Island Details: Puerto Rico

Name

Puerto Rico

Location

Caribbean

Number of Islands (approx.)

9*

Island Details

main island + 8 smaller islands*

Type of Islands

continental

Surface Area (km²)

8,870.00*

Terrain

mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas*

Highest Elevation (m)

1,338.0*

Highest Elevation (name)

Cerro de Punta*

Isolation Index

46*

Climate Risk Index Rank (1993-2012)

31*

Mean Sea Level Trends (mm/year)

1.65*

Mean Sea Level (meta)

Time span: 1962-2006; Completeness: 90%; Station ID: 1001*

Population (total)

3,721,978*

Population Density (p/km²)

419.6*

Population Growth (annual %)

-0.494*

GDP (per capita in current US$)

25,863*

Dominant Economic Sector

fish processing, mechanical engineering, pharmacy, rum, textiles, tourism*

HDI

0.000*

Administration

dependent (unincorporated, organized territory of the US with commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President)*

Miscellaneous

Important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north*