along most coastal
areas

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m

Natural resources: some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and
offshore oil

Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 16%
other: 49% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Environment-current issues: occasional drought has caused water levels
in reservoirs to drop and has prompted water rationing

Environment-international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography-note: 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

@Puerto Rico:People

Population: 3,857,070 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 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.)

Population growth rate: 0.68% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 16.7 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 8.08 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at 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.)

Infant mortality rate: 12.09 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.2 years
male: 69.58 years
female: 79.11 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican

Ethnic groups: Hispanic

Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant denominations and other 15%

Languages: Spanish, English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88% (1980 est.)

@Puerto Rico:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico

Data code: RQ

Dependency status: commonwealth associated with the US

Government type: commonwealth

National capital: San Juan

Administrative divisions: none (commonwealth associated w