Puerto Rico Cruises.

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Puerto Rico Cruises

Puerto Rico, freely associated common wealth of the United States, composed of one large island and several small islands. Officially the Common wealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico), Puerto Rico is bordered on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by the Virgin Passage (which separates it from the Virgin Islands), on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the Mona Passage (which separates it from the Dominican Republic). San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico, as well as its largest city.

Puerto Rico became a U.S. commonwealth on July 25, 1952. It was claimed by explorer Christopher Columbus in 1493 and was subsequently a Spanish possession before the United States gained control in 1898. Its name, Spanish for “rich port,” was first applied to its capital, known as San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico in the 16th century. Gradually, the city came to be called San Juan and the island Puerto Rico. The name formerly was spelled Porto Rico. Puerto Rico is sometimes called the Island of Enchantment.

Puerto Rico is one of the larger islands of the West Indies, and the commonwealth also includes several small islands, such as Culebra, Mona, and Vieques. It is located 1,600 km (1,000 mi) southeast of Florida and is almost twice as far from the mainland of North America as it is from South America. Puerto Rico is roughly rectangular in shape; its greatest east to west distance is 180 km (110 mi), and its extreme north to south distance is 65 km (40 mi). The highest point is 1,338 m (4,390 ft), atop Cerro de Punta. Puerto Rico has an area of 8,959 sq km (3,459 sq mi). Its coastline measures some 501 km (311 mi).

Puerto Rico is mountainous. The Central Mountains form an east to west backbone that extends almost the entire length of the island. The average elevation of these mountains, which include the Cordillera Central and the Sierra de Luquillo, is 900 m (3,000 ft). Although the mountains and adjacent foothills cover most of Puerto Rico, on the northern side of the island lies a coastal plain up to 19 km (12 mi) wide, and a narrower coastal plain up to 13 km (8 mi) wide extends along the southern coast. For most of its length the mountain system is nearer the southern coast than the northern coast, and the slopes are generally steeper on the southern side. At the eastern end of the island, however, the mountains curve toward the northeastern corner.

Puerto Rico has many relatively short rivers and streams. Some of the rivers are dammed for hydroelectric power and thus have small lakes along their courses. One such body of water is Lago de Yauco, on the Yauco River. The longest river is the Grande de Arecibo, which flows to the northern coast. Other rivers include the Grande de Añasco, Bayamón, Cibuco, Culebrinas, and La Plata. None of the rivers is navigable by large vessels.

The mountain areas receive more rain than almost any other part of the United States. Puerto Rico is a mountainous, tropical island directly in the path of the trade winds. These conditions account for its tropical rain forest and tropical wet and dry climates. Except at night, in the highest areas, the air is always warm. There is little difference from season to season in the energy received from the sun, and the length of the day remains fairly constant throughout the year. In addition, the average temperature of the seawater surrounding the island is 27°C (81°F), with little variation during the course of the year. Trade winds reaching Puerto Rico from the east blow over this warm water and carry the warmth over the land. This air also contains much water vapor, and as the air is forced to rise over the mountains, it becomes cooler, and part of its water vapor condenses and falls as rain. The mountain areas receive more rain than almost any other part of the United States. The southwestern coastal area generally receives the least rain in Puerto Rico and has a distinct dry season. The mean annual temperature at San Juan, in the north, is 27°C (80°F), and the city receives an average of 1,330 mm (52 in) of precipitation each year. The recorded temperature in the commonwealth has ranged from 4°C (40°F) in 1911 at Aibonito to 39°C (103°F) in 1906 at San Lorenzo. Puerto Rico is sometimes struck by damaging hurricanes traveling from the east, especially from August to October.

Several thousand varieties of tropical plants grow in Puerto Rico, including the kapok tree (see Ceiba) with its thick trunk, the poinciana (a prickly tropical shrub with brilliant reddish blossoms), the breadfruit, and the coconut palm. A tropical rain forest in the northeastern section of the island has tree ferns, orchids, and mahogany trees; part of this tropical area is included in the Caribbean National Forest. In the dry southwestern corner of Puerto Rico are cactus and bunch grass.

The island has one animal found almost nowhere else in the world—the coquí. Puerto Rico has no large wild mammals. The mongoose was brought in to control rats on sugarcane plantations. Iguanas and many small lizards abound, and bats are present. The island has one animal found almost nowhere else in the world—the coquí, a small tree frog that produces a loud, clear “song” from the branches of trees at night. Barracuda, kingfish, mullet, Spanish mackerel, tuna, lobster, and oysters are among the many types of marine animals inhabiting coastal waters.

According to the 2000 census, Puerto Rico had 3,808,610 inhabitants, an increase of about 8.1 percent over the 1990 figure of 3,522,037. The population estimate for 2001 was 3,937,316. The average population density in 2001 was 439 persons per sq km (1,138 per sq mi), a higher density than for any state. People of Hispanic background are 98.8 percent of Puerto Rico’s inhabitants; Spanish is the official language of the commonwealth. About 80 percent of the people are Roman Catholic. In 1999, 75 percent of the island’s inhabitants lived in areas defined as urban. The largest communities in Puerto Rico included San Juan, the capital; Bayamón; Carolina; Ponce; Caguas; and Mayagüez.

El Morro Fortress, San Juan The Spanish heritage of Puerto Rico is preserved in the section of San Juan known as Old San Juan, which is located on a small island connected to the mainland by bridges and a causeway. The fortress pictured here, El Morro, is part of the San Juan National Historical Site.Tom Hollyman/Photo Researchers, Inc.

Puerto Rico’s Spanish heritage is preserved in many sites in San Juan, especially in the insular part of the city known as Old San Juan. Among these sites are the El Morro and San Cristóbal fortresses, both part of San Juan National Historic Site; La Fortaleza, once a fortress and now the governor’s palace, its oldest section completed in 1540; Old Santo Domingo Convent, built between 1523 and 1528; and Fort San Gerónimo, completed in the late 18th century.

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