Puerto Rico

tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation

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

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic

501 km

220 sq km (2012)

Central America and the Caribbean

periodic droughts; hurricanes

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

some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil

slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

18 15 N, 66 30 W

population clusters tend to be found along the coast, with the largest of these in and around San Juan; an exception 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