Puerto Rico: Geography#

LocationCaribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
Geographic Coordinates18 15 N, 66 30 W 18.25,-66.5
Land boundaries0 km
Coastline501 km
Elevation Extremeslowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m
Highest Mountains
Terrainmostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas
Natural Hazardsperiodic droughts; hurricanes
Natural Resourcesome copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil
Land Usearable land: 6.76%
permanent crops: 4.51%
other: 88.73% (2011)
Climatetropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation
Irrigated Land220.4 sq km (2005)
Renewable Water ResourcesNA
Environment_CurrentIssueserosion; occasional drought causing water shortages
Environment - international agreementsNA
Large Cities
Geography-noteimportant 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