Puerto Rico Geography - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

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

Area - comparative

slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

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 in north; precipitous mountains to the sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas

Elevation

highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

mean elevation: 261 m

Natural resources

some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil

Land use

agricultural land: 22% (2018 est.)

arable land: 6.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 5.6% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 9.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 63.2% (2018 est.)

other: 14.8% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

220 sq km (2012)

Population distribution

population clusters tend to be found along the coast, the largest of these is found in and around San Juan; an exception to this is a sizeable population located in the interior of the island immediately south of the capital around Caguas; most of the interior, particularly in the western half of the island, is dominated by the Cordillera Central mountains, where population density is low

Natural hazards

periodic droughts; hurricanes

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

NOTE: The information regarding Puerto Rico on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Puerto Rico 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Puerto Rico 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.