2. “Recognize that we Puerto Ricans are American citizens; when we speak of a catastrophe, everyone must be treated equally.”

That was Gov. Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico, pleading with federal officials for aid to avert a humanitarian crisis. He said a mass exodus of Puerto Ricans to the mainland was imminent. The entire island is still without power; much of it is without water or fuel.

But a new poll found that only slightly more than half of Americans know that Puerto Ricans are, in fact, also Americans. Here are the basics on the island’s peculiar political status.