an extensive system of roads and highways featuring tolled freeways (autopistas). Some are designated as Interstate Highways. In total, there are more than 8,950 miles (14,400 km, 1999 est.) of paved road. Some of the major highways are:

LB-1 - Connects the Northern city of San Juan to the Southern city of Ponce. It is connected to the towns in the mountains by small roads.
LB-2 - Goes around the western part of the island, connecting with LB-1 and ending in Ponce.
LB-3 - Goes around the eastern part of the island, connecting with San Juan and ending at Old San Juan.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:06 pm

Law Enforcement:

Police of Libre Borinquen:

Highway Patrol Bureau: The Highway Patrol Bureau is divided into 2 divisions: Radar and Alcohol Detection Unit and Expressway Patrol Unit. The two division have the same main objective: Prevent traffic accidents, Investigate traffic accidents, Arrest drunk drivers, and arrest street racers and confiscate their vehicles.
Special Operations Division: The Special Operations Division is an Elite unit that takes the fight to the enemy's doorstep. These officers impact the places were the drug dealers sell the narcotics called Drug Points. These officers work in a hostile and dangerous environment were they are frequently attacked by the shooter in the drug point. Furthermore, it is a sort of "Shock and Awe Operation." This is the most high risk unit amongst Libre Borinquen Police Departments.
United Forces of Fast Action: The United Forces of Fast Action (Fuerzas Unidas de Rapida Accion) or F.U.R.A. is a bureau that coordinates and leads all strategies to fight the trafficking of drugs, narcotics, illegal weapons and illegal aliens in an effective way. In this bureau, there's a group of specialized divisions such as: Air Support, Divers, Rescue, S.W.A.T., K-9 Unit and Horseback Unit.
Organized Crime Bureau: The Organize Crime Bureau outline strategic research in the field of organized crime, all related to the flow of illegal drugs, weapons, stolen vehicles, robberies, among others taking place in Libre Borinquen.
Criminal Investigation Corps: is in charge of investigating crime cases in Libre Borinquen.

by **Libre Borinquen** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:45 pm

Military:

Navy:

Army:

Weapons and Equipment:

Air Force:

Active	7 March 1975 – present
Country	Libre Borinquen
Branch	Regular Army
Type	Modular
Size	15,000+
Motto	N/A
Wars fought	Libre Borinquen Independence War

2nd Armored Regiment	3,700
13th Cavalry Regiment	3,700
6th Infantry Regiment	3,700
16th Engineer Battalion	3,900

Active	26 May 1957-present
Country	Libre Borinquen
Branch	Regular Army
Type	Mechanized Infantry
Size	Division
Motto	N/A
Wars fought	Libre Borinquen Independence War

16th Tropical Regiment	4,000
18th Tropical Regiment	3,000
26th Tropical Regiment	2,000
5th Artillery Battalion	2,000 guns
7th Artillery Battalion	2,000 guns
32nd Artillery Battalion	2,000 guns
33rd Artillery Battalion	2,000 guns
745th Tank Battalion	2,000 tanks

Libre Borinquen factbook: Open to comments and questions.

Libre Borinquen factbook: Open to comments and questions.

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