Puerto Rico

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Puerto Rico's Information


Capital	San Juan
Languages	Spanish, English
Ethnic Groups	White 75.8%, black/African American 12.4%, other 8.5% (includes American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander, and others), mixed 3.3%
Religion	Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%
Government	Presidential democracy; a self-governing commonwealth in political association with the US
Independance	None (territory of the US with commonwealth status)
Area	13,791.00 km²
Water Area	4,921.00 km²
Land Area	8,870.00 km²
Population	3,578,056.00 Population clusters tend to be found along the coast, the largest of these is found in and around San Juan; an exception to this 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 light
Location	Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
GDP(PPP)	$131,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$37,700.00 (USD)
Export Commodities	Its main exports are chemicals, electronics, apparel, and canned tuna.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include chemicals, machinery and equipment, and clothing.
Climate	Arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain	Mostly mountains with coastal plain in north; precipitous mountains to the sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas

Where is Puerto Rico?

Located in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is an island nation. It has a 501.00 km coastline. Increasing numbers of illegal migrants cross over from the Dominican Republic using the Mona Passage.

The capital city of San Juan was founded in 1521. It is located on the northern coast of Puerto Rico. San Juan has deep natural harbors which make it the busiest seaport in the Caribbean. San Juan is among the oldest cities in the Americas. San Juan is the biggest city in Puerto Rico by population - its metropolitan area has a population of 2,350,126. San Juan has a lot of tourist attractions ranging from old forts, beautiful beaches, great surfing spots, and the third largest cave system in the world. San Juan experiences a tropical climate.

Geography

Puerto Rico has a mean elevation of 261 m above sea level.

It has an arid climate with mild winters and extremely hot summers. Its terrain is mostly mountainous in the north and west, with sandy beaches along the coast.

Population

Puerto Rico has a population of 3,578,056 making it the 132nd largest in the world. The majority of the population tends to be clustered on the coast.

Spanish and English are both official languages. The majority ethnic grup is white, followed by black/African American. The majority of the country is Roman Catholic.

Spanish and English are the official Puerto Rican languages. The latter is a North Sea Germanic language while Spanish is a Romance language. Both languages were made official in 1993 following a bill signed by Governor Pedro Rossello. The Spanish alphabet is made up of 27 letters with the English having 26 letters. Approximately 95% of the entire Puerto Rican population uses Spanish, and only 20% are proficient in English. Puerto Rican Spanish has borrowed elements from English phrases, Taino words, and African dialects. Taino was the only indigenous language in Puerto Rico, but was pronounced extinct in the 19th century. Other languages found in the country are German, Chinese, French, Hindi, Italian and Haitian Creole.

Government

It is a territory of the United States with commonwealth status. Its constitution was last ratified in 1952.

Puerto Rico has a self-governing government headed by a governor. The United States has jurisdiction over the government. The governor handles internal affairs of the country while the president of the United States handles all external affairs. The official residence of the governor is in San Juan. Puerto Rican elections are held after every four years and there is no limit as too how many terms one can serve.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Puerto Rico's GDP is $131,000,000,000.00 (USD) with $37,700.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 79th largest economy and its citizens the 45th richest in the world. The currency of Puerto Rico is the Dollar (USD).

Its major imports include chemicals, machinery and equipment, and clothing.

Flag

The Puerto Rican flag can be traced to 1868 and has changed several times over the years. The first official design of the flag was made by the independence leader Ramon Emeterio. The current flag has three colors and an isosceles triangle on the hoist side pointing to the fly side of the flag. Inside the triangle, there is a five-pointed star. The flag design is similar to that of Dominican Republic because the two flags were designed around the same time.