World Atlas: Puerto Rico

Information about Puerto Rico

Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Puerto Rico. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Puerto Rico. But let's start with the flag of Puerto Rico here:

Puerto Rico - Overview:

What you should know about Puerto Rico? Let's start with this: Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self-government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US, but the results of a 2012 vote left open the possibility of American statehood. Economic recession on the island has led to a net population loss since about 2005, as large numbers of residents moved to the US mainland. The trend has accelerated since 2010; in 2014, Puerto Rico experienced a net population loss to the mainland of 64,000, more than double the net loss of 26,000 in 2010. Hurricane Maria struck the island on 20 September 2017 causing catastrophic damage including destruction of the electrical grid that had been cripled by Hurricane Irma just two weeks before. It was the worst storm to hit the island in eight decades and damage is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars.

Geography of Puerto Rico

Where on the globe is Puerto Rico? The location of this country is Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic. Total area of Puerto Rico is 9,104 sq km, of which 8,959 sq km is land. So this is quite a small country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: mostly mountains with coastal plain in north; precipitous mountains to the sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas. The lowest point of Puerto Rico is Caribbean Sea 0 m, the highest point Cerro de Punta 1,338 m. And the climate is tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation.

Inhabitants of Puerto Rico

Let's take a look how many people live in Puerto Rico. The number is: 3,351,827 (July 2017 est.). So this is not very populous country. Who lives here? white 75.8%, black/African American 12.4%, other 8.5% (includes American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander, and others), mixed 3.3%. What are the languages in Puerto Rico? Spanish, English. And the religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%. How old are the people in average? 41.5 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 80.9 years. Where the people live in Puerto Rico? Here: population clusters tend to be found along the coast, the largest of these is found in and around San Juan; an exception to this is a sizeable population located in the interior of the island immediately south of the capital around Caguas; most of the interior, particularly in the western half of the island, is dominated by the Cordillera Central mountains, where population density is low. The major urban areas of Puerto Rico are: SAN JUAN (capital) 2.463 million (2015).

Government and Economy of Puerto Rico

The capital of Puerto Rico is San Juan and the government type presidential democracy; a self-governing commonwealth in political association with the US. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - none (territory of the US with commonwealth status); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco. Regarding the economy of Puerto Rico, important industrial products are pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, tourism. Important agricultural products are sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens. The most important export commodities are chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment and the most important export partners are unknown. The most important import commodities are chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products and the most important import partners are unknown. How rich is Puerto Rico and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $37,900 (2017 est.). This means the living standards are good here. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: NA%.

Map of Puerto Rico