Geography
Puerto Rico consists of the main
island of Puerto Rico and various smaller islands, including Vieques, Culebra, Mona,
Desecheo, and Caja
de Muertos. Of these last five, only Culebra
and Vieques are inhabited year-round. Mona is uninhabited most of the year
except for employees of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources. There
are also many other even smaller islands including Monito
and "La Isleta de San Juan" which includes Old San Juan
and Puerta de Tierra and is connected to the main island by bridges.
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Map of Puerto Rico
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has
an area of 13,790 square kilometers (5,320 sq mi), of which
8,870 km2 (3,420 sq mi) is land and 4,921 km2
(1,900 sq mi) is water.[125]
The maximum length of the main island from east to west is 180 km
(110 mi), and the maximum width from north to south is 65 km
(40 mi).[126]
Puerto Rico is the smallest of the Greater Antilles. It is 80% of the size of Jamaica,[127] just over 18% of the size of Hispaniola
and 8% of the size of Cuba, the largest of the Greater Antilles.[128]
Puerto Rico is mostly mountainous
with large coastal areas in the north and south. The main mountain range is
called "La Cordillera Central"
(The Central Range). The highest elevation in Puerto Rico, Cerro de Punta
1,339 meters (4,393 ft),[125] is located in this range. Another
important peak is El Yunque, one of the highest in the Sierra de Luquillo at the
El
Yunque National Forest, with an
elevation of 1,065 m (3,494 ft).[129]
Puerto Rico has 17 lakes, all
man-made, and more than 50
rivers, most originating in the Cordillera
Central.[130]
Rivers in the northern region of the island are typically longer and of higher water flow rates than those of the south, since the south receives less rain
than the central and northern regions.
Coast scene at Patillas, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is composed of Cretaceous
to Eocene
volcanic
and plutonic
rocks, overlain by younger Oligocene
and more recent carbonates and other sedimentary rocks.[131]
Most of the caverns and karst topography on the island occurs in the northern region in
the carbonates. The oldest rocks are approximately 190 million years old (Jurassic)
and are located at Sierra Bermeja in the southwest part of the island. They may
represent part of the oceanic crust
and are believed to come from the Pacific Ocean realm.
Puerto Rico lies at the boundary
between the Caribbean and North American plates
and is being deformed by the tectonic
stresses caused by their interaction. These stresses may cause earthquakes
and tsunamis.
These seismic
events, along with landslides, represent some of the most dangerous geologic hazards in the island and in the northeastern Caribbean. The most
recent major earthquake occurred
on October 11, 1918, and had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale.[132]
It originated off the coast of Aguadilla
and was accompanied by a tsunami.
The Puerto Rico Trench, the largest and deepest trench in the Atlantic, is located
about 115 km (71 mi) north of Puerto Rico at the boundary between the
Caribbean and North American plates.[133]
It is 280 km (170 mi) long.[134]
At its deepest point, named the Milwaukee Deep,
it is almost 8,400 m (27,600 ft) deep, or about 5.2 miles.[133]
Located in the tropics,
Puerto Rico has an average temperature of 82.4 °F (28 °C) throughout the
year, with an average minimum temperature of 66.9 °F (19 °C) and maximum of
85.4 °F (30 °C). Temperatures do not change drastically throughout the
seasons. The temperature in the south is usually a few degrees higher than the
north and temperatures in the central interior mountains are always cooler than
the rest of the island. The hurricane season
spans from June to November. The all-time low in Puerto Rico has been 39 °F
(4 °C), registered in Aibonito.[135]
The average yearly precipitation is 1,687 mm (66 in).[136]
Species endemic to the archipelago are 239 plants, 16 birds and
39 amphibians/reptiles, recognized as of 1998. Most of these (234, 12
and 33 respectively) are found on the main island.[137] The most recognizable endemic species and a
symbol of Puerto Rican pride is the Coquí, a small frog easily identified by the sound of
its call, and from which it gets its name. Most Coquí species (13 of 17)
live in the El Yunque National Forest, a tropical rainforest in the northeast of the island previously known
as the Caribbean National Forest. El Yunque is home to more than 240 plants, 26
of which are endemic to the island. It is also home to 50 bird species,
including the critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon. Across the island in the southwest, the 40 km2
(15 sq mi) of dry land at the Guánica Commonwealth Forest Reserve[138] contain over 600 uncommon species of
plants and animals, including 48 endangered species and 16 endemic to Puerto
Rico.
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