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Incongruous Commonwealth

by Dec 1, 2013Headlines, Status0 comments

Recently, a post from GeoCurrents went viral for its explanation of unconventional geopolitical status in the world, and in it, we find the best possible definition for the commonwealth there is:

Incongruous Commonwealth: Puerto Rico indicated. Puerto Rico, like the Northern Mariana Islands, occupies an incongruous geopolitical position. It is not fully part of the US, but neither is it a mere dependency (as are Guam, American Samoa, etc). Puerto Rica is instead officially classified as a “commonwealth.” Four U.S. states (Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts) also have official “commonwealth” status. There is no connection between the two kinds of commonwealths. In fact, in neither instance does the term “commonwealth” have any real meaning at all. 

Martin Lewis, GeoCurrents

Someone forward this to Senators Lisa Murkowski and Martin Heinrich.

Otherwise they can go with Ruben Berrios’s definition, which is just as good:

Ruben Berrio's definition of commonwealth.

Ruben Berrio’s definition of commonwealth.

About The Author

William-Jose Velez Gonzalez

William-José Vélez González is a native from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and a graduate from Florida International University in biomedical engineering, engineering management, and international relations. A designer with a strong interest in science, policy, and innovation, he previously served as the national executive vice president of the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association. William-José lives in Washington, DC, where he works at the Children's National Research Institute and runs Opsin, a nonprofit design studio dedicated to making design more accessible. You can see him on Love is Blind as Lydia's brother. He is the founder and Editor in Chief of Pasquines.

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