Statistical information Puerto Rico 1998

Puerto Rico in the World
top of pageBackground: Discovered by Columbus in 1493 the island was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. A popularly elected governor has served since 1948. In plebiscites held in 1967 and 1993 voters chose to retain commonwealth status.
top of pageLocation: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 66 30 W
Map referenceAreaLand: 8,959 km²
Water: 145 km²
Comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 501 km
Maritime claimsExclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m
Natural resources: some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil
Land useArable land: 4%
Permanent crops: 5%
Permanent pastures: 26%
Forests and woodland: 16%
Other: 49% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 390 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: periodic droughts
GeographyNote: 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
top of pagePopulation: 3,857,070 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 0.68% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
Adjective: Puerto Rican
Ethnic groups: Hispanic
Languages: Spanish, English
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant denominations and other 15%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 24% (male 483,268; female 461,632)
15-64 years: 65% (male 1,206,385; female 1,310,406)
65 years and over: 11% (male 171,889; female 223,490) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.68% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 16.7 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.08 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.83 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: occasional drought has caused water levels in reservoirs to drop and has prompted water rationing
International agreements party to: NA
International agreements signed but not ratified: NA
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 12.09 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 74.2 years
Male: 69.58 years
Female: 79.11 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 89%
Male: 90%
Female: 88% (1980 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Conventional short form: Puerto Rico
Government type: commonwealth
Capital: San Juan
Administrative divisions: none (commonwealth associated with the US; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities
Dependent areasIndependence: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
National holiday: US Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution: ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952
Legal system: based on Spanish civil code
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Executive branchChief of state: President of the US William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993): ead of
Government: Governor Pedro ROSSELLO (since 2 January 1993)
Cabinet: NA
Elections: governor of Puerto Rico elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000)
Election results: Pedro ROSSELLO reelected governor of Puerto Rico; percent of vote - NA
Legislative branch: bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (28 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (54 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: Senate_last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000); House of Representatives_last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000)
Election results: Senate_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_PNP 19, PPD 8, PIP 1; House of Representatives_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_PNP 37, PPD 16, PIP 1
Note: Puerto Rico elects one representative to the US House of Representatives; elections last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000); results - percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_PNP 1 (Carlos Romero BARCELO)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate; Superior Courts, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate; Municipal Courts, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate), WToO (associate)
Diplomatic representationIn the us: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
From the us: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
Flag description
: five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the US flag
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income for the island, with estimated arrivals of nearly 4 million tourists in 1993. The construction sector has been a key factor in recent economic growth.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 3% (1997 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $8,600 (1997 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%
Agriculture products: livestock products, chickens; sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas
Industries: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)
Labor forceTotal: 1.3 million (1996)
By occupation government: 19%
By occupation manufacturing: 13%
By occupation trade: 17%
By occupation construction: 5%
By occupation other: 32%
By occupation unemployed: 14% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 13% (FY96/97 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $5.1 billion
Expenditures: $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY94/95)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 1 July_30 June
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$22.9 billion (f.o.b. 1996)
Commodoties: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment
Partners: US 88% (1995 est.)
Imports: total value:$19.1 billion (c.i.f. 1996)
Commodoties: chemicals, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products
Partners: US 62% (1995 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $NA
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: US currency is used
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 4.465 million kW (1995)
Production: 17.34 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 4,548 kWh (1995)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 1.315 million (1994 est.)
Telephone system: modern system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
Domestic: digital telephone system with about 1 million lines (1990 est.); cellular telephone service
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresMilitary and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 30 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 21
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With paved runways under 914 m: 6 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 9
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)
HeliportsPipelinesRailwaysTotal: 96 km
Narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge, rural, narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; no passenger service
RoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marine: none
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs