Geograhpy
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 the latter five, only Culebra and Vieques are inhabited year-round. Mona is uninhabited through large parts 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 .
Puerto Rico has an area of 5,324 sq mi (13,790 km²), of which 3,515 sq mi (8,870 km²) is land and 1,809 sq mi (4,920 km²) is water. [17] The maximum length from east to west from Punta Puerca to Punta Higuero of 110miles (180km) and with a maximum width from north to south from Isabela to Punta Colón of 40 miles. [18] . It is larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined, slightly smaller than Connecticut . It is also smaller than Jamaica and so is the smallest of the Greater Antilles . It is mostly mountainous with large coastal areas in the north and south regions of the island. The main mountainous range is called " La Cordillera Central " (The Central Range). The highest elevation point of Puerto Rico, Cerro de Punta (4,390 feet ; 1,338 m ), [19] 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 3,494 feet (1,065m). The capital , San Juan , is located on the main island's north coast.
Geology
Puerto Rico is composed of Cretaceous to Eocene volcanic and plutonic rocks, overlain by younger Oligocene and more recent carbonates and other sedimentary rocks . 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 . [20] 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 75 miles (120 km ) north of Puerto Rico in the Atlantic Ocean at the boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates. [21] It is 1,090 miles (1,754 km) long and about 60 miles (97 km) wide. At its deepest point, named the Milwaukee Deep , it is 27,493 feet (8,380 m) deep, or about 5.2 miles (8.38 km). [21]
Climate
Located in the tropics , Puerto Rico enjoys an average temperature of 82.4 °F (28 °C) throughout the year. The seasons do not change drastically. 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. Hurricane season spans June to November. The all-time low in Puerto Rico has been 40°F (4°C) in Aibonito and 60°F (16°C) in San Juan.
Puerto Rico has 17 lakes , all man-made, [22] and more than 50 rivers , most born in the Cordillera Central. Rivers in the northern region of the island are typically larger and with higher water flow rates than those of the south, since the south receives less rain than the central and north regions.
Fauna
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. [23] The most recognizable endemic species and a symbol of Puerto Rican pride is the Coquí , a small frog easily recognized by the sound from which it gets its name. Most subspecies (13 of 16) live in the El Yunque National Forest in the north east, a tropical rainforest previously known as the Caribbean National Forest . It is also home to more than 240 plants, 26 of which are endemic and 50 bird species, including one of the top 10 endangered birds in the world, the Puerto Rican Amazon . The Guánica Dry Forest Reserve in the south west, 10,000acres (40km²) of dry land contains over 600 uncommon species of plants and animals, including 48 endangered species and 16 endemic to Puerto Rico.
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