By dragging feet on metric system, US leaves world puzzled

News from Puerto Rico is depressing these days as the United States Congress last week denied the beautiful Caribbean Island a bankruptcy bailout to overcome its deep debt. Unlike a formal US state, Puerto Rico, which became a US territory in 1898 following the US invasion during the Spanish-American War, is not allowed to declare bankruptcy.

Puerto Rico may be heading into default in 2016, but I have found a bright spot on the island during my recent trips there. Apart from the fact that most Puerto Ricans speak Spanish rather than English, the island is one of only two places in US territory where the metric system is used. The other is Guam, which the US also seized from Spain in 1898.

At gas stations in Puerto Rico, prices are listed as dollar per liter, unlike per gallon in formal US states. And to measure distance and weight, meters, kilometers, and kilograms are used instead of feet, miles, and pounds.