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(commonwealth associated with the US)
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area: 9,104 sq km
land area:8,959 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 501 km
Climate: tropical marine, mild, little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on westcoast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas
Natural resources: some copper and nickel, potential for onshore and offshore crude oil
Land use:
arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 9%
meadows and pastures: 41%
forest and woodland: 20%
other: 22%
Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1989 est.)
Population: 3,812,569 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25% (female 466,596; male 489,127)
15-64 years: 65% (female 1,274,765; male 1,195,785)
65 years and over: 10% (female 213,716; male 172,580) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.16% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 15.92 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 7.47 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.1 years
male: 70.78 years
female: 79.66 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican
Ethnic divisions: Hispanic
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant denominations and other 15%
Languages: Spanish, English
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88%
Labor force: 1.2 million (1993)
by occupation: government 22%, manufacturing 17%, trade 20%, construction 6%, communications
and transportation 5%, other 30% (1993)
Names:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico
Digraph: RQ
Type: commonwealth associated with the US
Capital: San Juan
Administrative divisions: none (commonwealth associated with the US); note - 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
Overview: Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. Industry has surpassed agriculture as the primary sector 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. Important industries include pharmaceuticals, electronics, textiles, petrochemicals, and processed foods. 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 3.9 million tourists in 1993.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $26.8 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 2.6% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $7,050 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 16% (1994)
Budget:
revenues: $5.1 billion
expenditures: $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95)
Exports: $21.8 billion (1994)
commodities: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage
concentrates, medical equipment, instruments
partners: US 86.2% (1993)
Imports: $16.7 billion (1994)
commodities: chemicals, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products
partners: US 69.2% (1993)
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1994 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 4.230,000 kW
production: 15.6 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 3,819 kWh (1993)
Industries: manufacturing accounts for 39.4% of GDP; manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, instruments; tourism
Agriculture: accounts for only 3% of labor force and just over 1% of GDP; crops - sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock - cattle, chickens; imports a large share of food needs (1993)
Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Railroads:
total: 96 km rural narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; note - no passenger
railroads
Highways:
total: 13,762 km
paved: 13,762 km (1982)
Ports: Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Playa de Ponce, San Juan
Merchant marine: none
Airports:
total: 31
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 3
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 9
with paved runways under 914 m: 14
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2