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NAVIGATION
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Columbus' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917 and popularly elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self-government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998 voters chose to retain commonwealth status. |
GEOGRAPHY
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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 |
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 15 N, 66 30 W |
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 9,104 sq km
water: 145 sq km land: 8,959 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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501 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation |
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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 |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m |
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Natural resources:
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some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil |
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Land use:
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arable land: 3.72%
permanent crops: 5.07% other: 91.21% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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400 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts; hurricanes |
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Environment - current issues:
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erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages |
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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 |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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3,957,988 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 23.5% (male 476,726; female 453,782)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 1,249,850; female 1,353,438) 65 years and over: 10.7% (male 180,053; female 244,139) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.51% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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15.04 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 75.96 years
female: 80.66 years (2002 est.) male: 71.5 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.9 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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7,397 (1997) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican |
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Ethnic groups:
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white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% |
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Languages:
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Spanish, English |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% (1980 est.) |