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Official Name: Known as The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Before the arrival of The Spanish in 1493, the Islands that are now called Puerto Rico were called by the native Taino Indians as Boriken or Borinquen which means "land of the great lords". When the Spaniards arrived they originally called the island Saint John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista) and the capital city as Puerto Rico which means rich port. In 1521, the two names were switched.
Capital: San Juan (Saint John). This city was founded in 1521 and it is the second oldest European founded city in all of the Americas after the City of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic which was founded in 1498. San Juan has one of the biggest harbors in the Caribbean and the second largest in America after New York City, making it one of the most important ports and a major tourist destination.
Location: Puerto Rico is located in the Northeastern Caribbean. Between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, East of the Dominican Republic.
Size: The total land and water area of Puerto Rico is 13,790 sq km. The total land area is 8,870 sq km and the total water area is 4,921 sq km. Puerto Rico is slightly larger than Vanuatu and smaller than Montenegro. Puerto Rico is the smallest of the Greater Antilles. It is 80% of the size of Jamaica just over 18% of the size of Hispaniola and 8% of the size of Cuba.
Climate: The climate of Puerto Rico is tropical and mild with a little seasonal temperature variation. The average temperature is 82.4 °F (30 °C) throughout the year. The temperature in the South is usually a few degrees higher than the North and temperatures in the central interior mountains are always cooler than the rest of the island. There is a high humidity throughout the year of around 80%.
Population: Puerto Rico has a gross population of approximately 3,971,020 million people and the country ranks 128th worldwide in gross population. This is comparable to the population of Albania and The Republic of Congo. Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated islands in the world. There are about 1,000 people per square mile, a population density ratio higher than any of the 50 states in the United States. People born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens. Although the island is densely populated, especially in the major cities, there are more people who were born in Puerto Rico or consider themselves Puerto Ricans living in the United States mainland than in Puerto Rico.
Life expectancy at Birth: The total average life expectancy at birth for Puerto Rico is 78.53 years. The life expectancy for males is 74.85 years from birth, while females live a bit longer at an average of 82.39 years. Puerto Rico is ranked 42nd in the world for life expectancy, putting it between Bosnia/Herzegovina and South Korea.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Puerto Rico is higher than in the United States (mainland). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that around 10,000 people in Puerto Rico were living with AIDS/HIV in 2004. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated the AIDS/HIV rate for adults and adolescents living with the infection were 324 per 100,000 of the population. Puerto Rico has a ranking of 115 globally, between Suriname and Nicaragua for the number of population that are living with the infection.
Major Illnesses: There have been Dengue Fever epidemics throughout the Caribbean Islands. In a 1994 there was an epidemic outbreak of Dengue fever and 24,252 suspected cases were reported and 5,390 cases were laboratory confirmed (3 cases of them fatal). In 1995, 2,046 cases of Dengue Fever were confirmed by laboratory testing and in 1996, 1,804 more cases were confirmed. You may need to get the following vaccinations and medications for vaccine-preventable diseases and other diseases you might be at risk for in Puerto Rico: Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Rabies, Rubella (MMR), Diphtheria, and Pertussis.
Ethnic Groups: The major ethnic groups in Puerto Rico are: 76.2% white (mostly Spanish decent), 6.9% black, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Amerindian, 4.4% mixed, and 12% other. During the 1800s hundreds of Corsican, French, Lebanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and large numbers of immigrants from Spain (mainly from Catalonia, Asturias, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands) arrived in Puerto Rico. In the mid 1800s the: Irish, Scots, Germans, and Italians were granted land in Puerto Rico by the Spanish government.
Languages: The official languages in Puerto Rico are Spanish and English with Spanish being the primary language.
Religion:Over 85% of the population considers themselves Roman Catholic. Protestants and other religions comprise 15%. Puerto Rico is also home to the largest and richest Jewish community in the Caribbean with 3,000 Jewish inhabitants.
Government: Puerto Rico is not an independent country and it is an "unincorporated territory" of the United States. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth (Commonwealths have their own constitutions) which is subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Puerto Rico government is divided into three branches; executive, legislative, and judicial, each having equal importance and each exercising power and authority. The executive branch is headed by a governor, who appoints and forms his cabinet. The legislative branch consists of a bicameral assembly made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico and the system of lower courts. People born after 1917, in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens and they are entitled to vote at the federal level, but not from the island, as the territory is not incorporated.
Head of State: The Head of State in Puerto Rico is President Barack H. Obama and the Vice President Joseph R. Biden of The United States.
Head of Government: The Head of Government in Puerto Rico is the Governor Luis Fortuno.
Military: Puerto Rico has no regular indigenous military forces, paramilitary National Guard, or Police Force. Puerto Ricans may enlist in the U.S. military and they have been included in the compulsory draft whenever it has been in effect. Five Puerto Ricans have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States.
Economy: Puerto Rico is classified as a high income country by the World Bank with a diverse industrial sector that has surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. The composition of the GDP by sector of the economy in 2004 was as follows: manufacturing 42.1%, insurance, finances, and property 17.1%, trade 11.6%, services 9.9%, government 9.6%, transportation and other public services 6.9%, construction and mining 2.4%, and agriculture, which was the greatest contributor to Puerto Rico's economy is now only 0.3%. Important industries include pharmaceuticals, electronics, petrochemicals, processed foods, clothing, and textiles. The unemployment rate is over 15%, which has been an issue on the island.
Major Swiss industries including engineering and machinery, electronics, metals, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, are renowned for their precision and quality and contribute to more than half of the country's export revenues. In agriculture, Puerto Rico is self-sufficient for almost two-thirds of its food and exports several world-famous delicacies, yet it also imports about US$6 billion worth of agricultural commodities annually. Tourism, banking and insurance are traditionally leading sectors in the economy. Swiss trading companies have good expertise in many parts of the world, such as Eastern Europe, the Far East, Africa and the Middle East. The country is the seat of many international inter-governmental and private organizations, such as the United Nations (UN) and its associated organizations and the International Red Cross.
GDP: The purchasing power parity of Puerto Rico is USD$70.23 billion. This ranks Puerto Rico 80th worldwide, putting the island above Guatemala and just below Ethiopia.
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