Geography of puerto rico: Geography of Puerto Rico

Posted by alexxlab
March 10, 2023
0 Comments

Puerto Rico – New World Encyclopedia

Puerto Rico, officially Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is a self-governing unincorporated organized territory of the United States located east of the Dominican Republic in the northeastern Caribbean Sea.

1 Geography
- 1.1 Climate
- 1.2 Flora and fauna
2 History
- 2.1 Pre-Columbian era
- 2.2 Spanish arrival
- 2.3 Puerto Rico under United States rule
3 Government and Politics
- 3.1 U.S. Commonwealth
- 3.2 Municipalities
4 Economy
5 Demographics
- 5.1 Languages
- 5.2 Religion
6 Culture
- 6.1 Education
- 6.2 Sports
7 Notes
8 References
9 External links
10 Credits

During the period of Spanish colonial rule in the nineteenth century, the islanders were confronted with the choices of full assimilation (statehood), autonomy (commonwealth), or independence. This issue was never fully resolved at that time, and has re-appeared again in relationship to the United States in the twenty-first century, as the island’s leaders push for resolve. To many of its people, this is not the most serious issue they face, and few desire to break ties with the U.S. The majority of the population prefers to maintain the current commonwealth status, fearing loss of freedom and identity they perceive might accompany statehood.

Geography

Puerto Rico (pronounced pwer-tuh ree-koh), the smallest of the Greater Antilles, consists of a main island of Puerto Rico and various smaller islands, including Vieques, Culebra, Mona, Desecheo, and Caja de Muertos. Of the latter five, only Culebra and Vieques are inhabited year-round. Mona is uninhabited through large parts of the year except for employees of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources. There are also many other even smaller islands including Monito and “La Isleta de San Juan” known as Old San Juan.

The mainland measures some 100 miles by 35 miles (170 km by 60 km). It is mostly mountainous with large coastal areas in the north and south regions of the island. The main mountainous range is called “La Cordillera Central” (The Central Range). The highest elevation point of Puerto Rico, Cerro de Punta (4,390 feet; 1,338 m), is located in this range. Another important peak is El Yunque, located in the Sierra de Luquillo at the El Yunque National Forest, with a maximum elevation of 3,494 feet (1,065 m). The capital, San Juan, is located on the main island’s north coast.

Puerto Rico has 17 lakes, all of which are man-made reservoirs. None of its more than 50 rivers are large enough for navigation, but those in the north are utilized for municipal water supplies, irrigation, and hydroelectricity. The southern coastal rivers are essential for agriculture.

Climate

Located in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has a tropical climate with little seasonal variation and enjoys an average temperature of 82. 4 °F (28 °C) throughout the year. The temperature in the south is usually a few degrees higher than the north and temperatures in the central interior mountains are always cooler than the rest of the island, ranging from 73°F and 78°F (22°C and 25°C). Hurricanes develop between June 1 and November 30, occasionally traversing the island.

Flora and fauna

Plant life is abundant and varied. As of 1998, 239 plants had been recognized as endemic species. The south, drier, side of the island is covered in thorn and scrub vegetation while tropical rainforests dominate the north.

Sixteen birds and 39 amphibians and reptiles have been discovered that are endemic to the archipelago. The majority of these are found on the main island. The most recognizable endemic species and a symbol of Puerto Rican pride is the Coquí, a small frog easily recognized by the sound from which it gets its name. The El Yunque National Forest, previously known as the Caribbean National Forest, a tropical rainforest, is home to the majority (13 of 16) of species of coquí. It is also home to more than 240 plants, 26 of which are endemic, and 50 bird species, including one of the top 10 endangered birds in the world, the Puerto Rican Amazon.

History

Pre-Columbian era

Taíno Village at the Tribes Ceremonial Center

The history of the island of Puerto Rico (Rich Port) before the arrival of Christopher Columbus is not well known. Early Spanish accounts as well as archaeological digs have helped us to piece together its history. The first comprehensive book on the history of Puerto Rico was written by Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra in 1786, 293 years after the first Spaniards arrived on the island.

The first indigenous settlers of Puerto Rico were the Ortoiroid, an Archaic age culture. An archaeological dig in the island of Vieques in 1990 found the remains of what is believed to be an Arcaico (Archaic) man (named Puerto Ferro man) which was dated to around 2000 B.C.E. (4,000 years ago). Between 120 and 400 C.E., the Igneri, a tribe from the Orinoco region in South America, arrived on the island. Between the seventh and eleventh century the Taíno culture developed on the island and, by approximately 1000 C.E., the Taíno culture had become dominant, a trend that lasted until the Spanish arrived in 1493. The Taínos called the island Borikén or Borinquen, which means “the great land of the valiant and noble Lord” or “land of the great lords.”

Spanish arrival

The first European contact was made by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage to the Antilles, in 1493. Some say that Puerto Rico was not discovered by Columbus but by Martín Alonso Pinzón in 1492 when he separated from Columbus and went exploring on his own. The Pinzón family was given one year by the Spanish court to start a settlement in Puerto Rico, which would give them a claim to the island. However, they did not succeed. Originally named San Juan Bautista, in honor of Saint John the Baptist, the island ultimately took the name of Puerto Rico (Rich Port), while the name San Juan is now delegated to its capital and largest city. Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León became the island’s first governor to take office, while Vicente Yáñez Pinzón was the first appointed governor, though he never arrived on the island.

Fort San Felipe del Morro built to protect the port of San Juan

The island was soon colonized and briefly became an important stronghold and port for the Spanish empire in the Caribbean. However, colonial emphasis during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries focused on the more prosperous mainland territories, leaving the island impoverished of settlers. Concerned about threats from its European enemies, over the centuries various forts and walls were built to protect the port of San Juan. Fortresses such as La Fortaleza, El Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Fort San Cristóbal were built. The French, Dutch, and English made attempts to capture Puerto Rico, but failed to wrest long-term occupancy of the island.

Ramon Emeterio Betances one the founding fathers of Puerto Rico

In 1809, while Napoleon occupied the majority of the Spanish peninsula, a populist assembly based in Cadiz recognized Puerto Rico as an overseas province of Spain with the right to send representatives to the Spanish court. The representative, Ramón Power y Giralt, died soon after arriving in Spain, and constitutional reforms were reversed when autocratic monarchy was restored. Nineteenth-century reforms augmented the population and economy, and expanded the local character of the island. After the rapid gains of independence by the South and Central American states in the first part of the century, Puerto Rico and Cuba became the sole New World remnants of the large Spanish empire.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, poverty and political estrangement with Spain led to a small but significant uprising in 1868 known as “El Grito de Lares” (the “Cry of Lares”). The Puerto Rican goal was to achieve personal freedom, the abolition of slavery, and full self-government. The uprising was easily and quickly crushed. Leaders of this independence movement included Ramón Emeterio Betances, considered the “father” of the Puerto Rican nation, and other political figures such as Segundo Ruiz Belvis.

Later, another political stronghold was the autonomist movement originated by Roman Baldorioty de Castro and, toward the end of the century, by Luis Muñoz Rivera. In 1897, Muñoz Rivera and others persuaded the liberal Spanish government to agree to Charters of Autonomy for Cuba and Puerto Rico. The following year, Puerto Rico’s first, but short-lived, autonomous government was organized. The charter maintained a governor appointed by Spain, who held the power to annul any legislative decision he disagreed with, and a partially elected parliamentary structure.

Puerto Rico under United States rule

In 1898, at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico, being a colony of Spain, was invaded by the United States with a landing at Guánica. Spain was forced to cede Puerto Rico, along with Cuba and the Philippines, to the United States under the Treaty of Paris (1898). The twentieth century began under governance of the United States with officials, including the governor, appointed by the president. In 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act approved by the United States Congress granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans.

Natural disasters and the Great Depression impoverished the island. Some political leaders demanded change; some, like Pedro Albizu Campos, would lead a nationalist (The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party) movement in favor of independence. He served many years in prison for seditious conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. Government in Puerto Rico. Luis Muñoz Marín initially favored independence, but saw a severe decline of the Puerto Rican economy, as well as growing violence and uprisings and opted to support the “commonwealth” option instead. The “commonwealth” was supported before Luis Muñoz Marín by other political leaders.

Change in the nature of the internal governance of the island came about during the later years of the Roosevelt–Truman administrations, as a form of compromise spearheaded by Muñoz Marín and others, and which culminated with the appointment by President Truman in 1946 of the first Puerto Rican-born governor, Jesus T. Piñero. In 1947, the United States granted the right to democratically elect the governor of Puerto Rico. Luis Muñoz Marín became the first elected governor of Puerto Rico in the 1948 general elections, serving as such for 16 years, until 1964.

Beginning during at this time, there was heavy migration from Puerto Rico to the Continental United States, particularly New York City, in search of better economic conditions. Puerto Rican migration to New York displayed an average yearly migration that is summarized as follows: 1930-1940, 1,800; 1946-1950, 31,000; 1951-1960, 45,000, 1953 (peak year), 75,000.^[10]

In 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate President Harry Truman. In response, Truman allowed for a genuinely democratic referendum in Puerto Rico to determine the status of its relationship to the United States.

Puerto Rico adopted its own constitution in 1952, which adopted a commonwealth relationship with the U.S. During the 1950s, Puerto Rico experienced a rapid industrialization, with such projects as Operation Bootstrap, which aimed to industrialize Puerto Rico’s economy from agriculture-based into manufacturing-based.

Present-day Puerto Rico has become a major tourist destination and a leading pharmaceutical and manufacturing center. Still, Puerto Rico continues to struggle to define its political status. A number of plebiscites have been held in recent decades to decide whether Puerto Rico should request independence, enhanced commonwealth status, or statehood. Narrow victories by commonwealth supporters over statehood advocates have not yielded substantial changes in the relationship between the island and the U.S. However, the commonwealth option—which once had the support of well over 75 percent of the voting population—now has less than 50 percent support. This decrease has been met with an expanded support for statehood for the island, with both groups holding an equal share of support. The independence ideal, once the second-leading ideology on the island in the general elections, is now supported by about 3-6 percent of the voting population.

Government and Politics

City meets the shore in San Juan

The legal system is based on a mix of the Civil Law and the Common Law systems. Puerto Rico’s formal Chief of State is the President of the United States; however, most of the executive functions are carried out by the elected Governor.

The current constitution of Puerto Rico was approved through referendum in 1952 and ratified by the U.S. Congress, which maintains ultimate sovereignty over Puerto Rico. Under the 1952 constitution, Puerto Rico is a territorial commonwealth of the U.S. and is permitted a high degree of autonomy. Still, Puerto Rico does not have voting representation in the U.S. Congress; neither does it have any delegates to the U.S. Electoral College, and therefore Puerto Rican citizens have no representation in the U.S. presidential elections. A non-voting Resident Commissioner is elected by the residents of Puerto Rico to the U.S. Congress. Residents of the island do not pay federal income tax on income from island sources; however, island residents do pay social security taxes and other federal taxes. The island was also exempt from the national 55 mph speed limit that was mandated on the rest of the U. S. from 1974 to 1995.

Puerto Rico’s three major political parties are most distinguished by their position on the political status of Puerto Rico. The Popular Democratic Party (Spanish: Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico, PPD) seeks to maintain or improve the current Commonwealth status, the New Progressive Party (Spanish: Partido Nuevo Progresista de Puerto Rico, PNP) seeks to fully incorporate Puerto Rico as a U.S. state, and the Puerto Rican Independence Party (Spanish: Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) seeks national independence.

U.S. Commonwealth

Map of Puerto Rico

Although Puerto Rico is, politically speaking, a Commonwealth of the United States, Puerto Ricans and people from other nations refer to Puerto Rico as a país, the Spanish word for country. This is a very common and accepted international status given to all dependent territories, also called dependent “states” by the UN. This is highlighted by the fact, for example, that Puerto Rico is an independent country in the sports world, even having their own Olympic teams. In the jargon of international law, an inhabited territory that is not a first-order administrative division, but rather forms an external, non-sovereign territory governed by a sovereign one, is both a “state” and a “country.” But none of these cases—- neither U.S. “states” nor dependent “states/countries”—are considered sovereign international entities.

Municipalities

As a commonwealth associated with the United States, Puerto Rico does not have any first-order administrative divisions as defined by the U.S. government, but there are 78 municipalities at the second level. (Mona Island is not a municipality, but part of the municipality of Mayagüez). Each municipality has a mayor and a municipal legislature elected for a four-year term.

The first municipality (then termed a town) of Puerto Rico, San Juan, was founded in 1521. In the sixteenth century two more municipalities were established, Coamo (1570) and San Germán (1570). Three more municipalities were established in the seventeenth century. These were Arecibo (1614), Aguada (1692), and Ponce (1692). The eighteenth and nineteenth century saw an increase in settlement in Puerto Rico. There were 30 municipalities established in the eighteenth century and 34 more in the nineteenth century. Only six municipalities were founded in the twentieth century. The last municipality was Florida, founded in 1971.

The municipalities are further subdivided into barrios, and those into sectors.

Economy

The economic conditions in Puerto Rico have improved dramatically since the Great Depression due to external investment in capital-intensive industries such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and technology. Once the beneficiary of special tax treatment from the U.S. government, today local industries must compete with those in more economically depressed parts of the world where wages are not subject to U.S. minimum wage legislation. In recent years, some U.S. and foreign-owned factories have moved to lower wage countries in Latin America and Asia. Puerto Rico is subject to U.S. trade laws and restrictions.

Puerto Ricans had a per capita GDP estimate of $17,700 for 2004, which demonstrates a growth over the $14,412 level measured in the 2002 Current Population Survey by the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. In that survey, Puerto Ricans have a 48.2 percent poverty rate. By comparison, the poorest state of the union, Mississippi, had a median level of $21,587, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, 2002 to 2004 Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

Demographics

Puerto Rico has sometimes been said to have a white majority, an extinct Amerindian population, Africans, persons of mixed ancestry, and a small Asian minority. However, broad U.S. census categories have disallowed the mixed ancestry of most Puerto Ricans to be officially acknowledged. Most on the island tend to agree that what is “Puerto Rican” is generally a mixture between Spanish, Amerindian, and African genetic heritage. According to a recent study funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, 61 percent of all Puerto Ricans have Amerindian mitochondrial DNA, 27 percent have African, and 12 percent Caucasian.

Puerto Ricans living on the island are not counted among the Hispanics residing in the U.S.; in fact, they are not included in the U.S. population count at all, although all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Puerto Rico also is not included in the Current Population Surveys that the Census Bureau conducts to update its decennial census.

During the 1800s, hundreds of Corsican, French, and Portuguese, along with a large numbers of immigrants from the Canary Islands and numerous Spanish loyalists from Spain’s former colonies in South America, arrived in Puerto Rico. Other settlers have included Irish, Scottish, Germans, and many others who were granted land from Spain during the Cedula de Gracias of 1815, which allowed European Catholics to settle in the island with a certain amount of free land.

Emigration has been a major part of Puerto Rico’s recent history as well. Starting in the Post-World War II period, due to poverty, cheap air fare, and promotion by the island government, waves of Puerto Ricans moved to the mainland United States, particularly New York City. This continued even as Puerto Rico’s economy improved and the birth rate declined. Emigration continues to this day. This, combined with Puerto Rico’s greatly lowered birth rate, suggests that the island’s population will age rapidly and start to decline sometime within the next couple of decades.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 95 percent of the population consider themselves of Puerto Rican descent (regardless of race or skin color), making Puerto Rico one of the most culturally homogeneous societies in the world. Since its colonization, Puerto Rico has become the permanent home of over 100,000 legal residents of the Dominican Republic mostly, but there are also Cubans, Mexicans, and Colombians. The variety of surnames which exist in Puerto Rico suggests widespread immigration to the island from many regions.

Languages

The official languages of the island are Spanish and English. Spanish is the primary language of Puerto Ricans, though English is taught as a second language in schools from elementary levels to high school. As of 2006, an estimated 3,860,120 people use Spanish as their primary language. A large majority of residents living in metropolitan areas are bilingual.

In 1991, Governor Rafael Hernández Colón signed a law declaring Spanish as the sole official language of the island’s government. While some applauded the governor’s decision (mainly members of the political parties supporting commonwealth-status and independence), others opposed it, including statehood supporters. As a result of his actions, the People of Puerto Rico won the Prince of Asturias Award in 1991, which is awarded annually to those who defend and contribute to the growth of the Spanish language.

Upon his election as governor in 1993, pro-statehood former Governor Pedro Rosselló overturned the law enacted by his predecessor and once again established both English and Spanish as official languages. This move by the pro-statehood governor was seen by many as another attempt to move the island closer to statehood, however, despite many attempts and plebiscites, it never came about during his two consecutive terms.

Religion

The Roman Catholic Church has been historically the most dominant religion of the majority of Puerto Ricans, although the presence of various Protestant denominations has increased under American sovereignty. Protestantism was suppressed under the Spanish regime, but encouraged under American rule of the island. In 1984 the head of the Roman Catholic Church,Pope John Paul II , became the first Pope to visit Puerto Rico.

Churches of many denominations can be found throughout the island. There is also a small Jewish community.

Taíno religious practices have to a degree been rediscovered/reinvented by a handful of advocates. Various African religious practices have been present since the arrival of enslaved Africans. In particular, the Yoruba beliefs of Santeria and/or Ifa, and the Kongo derived Palo Mayombe (sometimes called an African belief system, but rather a way of Bantu lifestyle of Congo origin) find adherence among individuals who practice some form of African traditional religion.

Culture

The Kapok tree (Ceiba) is the national tree of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican culture is a mix of four cultures, Spanish, Taíno (Amerindians), African (from the slaves), and more recently, North American. This blend is evident in much of the island’s dance, music, art, literature, and sports. From Africans, the Puerto Ricans have obtained the “bomba and plena,” a type of music and dance including percussions and maracas. From the Amerindians (Taino’s), Puerto Ricans have kept many names for their municipalities, foods, musical instruments like the güiro and maracas. Many words and other objects have originated from their localized language. From the Spanish they maintained the Spanish language, the Catholic religion and the vast majority of their cultural and moral values and traditions. From the United States they received the English language, the university system, and a variety of hybrid cultural forms that developed between the United States mainland and the island of Puerto Rico.

The official symbols of Puerto Rico are the bird, Reinita mora (Spindalis portoricensis), the flower, Flor de Maga (Thespesia grandiflora), and the tree, Ceiba or Kapok (Ceiba pentandra). The unofficial favorite amphibian is the Coquí (Eleutherodactylus coqui). Another popular unofficial symbol of Puerto Rico is the “jíbaro,” the “countryman.”

Education

Education in Puerto Rico is divided into four levels. These are elementary, intermediate, high school and the university level. Students can attend either a public or a private school. Public schools are run by the state while private schools are run by private institutions, predominantly the Roman Catholic Church. The only public university system in Puerto Rico is the University of Puerto Rico.

Sports

Puerto Rico currently has its own Olympic team and participates in the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, as well as international representation in many other sporting events including the Pan-American Games, the Central American Games, and the Caribbean World Series.

Boxing, baseball, and basketball are popular. They have their own professional baseball leagues, though San Juan hosted the Montreal Expos for several series in 2003-2004 before the team moved to Washington, DC, and became the Washington Nationals.

In 2005 Major League Baseball announced that opening rounds of the newly formed World Baseball Classic, a 16-country tournament featuring top players, would be held in San Juan the next year.

Notes

↑ Nancy Morris, Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity (Praeger/Greenwood, 1995, ISBN 0275952282), 62.
↑ 2010 Census Data 2010 Census Data. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
↑ Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty. U.S. Department of State.. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
↑ Carta Autonómica de 1897 de Puerto Rico. Lexjuris.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
↑ Puerto Rico Commonwealth Population Totals Tables: 2010-2016 United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
↑ GDP, PPP (current international $). Retrieved October 30, 2017.
↑ “GDP per capita, PPP (current international $)”, World Development Indicators database, World Bank. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
↑ World Bank World Development Indicators. World Bank. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
↑ The Global Competitiveness Report 2014–2015 (Puerto Rico). Retrieved October 30, 2017.
↑ Latino/a Education Network Service. de los barrios de las americas Retrieved October 30, 2017.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Lewis, Gordon K., and Anthony Maingot. Puerto Rico: freedom and power in the Caribbean. Kingston, Jamaica: Ian Randle, 2004. ISBN 978-9766371722
Morris, Nancy. Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity. Praeger/Greenwood, 1995. ISBN 0275952282
Picó, Fernando. History of Puerto Rico: A panorama of its people. Princeton, NJ: MMarkus Wiener Publishers, 2006. ISBN 978-1558763708
Trías Monge, José. Puerto Rico: the trials of the oldest colony in the world. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997. ISBN 978-0300076189
BBC Country Profiles BBC.co.uk Retrieved October 23, 2017.
Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico – in English. topuertorico.org Retrieved October 23, 2017.
The World Factbook – Puerto Rico. CIA.gov Retrieved October 23, 2017.
Profile of General Demographics Characteristics : 2000. census.gov Retrieved October 23, 2017.
General Assembly Resolutions 8th Session United Nations un.org Retrieved October 23, 2017.
Puerto Rican Amazon Parrots international Retrieved October 23, 2017.
Endemic species United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

External links

All links retrieved December 2, 2022.

Economic Development Bank
Government Development Bank
Puerto Rico Techno economic Corridor
State Electoral Commission (CEEPUR)

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article
in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

Puerto Rico ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

History of “Puerto Rico”

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.

Puerto Rico: Geography, History and Other Facts

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Castillo San Felipe del Morro is a 16th-century fortress in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
(Image credit: Brittany Mason/Shutterstock)

Puerto Rico is an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea consisting of a main island and a handful of smaller ones. It is part of the Greater Antilles, a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean. Its location has made Puerto Rico an important and strategic port for centuries.

It has also made the island a target for hurricanes. The most recent storm, Hurricane Maria, struck on Sept. 20, 2017. The Category 4 storm caused catastrophic damage only two weeks after the Category 5 Hurricane Irma skirted the island and crippled much of its infrastructure.

Politically, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory. Its people are U.S. citizens but they don’t have some of the rights other Americans have, such as the right to vote for president.

Weather and climate

Puerto Rico lies in the tropical region at a latitude of 18.25 degrees. The climate is consistent throughout the year with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius), according to the U. S. Geological Survey. The wet season lasts from May through October, although rain tends to fall year-round. August tends to be the wettest month on average and is also the start of hurricane season.

The average rainfall in the northern part of the island is about 61 inches (155 centimeters) and the southern part of the island is about 36 inches (91.4 cm). Some coastal regions receive up to 150 inches (381 cm) of rain per year, while the mountains register around 200 inches (508 cm).

Puerto Rico has been hit by several powerful hurricanes, including the devastating Hurricane Maria. Hurricane Maria knocked out power and communications on the entire island, destroyed many structures and roads, unleashed flash floods and wiped out most of the island’s agriculture. It is estimated that it will take several months to restore power to the island.

The most destructive hurricane on record in Puerto Rico is Hurricane San Ciriaco, according to the Hispanic American Historical Review. The hurricane, which made landfall in Aug. 8, 1899, is still on record as the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane, at nearly 28 days. The hurricane destroyed about 250,000 homes, nearly all the crops, and left the majority of the population without access to food or clean water. Nearly 3,400 people lost their lives.

Puerto Rico consists of the main island and several smaller islands, including Mona to the west, and Vieques and Culebra to the east. (Image credit: Google)

Geography

The main island of Puerto Rico is about 110 miles (177 km) long (west to east) and 35 miles (56.3 km) wide (north to south), and covers 3,515 square miles (9,104 square km) — slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island, according to the Central Intelligence Agency. It is also almost twice the size of Delaware.

Several small offshore islands are part of Puerto Rico, but only two are inhabited year-round: Vieques and Culebra. Vieques lies about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of the main island and is approximately 21 miles (33. 8 km) long by 4 miles (6.4 km) wide. About 9 miles north of Vieques is Culebra, which is approximately 7 miles (11.3 km) by 5 miles (8 km). The island of Mona lies 41 miles (66 km) west of the main island. It is only 7 miles by 4 miles (11 by 7 km) and is a protected nature preserve. The nearby Mona Passage is a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal, according to the CIA.

Puerto Rico is surrounded by some very deep waters, including the Puerto Rico Trench, which is the deepest trench in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Puerto Rico Trench is 497 miles (800 km) long with a maximum depth of 26,247 feet (8,000 m) at Milwaukee Deep. For comparison, the average depth of the Atlantic Ocean (not including adjacent seas) is 12,881 feet (3,926 m). The trench is part of a subduction zone between the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates.

Geology

The region is very active seismically — an average of five earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 1. 5 occur near Puerto Rico every day. The shocks occur because the North American plate is drifting westward relative to the Caribbean plate at about three-quarters of an inch (2 cm) per year, according to the NOAA. The uplifting of a tectonic plate due to a large shift formed the island, as well as the other islands in the area.

Río Camuy in the northern part of the island is part of the third largest subterranean river and cave system in the world. The caves were discovered in 1958, and 16 passages have been found and over 7 miles have been explored. The largest cave is Cueva Clara, which is 695 feet (211 km) long.

Puerto Rico is a very diverse region, with a mountain range, coastal plains, a desert and a rainforest. The main mountain range is known as La Cordillera Central, and runs east-west across the center of the island. The highest point on the island is Cerro de Punta, at 4,389 feet (1,338 m).

The coquí, a small tree frog, is the national mascot of Puerto Rico. (Image credit: RodJen/Shutterstock)

Flora and fauna

The El Yunque rainforest lies in the eastern part of the island at the highest elevations of the 28,000-acre Yunque National Forest, which is part of the U.S. Forest System. It is the only rainforest that is protected in the United States. Although the rainforest is one of the smallest protected regions, it is one of the most diverse.

It rains four times a day in the rainforest, according to El Boricua magazine. Annual rainfall is about 240 inches (610 cm), which translates to over 100 billion gallons of water. The temperature underneath the canopy stays around 73 F (22.8 C) year-round. These conditions are perfect for many types of plants and trees to thrive. There are thousands of native plants and trees, including at least 240 species of trees (with 23 known to exist only in this forest), 150 species of fern, 50 species of orchids and many species of vines and mosses.

No large animals reside in the rainforest, but countless small animals do. These include 50 species of birds (including the endangered Puerto Rican parrot), 11 species of bats, eight species of lizards and 13 species of the coquí frog, the national mascot. There are also many types of snakes, insects and rodents.

The driest place on the island, on the other hand, is a desert-like forest known as Guanica Biosphere Reserve and State Forest, in the southwest region. Only about 30 inches (76.2 cm) of rain fall per year. The Cordillera Central mountain range blocks most of the rain systems in a phenomenon known as a rain shadow. The nearly 10,000-acre forest has been protected since 1919 and was declared a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1981.

There are at least 700 species of plants in the Guanica Reserve, including 48 endangered plants and 16 that are endemic to the region, including the gumbo limbo tree and the guayacán tree. The largest variety of birds on the island, at least 185 species, lives in the reserve. That includes most of the 16 species native to Puerto Rico, such as the Puerto Rican woodpecker and the endangered Puerto Rican nightjar. There are also countless reptiles and amphibians within the reserve, including the national coquí frog.

San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico and the largest city on the island. (Image credit: fitzcrittle/Shutterstock)

History of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico, originally known as Borikén (“land of the brave lord”), was originally inhabited by the Taino tribe. The Taino people were a subgroup of the Arawak people of South America, and the group that inhabited Puerto Rico was traced back to a village in what is now Venezuela, according to El Boricua. The Taino were very peaceful and lived in several different villages across the island. They specialized in a unique style of pottery, farming and fishing.

The Taino welcomed Christopher Columbus when he landed in Puerto Rico in 1493 on his second voyage from Spain. Famed for their hospitality, they even showed Columbus the gold nuggetsin the river and told Columbus to take all he wanted. Columbus named the island San Juan Bautista (after St. John the Baptist) and the town in which he landed Puerto Rico (“rich port”) due to the gold in the river. Over the years, the name of the town and island were swapped.

Juan Ponce de León, a former lieutenant under Columbus, arrived in 1508 and turned Puerto Rico into Spain’s most important military outpost in the Caribbean due its location and natural resources. Colonization by the Spaniards soon followed, as well as the importation of slaves from Africa. Within a year, Ponce de León had conquered most of the island, enslaving or killing many of the inhabitants. The Spanish government saw this as a success and named Ponce de León as the first governor of Puerto Rico in 1509.

It is estimated that the population of the Taino went from between 30,000 and 50,000 at the time Columbus landed in 1493 to approximately 4,000 by 1514 and to about 1,150 by 1530, according to the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University. Many of the Taino died from European diseases, due to their lack of immunity. Many others were killed while trying to defend their land, or by committing suicide when captured and enslaved. Some hid in the dense forests, while others took refuge on nearby islands. Many of the enslaved native islanders who survived worked side-by-side with enslaved Africans. They mined gold and farmed high-demand crops such as sugar, coffee and tobacco.

The richness and location of the island made it a prime target for both pirates and invasion attempts by other countries, according to Frommer’s. Smugglers also took advantage of the Spanish forces concentrating in San Juan, and made huge profits working out of less-protected areas.

A cuatro is a stringed instrument adapted from the guitar. It originally had four strings but now has five sets of double strings. (Image credit: MikeHerna/Shutterstock)

Government and people

After centuries of Spanish rule, the territory of Puerto Rico was transferred to the United States in 1898 at the end of the Spanish-American War. It was established as an unincorporated territory, which meant there was no plan to make it a state. (During the westward expansion period, the United States created incorporated territories that could and did become states, according to the History Channel.)

Puerto Ricans were granted full U.S. citizenship in 1917. However, Puerto Ricans living on the island cannot vote for president (they can if they reside in a U.S. state), and their delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives cannot vote except in committees. Puerto Ricans can serve in the U.S. military, and they pay into the Social Security system. They don’t have to file a U.S. federal income tax return if their only income was from sources within Puerto Rico, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Puerto Rico became a United States Commonwealth in 1952, which gave the island more autonomy over local matters, including elections, taxes, education, health, housing and culture. However, the U.S. Congress and the president still control matters such as citizenship, immigration, defense, currency and trade, according to Jorge Duany, a professor of anthropology at Florida International University. Congress or the president can veto any decision made by the island’s legislature. It creates a situation in which Puerto Rico “belonged to but was not part of the United States,” he wrote.

In recent years, there have been several referendums on statehood and independence. In the most recent vote, a nonbinding referendum on June 11, 2017, about 97 percent of voters — more than half a million people — chose statehood. There were 7,800 votes for free association/independence and more than 6,800 votes for the current territorial status, according to the Associated Press. However, turnout was low — only 23 percent — and only Congress can incorporate the islands into a state. It’s unlikely that statehood will happen, Lillian Guerra, a history professor at the University of Florida, said in the History Channel article.

Culture

Puerto Rican culture is based on a blend of Taino, African and Spanish traditions, food, music, art and language. There are also influences introduced by immigrants from China, Italy, France, Germany and Cuba. American culture has also mingled with Puerto Rico’s since it became a U.S. territory, according to Smithsonian magazine.

Cocina Criolla, the local name for Puerto Rican cuisine, has its roots in Taino, Spanish and African specialties and cooking styles with influences from European and Chinese immigrants. The Taino people lived primarily on tropical fruit, corn, yuca and seafood. When the Spanish arrived, they introduced many types of food, including rice, wheat, olives and olive oil, beef, pork and garlic. Enslaved Africans brought okra, taro and plantains. The Spanish also introduced sugarcane and coffee to the island. Sugarcane was used to distill rum, which today is still a favorite drink in Puerto Rico. Today’s cuisine focuses on many of the same ingredients, using indigenous ingredients and many imported ones to create a unique dining experience.

Several instruments that are traditionally used in Puerto Rican music date back to the Taino people. One such instrument is the güiro, according to the Music of Puerto Rico website. The güirois a hollowed-out gourd with notches on one side that is played by rubbing a stick along the notches.

Several instruments were adapted from the six-string guitar brought over by early Spanish settlers, including the requinto, bordonua, cuatro and tiple. Percussion instruments such as panderetasand maracas were also very popular. Dances were choreographed to match the music (and the music’s name). They included the bomba, plena and variations of the salsa.

Puerto Rican art also shows a blend of the many cultures in the island’s melting pot. Taino art included jewelry made from gold, shells and stones. The Taino also crafted pottery and baskets, and worked with wood and stone. Religious figures that date back to the 16th century were influenced by the Spanish settlers and were known as Santos, according to the website Welcome to Puerto Rico. Santos were typically carved or molded by craftsmen using clay, stone, gold and wood. These may have been preceded by what the Taino called “cemi,” highly revered small statues that stood within the villages. Large, ornate papier-mâché masks that date back to medieval Spain, tribal Africa or both are very popular during carnival time.

Quick facts

Puerto Rico is home to about 3.4 million people. About 4.9 million Puerto Ricans live elsewhere in the United States. Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated islands in the world with an average of nearly 1,000 people per square mile.
The capital of San Juan is located on the north shore of the main island. There are 78 municipalities, including the islands of Culebra and Vieques.
The official languages are English and Spanish.
The U.S. dollar is the official currency.
The Puerto Rican flag, adopted in 1922, has a white star in a blue triangle on the left with three red alternating with two white stripes on the right.
The second largest radio telescope in the world is located in Arecibo.
Several words that are commonly used in the English language originated from the Taino language, including hurricane (huracán), barbecue (barbacoa), and hammock (hamaka).
The national bird is the reina mora, also known as the stripe-headed Tanager. The national flower is the flor de maga, also known as the Puerto Rican hibiscus. The national tree is the ceiba, also known as the silk-cotton tree. The national symbol is the coqui frog.

Additional resources

NOAA: Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches and Troughs
Welcome to Puerto Rico: A website that explores the history, people and cuisine of the island.
History Channel: Puerto Rico’s Complicated History with the United States

Rachel Ross is a science writer and editor focusing on astronomy, Earth science, physical science and math. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of California Davis and a Master’s degree in astronomy from James Cook University. She also has a certificate in science writing from Stanford University. Prior to becoming a science writer, Rachel worked at the Las Cumbres Observatory in California, where she specialized in education and outreach, supplemented with science research and telescope operations. While studying for her undergraduate degree, Rachel also taught an introduction to astronomy lab and worked with a research astronomer.

Geography Puerto Rico

Home » Countries » America » Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Author Dmitry Kirsanov Reading 2 min Views 215 Published 08/31/2016
Updated 28.02.2021

The unusual geography of Puerto Rico consists of the main island, which is surrounded by reefs and the islands of Mona, Vieques, Culebra, Deseceo and Caja de Muertos. Only the islands of Vieques and Culebra are inhabited by residents. The only people on Mona Island are employees of the Puerto Rican Ministry of National Resources.

Contents

Puerto Rico Island Geography
Puerto Rico Time
Puerto Rico Climate
Puerto Rico Weather
Nature Puerto Rico

Insular geography Puerto Rico

The main island has a mountainous terrain and large coastal areas in the northern and southern parts. Geography Puerto Rico has many high peaks. The central ridge of the island is called “La Cordillera Central”. The highest point Puerto Rico is located in the same ridge – Mount Cerro de Punta, height 1338 m. Another famous peak of the island is El Yunque, 1065 m.

Extensive location of water resources for such a small island. There are 17 lakes and more than 50 full-flowing rivers on the island, and most of them flow from the main mountain range.

The island has suffered quite a lot from human activity, so its government has allocated 5% of the entire territory to the park area, which is protected and developed. In this 5%, you can see more than 230 species of plants, about 20 species of birds, among which there is a rare Puerto Rican parrot, you can also find about 40 endangered species of reptiles. The greatest pride of Puerto Rican land is its tropical forests.

Puerto Rico time

The island is in the same time zone – UTM -4. Puerto Rico time has a difference with Moscow of 7 hours. Every minute passes in pleasant relaxation and entertainment, which the inhabitants of the island give to their guests.

Puerto Rico climate

Always warm and calm on the island, without any temperature fluctuations. The climate of Puerto Rico is tropical trade wind. Temperatures are higher in the south than in the north. The center is much cooler than the coast, geography of the terrain explains this by the mountainous relief of the center.

Weather Puerto Rico

Sunny weather Puerto Rico always pleases its guests. The average summer temperature is + 28 ºC , while in winter it is cooler – up to 24 ºC . But, there is also the hurricane season, which lasts between June and November.

Nature Puerto Rico

Beautiful, lively, green island that boasts insanely beautiful beaches and clear azure water. Tropical forests surprise with a variety of flora and fauna. Birds, rare reptiles and Puerto Rican wildlife you won’t see anywhere else. For example, only Puerto Rico nature can show you the Puerto Rican parrot, Boa constrictor or Coqui frog. It is this picturesque region that makes Puerto Rico tourism so popular, because every year the island is visited by Americans and Europeans.

Test: Test yourself how well you know the sights of the world

Test yourself how well you know the sights of the world

View other tests

Subscribe to travel247 travel news and read them in Yandex and Google!

Yandex News

Google News

Share with friends

Rate this author

(No rating yet)

Geography of the Dominican Republic

As we said, the Dominican Republic is a fertile land, which is freely spread in the east of the island of Haiti, surrounded by the waves of the Caribbean Sea.

The capital of the country is a sultry city called Santo Domingo. This is the birthplace of reference cigars, the cradle of incendiary merengue.

Santo Domingo

If you look at the map, you can see how ideal the location of the Dominican Republic is. It sits right between the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea and the cool currents of the Atlantic Ocean.

It is these conditions that form the unique climate and stunning landscape of the country.

Dominican Republic on the map

What is nearby?

For example, the western borders of the Dominican Republic are located next to the Republic of Haiti. By the way, this is very interesting and there are hardly any two bordering states in the world that are so close geographically and so far apart in culture, economy, education, language and religion.

Also nearby is Cuba – the island of freedom. You will find it if you look further west on the map. On the east side is another large island – this is Puerto Rico. To get to it, you need to overcome only 150 km from the coast of the Dominican Republic by sea.

Dominican Republic and neighboring countries

And what about the island on which the Dominican Republic is located?

The country shares its territory with Haiti, and this area had many names. For example, the Taino Indians called it “Haiti”.

What does it mean? The exotic “Haiti” in the Taino language meant “height”. The name is given for a reason, and you will understand why when you visit the island: there are several high mountain ranges. In addition, the Taino Indians still affectionately called this island “Boio”, which meant “home”.

Now on the world map this place is designated as the island of Hispaniola. It is located in the archipelago of the Greater Antilles.

Map of the Dominican Republic

According to the geographical reference, Hispaniola is the tenth most densely populated island in the world. It belongs to the 22nd largest island in the world in terms of size.

The reference reads: “The island is located in the northern hemisphere, south of the Tropic of Cancer and west of the Greenwich meridian or prime meridian. Its northern point is located at 20° 00′ north latitude, and its southern point is 17° 36′ north latitude. The easternmost point of Isla Hispaniola is at 68° 19′ west longitude, and the most westerly at 74° 31′ west longitude”.

The Dominican Republic on this island is the largest country, it occupies almost 2/3 of the territory. The republic has an area of 48,670 square kilometers. This territory includes the islands of Saona, Beata, Alto Velo and Catalina.

In fact, the geography of the Dominican Republic is not limited to beaches. There are three main mountain ranges here. The first is the Central Cordillera, which stretches straight from Haiti through the center of the Dominican Republic. They end in the south, roughly in the San Cristobal area.

Pico Duarte is located in these Cordillera – this is the highest point in the Antilles. The height of Pico Duarte is 3087 meters.

Mountains of the Dominican Republic

The second mountain range is the North. It runs parallel to the central Cibao Valley.

The third important mountain range in the Dominican Republic is the picturesque mountains of Baoruko and Neibe, which are located in the southwestern part of the country.

From a maritime perspective, the Dominican Republic also has advantageous diversity. From the north, the territory of the country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, as well as the Sea of the Antilles already in the south.

There is the Mona Strait, which is located in the east. It connects the ocean and the sea. The Dominican city of Cap Cana lies precisely on the shores of this strait.

Mona is the natural border that separates the Dominican Republic from the island of Puerto Rico.