Puerto Rico

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

• 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

0.92 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

noun:

Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)

adjective:

Puerto Rican

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

conventional short form:

Puerto Rico

• 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

name:

San Juan

geographic coordinates:

18 28 N, 66 07 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 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

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

• 18 years of age;
• universal;
• island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

chief of state:

President Barack H. OBAMA (since 20 January 2009); Vice President Joseph R. BIDEN (since 20 January 2009)

head of government:

Governor Luis FORTUNO (since 2 January 2009)

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;
• however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican party presidential primary elections;
• governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits);
• election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012)

election results:

Luis FORTUNO elected governor with 52.8% of the vote

• 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)

• 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)

• 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

• 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

agriculture:

2.1%

industry:

19%

services:

79% (2005)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

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;
• submarine cables provide connectivity to the US, Caribbean, Central and South America;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

total:

26,186 km

country comparison to the world: 102

paved:

24,877 km (includes 427 km of expressways)

unpaved:

1,309 km (2007)

total:

3

country comparison to the world: 140

by type:

roll on/roll off 3

foreign-owned:

3 (US 3)

registered in other countries:

1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

males age 16-49:

699,784

females age 16-49:

790,482 (2009 est.)

male:

30,422

female:

29,396 (2009 est.)