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Combined 4-sheet map showing agricultural areas and land use in Puerto Rico
Chart of comparative areas of the staple products of Porto Rico. J.W. Swift and J. Stuart Ball, [1903?]. Geography and Map Division.

A Patchwork of Plantations in Puerto Rico

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There’s never a dull moment in the Geography and Map Division, particularly when our collections are as vibrantly-hued as this. While perusing our collections, this large, colorful map caught my eye (as large, colorful maps are wont to do).

Map title in black text with small portion of map visible in the lower left corner
Title of Chart of comparative areas of the staple products of Porto Rico. J.W. Swift and J. Stuart Ball, [1903?]. Geography and Map Division.
Titled Chart of comparative areas of the staple products of Porto Rico, the map is based on a “general assessment” taken by the Treasury Department in 1902-1903, just a few years after the US took control of Puerto Rico in the Spanish-American War. Two other Spanish colonies – Guam and the Philippines – also came under the US flag at the conclusion of the war.

The turn of the 20th