Puerto Rico

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

commonwealth

Puerto Rico as the 2007 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, UTC-4

Position18 15 N, 66 30 W

Area13,790 sq km

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

Populationas each edition published it

3.94 million July 2007 est. · 3.29m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.393% 2007 est. · 0.13% in 1993

Median ageyears

35.1 years 2007 est. · 33.3 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

78.54 years 2007 est. · 73.84 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.77 children per woman 2007 est. · 2.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

7.81 deaths per 1,000 live births 2007 est. · 17 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$19,300 2006 est. · $6,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

0.5% 2006 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. 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.

Geography

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

17 fields

Land useshare of 13,790 sq km

arable land 3.69%permanent crops 5.59%other 90.72% (2005)irrigated 400 sq km (2003)

Area

13,790sq km

land: 8,870 sq kmwater: 4,921 sq kmslightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

Coastline

501km

land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Highest point

1,339m

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

Age structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)

223,508

65 and over13.1%

294,776

1,247,314

15-6465.9%

1,352,139

422,635

0-1421%

403,887

MaleFemale

Population

3,944,259

(July 2007 est.)growth rate: 0.393% (2007 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)

Birth

12.79Death

7.78Net migration

-1.09

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2007 est.)78.54

74.6 · 82.67Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)7.81

8.71 · 6.86

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2002 est.)94.1%

93.9% · 94.4%Median age years (2007 est.)35.1

33.4 · 36.8

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%

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.046 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.922 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.758 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.923 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.77 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

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 Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January 2005)

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

43.4%

PNP 43.4%PPD 40.3%PIP 9.4%Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008)

Senate, 51 seats, elected 2 November 2004one dot, one seat

PNP 32PPD 18PIP 1

Percent of vote

PNP 43.4%PPD 40.3%PIP 9.4%

Country name

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

Dependency status

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

Government type

commonwealth

Capital

name:: San Juan
geographic coordinates:: 18 28 N, 66 07 W
time difference:: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

Independence

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

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;
island residents 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)
head of government:: Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January 2005)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature
elections:: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Puerto Rico, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president;
governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits);
election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008)
election results:: Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA elected governor; percent of vote - 48.4%

Legislative branch

bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (at least 27 seats - currently 29; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008)
election results:: Senate - percent of vote by party - PNP 43.4%, PPD 40.3%, PIP 9.4%;
seats by party - PNP 17, PPD 9, PIP 1;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PNP 46.3%, PPD 43.1%, PIP 9.7%;
seats by party - PNP 32, PPD 18, 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 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008); results - percent of vote by party - PNP 48.6%, other 51.4%; seats by party - PNP 1

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 [Roberto PRATS];
National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Dr. Tiody FERRE];
New Progressive Party or PNP [Pedro ROSSELLO] (pro-US statehood);
Popular Democratic Party or PPD [Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA] (pro-commonwealth);
Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] (pro-independence)

Political pressure groups and leaders

Boricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group also known as Los Macheteros);
note - the following radical groups are considered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance, Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution

International organization participation

Caricom (observer), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

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.

41 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$75.82billion

(2006 est.)official exchange rate: $NA (2006 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$19,300

(2006 est.)

Real growth rate

0.5%

(2006 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

6.5%

(2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2002 est.)

agriculture 1%industry 45%services 54% (2002 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

90.3%

55.0%

Ireland

23.7%

Japan

5.4%

1.6%

1.4%

Netherlands

1.4%

Dominican Republic

Exports $46.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)Imports $29.1 billion c.i.f. (2001)(2006)

Budget

Revenues

$6.7 billionExpenditures

$9.6 billion (FY99/00)

Electricity

Electricity production

24.96 billion (2005)Electricity consumption

23.21 billion (2005)

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 2004. Growth fell off in 2001-03, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy, recovered in 2004-05, but declined again in 2006.

Labor force

1.3 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Unemployment rate

12% (2002)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Agriculture - products

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

Industries

pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, tourism

Oil - production

721.8 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption

234,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

642.6 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports

642.6 million cu m (2005)

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

Economic aid - recipient

$NA

Debt - external

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Currency (code)

US dollar (USD)

Exchange rates

the US dollar is used

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

3.354 million

(2005)

Internet users

413

(2007)

Fixed lines

1.038 million

(2005) · 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:: country code - 1-787, 939;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat;
submarine cable to US