Location: Caribbean, in the North Caribbean Sea, between the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands group

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

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

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 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.)

Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: NA

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

NOTE: The information regarding Puerto Rico on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Puerto Rico Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Puerto Rico Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.