Puerto Rico

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

commonwealthIndependence none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Puerto Rico as the 2003 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 115 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalSan Juan

Position18 15 N, 66 30 W

Area9,104 sq km

LocationCaribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic

Populationas each edition published it

3.89 million July 2003 est. · 3.29m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.58% 2003 est. · 0.13% in 1993

Median ageyears

33.3 years 2002 · 46.7 yrs in 2025

Life expectancyyears at birth

77.26 years 2003 est. · 73.84 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.02 children per woman 2003 est. · 2.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

9.38 deaths per 1,000 live births 2003 est. · 17 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$11,100 2002 est. · $6,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

-0.2% 2002 est. · 2.2% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following 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 and 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 to retain commonwealth status.

Geography

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic

17 fields

Land useshare of 9,104 sq km

arable land 3.72%permanent crops 5.07%other 91.21% (1998 est.)irrigated 400 sq km (1998 est.)

Area

9,104sq km

water: 145 sq kmland: 8,959 sq kmslightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

Coastline

501km

land boundaries: 0 kmexclusive economic zone: 200 NMterritorial sea: 12 NM

Highest point

1,338m

Cerro de Puntalowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Climate

tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain

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

Natural resources

some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil

Natural hazards

periodic droughts; hurricanes

Environment - current issues

erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages

Geography - note

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

People

19 fields

Population

3,885,877

(July 2003 est.)growth rate: 0.58% (2003 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2003 est.)

Birth

15Death

7.68Net migration

-1.54

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2003 est.)77.26

73.27 · 81.44Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)9.38

10.3 · 8.41

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2001)93.8%

93.7% · 94%Median age years (2002)33.3

31.6 · 34.9

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%black 8%Amerindian 0.4%Asian 0.2%mixed and other 10.9%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 22.9% (male 454,908; female 434,555)
15-64 years:: 65.2% (male 1,212,764; female 1,322,356)
65 years and over:: 11.9% (male 200,669; female 260,625) (2003 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.93 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.02 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

7,397 (1997)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

Nationality

noun:: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective:: Puerto Rican

Religions

Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%

Languages

Spanish, English

Government

Commonwealth; President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Governor Sila M. CALDERON (since 2 January 2001)

19 fields

Senate, 51 seats, elected 7 November 2000one dot, one seat

PPD 30PNP 20PIP 1

Country name

conventional long form:: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form:: Puerto Rico

Dependency status

commonwealth associated with the US

Government type

commonwealth

Capital

San Juan

Administrative divisions

none (commonwealth associated with the US);
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

Independence

none (commonwealth associated with the US)

National holiday

US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25 July (1952)

Constitution

ratified 3 March 1952;
approved by US Congress 3 July 1952;
effective 25 July 1952

Legal system

based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of justice

Suffrage

18 years of age;
universal;
indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch

chief of state:: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
election results:: Sila M. CALDERON (PPD) elected governor; percent of vote - 48.6%

note: residents of Puerto Rico do not vote for US president and vice president

elections:: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms;
governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004)
head of government:: Governor Sila M. CALDERON (since 2 January 2001)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature

Legislative branch

bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (28 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

election results:: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PPD 19, PNP 8, PIP 1;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PPD 30, PNP 20, PIP 1

note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives;

aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - percent of vote by party - PPD 49.3%; seats by party - PPD 1; Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA elected resident commissioner

elections:: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court;
Appellate Court;
Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate)

Political parties and leaders

National Democratic Party [Celeste BENITEZ];
National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Luis FERRE];
New Progressive Party or PNP (pro-US statehood) [Carlos PESQUERA];
Popular Democratic Party or PPD (pro-commonwealth) [Sila M. CALDERON];
Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN;
Armed Forces of Popular Resistance;
Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros);
Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution

International organization participation

Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate), WToO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Flag description

five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white;
a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center;
design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed

Economy

Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region.

40 fields

Real growth rate

-0.2%

(2002 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

(2002 est.)

Unemployment rate

12%

(2002)

Labor force

1.3million

(2000)

GDP - composition by sector(1999 est.)

agriculture 1%industry 45%services 54% (1999 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

88.2%

53.5%

Ireland

16.3%

Japan

4.5%

1.5%

1.4%

Dominican Republic

Exports $46.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)Imports $29.1 billion c.i.f. (2001)(2001)

Budget

Revenues

$6.7 billionExpenditures

$9.6 billion

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 99/00)

Electricity

fossil fuel 99.2%hydro 0.8%other 0% · nuclear 0%

Electricity production

20.9 billion (2001)Electricity consumption

19.44 billion (2001)

Economy - overview

Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s.

US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 1999. Growth fell off in 2001-02, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $43.01 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $11,100 (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 3%, industry 20%, services 77% (2000 est.)

Industries

pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

190,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

630 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

630 million cu m (2001 est.)

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens

Exports

$46.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities

chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment

Imports

$29.1 billion c.i.f. (2001)

Imports - commodities

chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products

Debt - external

$NA

Economic aid - recipient

$NA

Currency

US dollar (USD)

Currency code

USD

Exchange rates

the US dollar is used

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

169,265

(1996)

Internet users

(2000)

Fixed lines

1.322 million

(1997) · country code .pr

Telephone system

general assessment:: modern system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
domestic:: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service
international:: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US