Puerto Rico: FAQS

Introduction Puerto Rico

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 Puerto Rico

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

Sunrise & Sunset:
in San Juan

Area:
total: 13,790 sq km
land: 8,870 sq km
water: 4,921 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

Coastline:
501 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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 1,339 m

Natural resources:
some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil

Land use:
arable land: 3.69%
permanent crops: 5.59%
other: 90.72% (2005)

Irrigated land:
400 sq km (2003)

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 Puerto Rico

Population:
3,944,259 (July 2007 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.393% (2007 est.)

Birth rate:
12.79 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate:
7.78 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate:
-1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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

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

Religions:
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%

Languages:
Spanish, English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1%
male: 93.9%
female: 94.4% (2002 est.)

Government Puerto Rico

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)

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)

International organization participation:
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

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.

Communications Puerto Rico

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.112 million (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.682 million (2004)

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

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 74, FM 53, shortwave 0 (2006)

Radios:
2.7 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
32 (2006)

Televisions:
1.021 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.pr

Internet hosts:
404 (2006)

ISPs:
76 (2000)

Internet users:
1 million (2005)

From: CIA Fact Sheet

by Harry S. Pariser
an excellent resource for traveling on the Main Island as well as Vieques and Culebra.