Puerto Rico (commonwealth associated with the US)
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Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

Puerto Rico
Geography
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
Area:
total: 9,104 sq km
land: 8,959 sq km
water: 145 sq km
Areacomparative: slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 501 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m
Natural resources: some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 16%
other: 49% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Environmentcurrent issues: occasional drought has caused water levels in reservoirs to drop and
has prompted water rationing
Environmentinternational agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographynote: important location along the Mona Passagea 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
Population: 3,857,070 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (male 483,268; female 461,632)
15-64 years: 65% (male 1,206,385; female 1,310,406)
65 years and over: 11% (male 171,889; female 223,490) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.68% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 16.7 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.08 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.09 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.2 years
male: 69.58 years
female: 79.11 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican
Ethnic groups: Hispanic
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant denominations and other 15%
Languages: Spanish, English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88% (1980 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico
Data code: RQ
Dependency status: commonwealth associated with the US
Government type: commonwealth
National 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
Independence: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
National holiday: US Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution: ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective
25 July 1952
Legal system: based on Spanish civil code
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 of the US William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993);
Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993)
head of government: Governor Pedro ROSSELLO (since 2 January 1993)
cabinet: NA
elections: governor of Puerto Rico elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000)
election results: Pedro ROSSELLO reelected governor of Puerto Rico; percent of vote -
NA
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 (54 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senatelast held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000);
House of Representativeslast held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November
2000)
election results: Senatepercent of vote by partyNA; seats by partyPNP 19, PPD
8, PIP 1; House of Representativespercent of vote by partyNA; seats
by partyPNP 37, PPD 16, PIP 1
note: Puerto Rico elects one representative to the US House of Representatives;
elections last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000); results
- percent of vote by partyNA; seats by partyPNP 1 (Carlos Romero BARCELO)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of
the Senate; Superior Courts, justices appointed by the governor with the consent
of the Senate; Municipal Courts, justices appointed by the governor with the
consent of the Senate
Political parties and leaders: National Republican Party of Puerto Rico, Luis FERRE; Popular Democratic
Party (PPD), Hector ACEVEDO; New Progressive Party (PNP), Pedro ROSSELLO;
Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), Ruben BERRIOS Martinez; Puerto Rican
Communist Party (PCP), leader(s) unknown
Political pressure groups and leaders: Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN); Volunteers of the Puerto
Rican Revolution; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros); Armed
Forces of Popular Resistance
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 based on the US flag
Economy
Economyoverview: Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region.
A diverse industrial sector has 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 for the island, with estimated arrivals of nearly 4 million tourists
in 1993. The construction sector has been a key factor in recent economic
growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity$32.9 billion (1997 est.)
GDPreal growth rate: 3% (1997 est.)
GDPper capita: purchasing power parity$8,600 (1997 est.)
GDPcomposition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rateconsumer price index: 5.5% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 1.3 million (1996)
by occupation: government 19%, manufacturing 13%, trade 17%, construction 5%, other
32%, unemployed 14% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 13% (FY96/97 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $5.1 billion
expenditures: $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95)
Industries: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)
Electricitycapacity: 4.465 million kW (1995)
Electricityproduction: 17.34 billion kWh (1995)
Electricityconsumption per capita: 4,548 kWh (1995)
Agricultureproducts: livestock products, chickens; sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains,
bananas
Exports:
total value: $22.9 billion (f.o.b. 1996)
commodities: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates,
medical equipment
partners: US 88% (1995 est.)
Imports:
total value: $19.1 billion (c.i.f. 1996)
commodities: chemicals, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products
partners: US 62% (1995 est.)
Debtexternal: $NA
Economic aid: none
Currency: 1 US dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 July30 June
Communications
Telephones: 1.315 million (1994 est.)
Telephone system: modern system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine
cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system with about 1 million lines (1990 est.); cellular
telephone service
international: satellite earth station1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US
Radio broadcast stations: AM 50, FM 63, shortwave 0
note: there were 118 radio stations in 1995
Radios: 2.6 million (1994 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (1995)
note: cable television available with US programs (1990 est.)
Televisions: 973,000 (1994 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge, rural, narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane;
no passenger service
Highways:
total: 14,400 km
paved: 14,400 km
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Playa de Ponce, San Juan
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 30 (1997 est.)
Airportswith paved runways:
total: 21
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 6 (1997 est.)
Airportswith unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)
Military
Military branches: paramilitary National Guard, Police Force
Militarynote: defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues
Disputesinternational: none
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