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| Discovered by Columbus in 1493, the island of Puerto Rico was ceded by
Spain to the United States in 1898, the Spanish-American War. A popularly
elected governor has served since 1948. |
|
People . Government . Economy . Geography . Transportation . Communications . Census
2000 |
| PEOPLE |
Population
3,916,632
*
Citizenship
United States
Age Structure:*
- 0-14 - 22%
male: 441,594
female:421,986
- 15-64 - 65.5%
male: 1,228,583
female:1,337,006
- 65 and older - 12.4%
male: 211,283
female:276,120
Population growth rate*
0.47%
Birth rate*
13.93 births / 1,000 population |
Death
rate
7.86deaths/1,000*
Population Density
- 1, 1 12 people
per square mile
- 414 homes
per square mile
Life Expectancy at birth*
- Total population:78.29 years
- Male: 74.35 years
- Female: 82.43 years
- Total fertility rate:
1.91 children born/woman
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Ethnic
Groups
- Black 8%
- White 80.5%
(mostly spanish origin)
- Other 11.5%
Religions
- Roman Catholic85%
- Protestant 15%
Languages
Spanish, English
Literacy*
- Total (age
15 and over):
94.1%
- Male: 93.9%
- Female: 94.4% (1980
est.)
*2005 estimates
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Commonwealth
of PR
Short form: Puerto Rico
Government type
Commonwealth
Constitution
Ratified March 3, 1952
Legal system
Based on spanish civil code
Suffrage
18 years of age. Inhabitants are U.S. citizens but do not vote in U.S.
presidential elections.
Flag of Puerto Rico
Five horizontal bands of red alternating with white; a blue triangle
bears a white star. Design influenced by the US flag and based on the
Cuban flag.
Head of government
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
|
Political
parties and leaders
-
New Progressive Party
(NPP):
Pedro Roselló
-
Popular Democratic
Party (PDP):
Anibal Acevedo Vilá
-
Puerto Rico Independence
Party (PIP): Rubén Berrios Martínez
Cabinet
Appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature
Legislative branch
bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (at least 27 seats - currently 29; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Judicial branch
-
U.S. District Court
-
Supreme Court
-
Circuit Court of Appeals
-
Court of First Instance
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Administrative
divisions
Capital city: San Juan 78 municipalities
Representation in the U.S.
Puerto Rico elects one nonvoting representative to the U.S House of Representatives
known as a resident commisioner, currently Luis Fortuño(NPP)
Elections
Elections for Governor, Resident Commissioner, senate, House of Representatives
and municipalities last held November 2, 2004
Election results
- Governor Acevedo Vilá
(PDP) elected with 48.4% of vote.
- Senate seats by party:
NPP 17, PDP 9, PIP 1.
- House of Representatives
seats by party:
PDP 18, NPP 32, PIP 1.
International organizations
ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO,UPU,WTOO(Associate)
Military
Defense provided by United States
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Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. Plantation sugar production dominated Puerto Rico's economy until the 1940s. Industry has surpassed agriculture as the primary sector of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty free access to the U.S. and by tax incentives, U.S. firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s (U.S. minimum wage laws apply). As a result, Puerto Rico's export and import has prospered, nearly doubled between fiscal years 1987 and 1997. Recently the economy has suffered budget cuts from U.S. The Puerto Rican economy has depended heavily on the tax incentives given to U.S. mainland companies and on federal transfers. Important industries include pharmaceuticals, electronics, textiles, petrochemicals, processed foods, clothing and textiles. The principal livestock are cattle, pigs and poultry. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income for the island, with estimated arrivals of nearly 3.9 million tourists in 1993, and a 7% of the Island's GNP, the tourism industry employees over 60,000 people. |
| GNP |
GNP
- real growth rate |
GNP
- per capita |
| $47.2
billion* |
1.7% |
$12,239 |
| GDP |
GDP
- real growth rate |
GDP
- per capita |
| $72.37
billion |
2.5%* |
$18,500* |
| GDP
- composition by sector
Inflation rate (consumer
prices)
4.8%
Labor force
1.4 million
Labor force - by occupation
-
Agriculture: 3%,
-
Industry: 20%,
-
Services: 77%*
Unemployment rate
12%
Budget
Revenues: $6.7 billion |
Industries
Pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism
Electricity: Production
23.03 billion kWh (2003 est.)
fossil fuel: 98.45%
Hydro:1.55%
Electricity: consumption
21.42 billion kWh (2003 est.)
Agricultural Products:
Sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products,
chickens
Exports:
$46.9 billion
Exports: partners
U.S. 90.3%(2004) |
Exports: commodities
Pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates,
medical equipment
Imports:
$29.1 billion
Imports: partners
U.S. 55%
Imports: commodities
chemical , machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum
products
Currency
U.S. dollar (USD)
Fiscal Year
1 July - 30 June
*2005 estimates
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Location
Between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican
Republic.
Geographic coordinates
18 15N,66 30W
Area
-
Total: 9,104 sq km
-
Land: 8,959 sq km
-
Water: 145 sq km
Area (comparative)
Slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island. |
Climate
Tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation.
Average high: 84oF.
Average Low: 73oF.
Average monthly rainfall: 5 in.
Natural Hazards
Periodic droughts; hurricanes
Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea
12 NM
Coastline
501 km |
Terrain
Mostly mountains, with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous
to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas.
Elevation extremes
Natural Resources
-
Some copper and nickel;
potential for onshore and offshore oil
-
Land use: arable land:
4%
-
Permanent crops: 5%
-
Permanent pastures: 26%
-
Forests and woodland:
16%
-
Other: 49% (1993
est.)
-
Integrated land: 390
sq km (1993 est.)
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Highways
-
Total: 25,328 km
-
Paved: 23,665 km
-
Unpaved: 1,363 km (2004)
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Airports
-
30 Airports
-
paved runways: 17
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Ports
and harbors
-
Aguadilla
-
Arecibo
-
Fajardo
-
Guánica
-
Guayanilla
-
Guayama
-
Mayaguez
-
Playa de Ponce
-
San Juan
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Telephone
system
Modern system, integrated with that of the U.S. by high-capacity submarine
cable and Intelsat with high speed data capability
Telephones
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Television
-
Stations: 18
-
Cable Providers: 4
-
Cable subscribers: 360,000
-
Satellite TV Subscribers:
154,000
-
TV Sets: 2.3 million
Radio
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Internet
-
Internet country code:
.pr
-
Internet Service Providers:
28
-
Internet users: 600,000 (2002)
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Education
-
High school degree:
23%
-
Bachelor's degree:
13.6%
-
Graduate degree: 4.7%
lncome (annual)
-
Median household income:
$14,412
-
37.1%, of households
earn less than $10,000;
-
2.4% of households
earn $150,000 or more
-
44.6% of households
are below federal poverty level
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Housing
-
Average household:
3 people
-
Housing units: 1.4
million
-
73% own their homes
-
23% rent
-
37.5% of homes have
mortgages;
-
average home price
is $75,000;
-
average monthly rent
is $300
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Automobiles
(per household)
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