BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Country Name: PUERTO RICO
Capital
San Juan
Largest city San
Juan
Official language(s)
Spanish, English
Government
Commonwealth
Area 19,104 km²
(169th)
Population
July 2005 est. 3,912,054 (126th)
Currency United
States dollar
Time
zone AST (UTC-4)
Internet
TLD .pr
Calling
code +1-787 and +1-939
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GEOGRAPHY
& BACKGROUND
The
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado
Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, IPA [es'tado
'lib?e aso'sjado de 'pwe?to 'riko]), also
Porto Rico (archaic) and more commonly Puerto
Rico, is a United States territory with
Commonwealth [1] status[1] located east
of the Dominican Republic in the northeastern
Caribbean. Puerto Rico, the smallest of
the Greater Antilles, includes the main
island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller
islands and keys, the largest of which are
Mona, Vieques, and Culebra.
The
nature of Puerto Rico's political relationship
with the United States is the subject of
ongoing debate in the island and also in
the United Nations.[2] Those who support
maintaining the status quo (i.e., Commonwealth
status) insist that upon attaining this
status, Puerto Rico entered into a voluntary
association with the U.S. "in the nature
of a compact", but opponents of Commonwealth
disagree: according to them, Puerto Rico
is an unincorporated organized territory
of the United States, subject to the plenary
powers of the United States Congress.
Puerto
Rico 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.
The
mainland measures some 100 miles by 35 nautical
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
ft; 1,338 m), is located in this range.
Another important peak is El Yunque, located
in the Sierra de Luquillo at the Caribbean
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.
Located
in the tropics, Puerto Rico enjoys an average
temperature of 28 °C (82.4 °F) throughout
the year. The seasons do not change very
drastically. 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. The hurricane season spans
between June and November.
Puerto
Rico has 17 lakes (none of them natural)
[13] and more than 50 rivers. Most of these
rivers are born in the "Cordillera
Central". The rivers in the northern
region of the island are bigger and with
higher flow capacity than those of the south
region. The south is thus drier and hotter
than the north region.
As
of 1998, 239 plants, 16 birds and 39 amphibians/reptiles
have been discovered that are endemic to
the archipelago of Puerto Rico. The majority
of these (234, 12 and 33 repectively) are
found on the main island.[14] 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 Caribbean National
Forest, also known as El Yunque (the name
of its highest peak), 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 Parrot.
For
more information please visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
or
visit
http://www.tripadvisor.com
