| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico |
| Capital: |
San Juan |
| 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 |
| 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: |
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 belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
commonwealth |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
none (commonwealth associated with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco |
| Independence |
none (commonwealth associated with the US) |
| 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)
head of government: Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008)
election results: Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (PPD) 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 directly 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 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 November 2008); results - percent of vote by party - PNP 48.6%; seats by party - PNP 1; Luis FORTUNA elected resident commissioner |
| 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 [Celeste BENITEZ]; National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Dr. Tiody FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP (pro-US statehood) [Pedro ROSSELLO]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD (pro-commonwealth) [Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA]; Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
3,916,632 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 22% (male 441,594/female 421,986)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 1,228,583/female 1,337,066)
65 years and over: 12.4% (male 211,283/female 276,120) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 34.23 years
male: 32.5 years
female: 35.87 years (2005 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 |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
1,329,500 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
1,211,111 (2001) |
| 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 72, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
6 (19 relay stations) (2004) |
| Internet country
code: |
.pr |
| Internet hosts: |
|
| Internet users: |
600,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 25,328 km
paved: 23,665 km (including 426 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,363 km (2004) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Aguadilla, Arecibo, Fajardo, Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Mayaguez, Playa de Ponce, San Juan |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 36,728 GRT/37,048 DWT
by type: roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 2 (United States 2)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005) |
| Airports: |
30 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 13
1,524 to 2, 437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
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