Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 66 30 W
Area:
total: 9,104 sq km
land: 8,959 sq km
water: 145 sq km
Area II: slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
Coastline: 501 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 16%
other: 49% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1993 est.)
Notes: Mona Passage-a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north
Population: 3,857,070 (July 1998 est.)
Languages: Spanish, English
Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico
Dependency status: commonwealth associated with the US
Government type: commonwealth
National capital: San Juan
Railways:
total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge, rural, narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; no passenger service
Highways:
total: 14,400 km
paved: 14,400 km
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Playa de Ponce, San Juan
Airports: 30 (1997 est.)
Airports with paved runways:
total: 21
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 6 (1997 est.)
Airports with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)