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Puerto Rico's Seal

The seal of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has several figures that also are present in the seal that the Spanish Crown gave to Puerto Rico in the early part of the XVI century. In the green center the lamb represents peace and confraternity. Above the lamb the rack of arrows represents the creative force. The two letters F and I stand for the Spanish names of the Spanish kings, Fernando and Isabel, at the time of the discovery of the island. The sentence below in Latin: "JOHANNES EST NOMEN EJUS" translates into Juan is its name, since Puerto Rico was first known as San Juan, which today is the name of its capital city. Around the green circle you have the towers of Castile, the lions of Leon, the crosses of Jerusalem, and Spanish flags that signify Puerto Rico's hispanic heritage.



Did You Know?

Puerto Rico was first enumerated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. War Department in 1899. Puerto Rico has been included as part of the decennial census since 1910. The Census Bureau conducted the first economic census in Puerto Rico in 1909.