| Geography | Puerto Rico |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic |
Geographic coordinates:
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18 15 N, 66 30 W |
Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
Area:
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total: 13,790 sq km
land: 8,870 sq km
water: 4,921 sq km |
Area - comparative:
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slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island |
Land boundaries:
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0 km |
Coastline:
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501 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Climate:
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tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation |
Terrain:
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mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,339 m |
Natural resources:
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some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil |
Land use:
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arable land: 3.69%
permanent crops: 5.59%
other: 90.72% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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400 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water resources:
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void |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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void |
Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts; hurricanes |
Environment - current issues:
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erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages |
Environment - international agreements:
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void |
Geography - note:
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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 |
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