Dear Sir,

I write today to correct one of the front-page stories in The Royal Gazette: “American pair accused of stealing cash from ATMs”. This headline is completely inaccurate, and such a strange headline since the first sentence of the second paragraph identified these two men by their names and stated that both were from Puerto Rico.

OK, a little Geography 101 is in order. Puerto Rico is a US territory. Being born Puerto Rican does not qualify the accused pair as being Americans. The same would apply here in Bermuda. Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory. Those who live in Bermuda are not British.

So as not to confuse the author of this article, the United States of America consists of 50 states and one district. Those that are born in or live in those 50 states and one district, or hold passports from those 50 states and one district, are referred to as Americans.

The United States has 16 territories, with five being permanently populated. Those five are American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Anyone holding passports from any US-held territories are citizens or residents of those territories, such as Puerto Rico, for example. They are not American; they are Puerto Rican — belonging to that country.

America has enough problems right now. We don’t need two more.

STEPHANIE DASHIELL

Devonshire