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Puerto Rico
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Last Updated: Jan 21st, 2009 - 22:25:00 |
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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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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 3.95%
permanent crops: 5.52%
other: 90.53% (2001)
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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
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Keywords: Puerto Rico geography, Puerto Rico, geography, country of Puerto Rico, general information, country reports, classbrain, country geography, information on Puerto Rico, ClassBrain, geography of Puerto Rico
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