Geography of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico
Native name:
Borinquén (Taino)
Nickname: Isla del Encanto (Spanish)
(Island of Enchantment)
Puerto Rico
Vieques
Culebra
Mona and Monito
Icacos and Palominos
Caja de Muertos
Desecheo
Map of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is located in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is located in Lesser Antilles
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is located in Caribbean
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is located in North America
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is located in Earth
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Geography
LocationCaribbean Sea
Coordinates18°15′N 66°30′W / 18.250°N 66.500°W / 18.250; -66.500
ArchipelagoGreater Antilles
Major islandsSpanish Virgin Islands of Vieques and Culebra
Mona
Desecheo
Caja de Muertos
Area8,868 km2 (3,424 sq mi)
(Land area of main island)[note 1]
Area rank3rd (United States)
4th (Caribbean)
29th (Americas)
81st (World)
174th (Countries)
Length177 km (110 mi)[note 2]
Width65 km (40.4 mi)
Coastline501 km (311.3 mi)
Highest elevation1,338 m (4390 ft)
Highest pointCerro de Punta
Administration
United States
TerritoryPuerto Rico
Largest settlementSan Juan (pop. 342,259)
Demographics
Population3,205,691 (2023)
Pop. density361.4/km2 (936/sq mi)
Symbols of Puerto Rico
AmphibianCoquí[note 5][11][12][13][14][15]
BirdIguaca[note 4][9][10]
FlowerMaga[note 6][16]
MammalManatee[note 3][8]
TreeCeiba[note 7][17][18]

Puerto Rico[note 8] (Spanish for 'rich port'; abbreviated PR),[20] officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,[note 9] is an archipelagic island U.S. territory comprised of the eponymous main island of Puerto Rico and 142 smaller islands, including Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. It is located between the Greater and Lesser Antilles in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of Hispaniola, west of Saint Thomas, north of Venezuela, and south of the Puerto Rico Trench.[note 10][21] 177 km (110 mi; 96 nmi) long and 65 km (40 mi; 35 nmi) wide[note 2][22] with a land area of 8,868 sq km (3,424 sq mi),[note 1][1] the main island is the 3rd largest in the U.S., 4th in the Caribbean, 29th in the Americas, and 81st in the world, making it the 174th largest country or dependency by surface area. With 3.2 million residents, it is the 2nd largest in the U.S., 4th in the Caribbean, 4th in the Americas, and 31st in the world, making it the 136th largest country or dependency by population.

Puerto Rico within the Caribbean as seen from space at night, 2012
Puerto Rico within the Caribbean as seen from space at night, 2012
  1. ^ a b "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "Vieques Municipio, Puerto Rico". US Census Bureau. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "Mona Island". Earth Observatory. February 28, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "Culebra Municipio, Puerto Rico". US Census Bureau. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  5. ^ "Plan de Manejo Reserva Natural Isla Caja de Muertos" (PDF). Gobierno de Puerto Rico: Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Catches by Taxon in the waters of Puerto Rico (USA)". Sea Around Us. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Ley Núm. 257 de 2011: Ley del "Día de la Conservación del Manatí Caribeño en Puerto Rico" y para Designarlo como el "Mamífero Oficial de Puerto Rico"" (PDF). Gobierno de Puerto Rico: Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "Cotorra Puertorriqueña" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  10. ^ "Proyecto de la Cámara 518 (P. de la C. 518)". Public Policy. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  11. ^ "Coquí fossil from Puerto Rico takes title of oldest Caribbean frog". University of Florida: Florida Museum of Natural History. April 7, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  12. ^ "Here's Why The Coquí Frog is the Symbol of Puerto Rico". The Culture Trip. March 5, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  13. ^ "Natural History of Model Organisms: The big potential of the small frog Eleutherodactylus coqui". ResearchGate. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "La ranita más querida". Ocala. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  15. ^ "Coquí, un anfibio símbolo nacional". Panama América. October 9, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  16. ^ "Ley Núm. 87 del año 2019: Para adoptar la Flor de Maga como la flor símbolo del pueblo de Puerto Rico". Lex Juris. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "La ceiba del camino". Primera Hora. September 5, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "An Ancient Ceiba Tree Blooms Once Again After Puerto Rico's Devastating Storms". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Amaral, Patrícia & Ana Maria Carvalho (2014). Portuguese-Spanish Interfaces: Diachrony, synchrony, and contact. Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 130. ISBN 978-90-272-5800-7.
  20. ^ "CIA World Factbook – Puerto Rico". Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  21. ^ "Nautical Charts: Puerto Rico" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  22. ^ "Geografía de Puerto Rico". Sistemas de Información Geográfica (in Spanish). Retrieved February 24, 2024.


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