Where is Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean region at latitude 18.2208 and longitude -66.5901 and is part of the North American continent.

The DMS coordinates for the center of the country are:

  • 18° 13' 15'' N
  • 66° 35' 24'' W

You can see the location of Puerto Rico on the world map below:

Maritime Borders

Puerto Rico has no land borders; it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south.

Puerto Rico Key Facts

CountryPuerto Rico
CoordinatesLatitude: 18.2208
Longitude: -66.5901
Country CodesAlpha 2: PR
Alpha 3: PRI
Country Flag Emoji🇵🇷
Int. Phone Prefix+1
Capital citySan Juan
Continent
Subcontinent
North America
Caribbean
Country Area9104 sq km
Population 20253,184,835
World Rank: 134
Median Age43
Life expectancy81.9
Major languagesSpanish, English (both official)
UTC/GMT TimeNumber of time zones: 1
  • UTC-04:00
Internet TLD.pr
Biggest AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
Average temperature27 °C
80 °F
Administrative Divisions78 municipalities
Political systemUnincorporated organized territory of the United States (Commonwealth)

Puerto Rico Economy Facts

World Bank Income GroupHigh income
World Bank RegionLatin America & Caribbean
CurrencyUnited States dollar (USD)
GDP in 2025$129.4 (billions of USD)
World Rank: 65
GDP per capita in 2025$40,620
World Rank: 41
Major Industries / Economic SectorsPharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics, chemicals, tourism, finance
Top 5 Import CountriesUnited States, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, China
Top 5 Export CountriesUnited States, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Spain

Biggest Cities in Puerto Rico

Here are the largest cities in Puerto Rico based on 2024 data:

City Population
San Juan 418,140
Bayamón 203,499
Carolina 170,404
Ponce 137,491
Arecibo 87,754
Caguas 86,804
Guaynabo 81,360
Trujillo Alto 75,243
Mayagueez 73,077
Fajardo 32,124

Map of Puerto Rico with the Largest Cities

Map of Puerto Rico showing its largest cities
The largest cities of Puerto Rico.

Other Countries in the Caribbean Region

Puerto Rico location on the world map
The location of Puerto Rico on the world map.

Geography

Puerto Rico is an archipelago in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, about 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) southeast of Florida. The main island is the smallest and easternmost of the Greater Antilles, sitting between the Dominican Republic to the west and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands to the east, with the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south.

Besides the main island, Puerto Rico includes the inhabited islands of Vieques and Culebra to the east and Mona to the west. Its capital and largest city, San Juan, is one of the oldest European-founded cities in the Americas.

The territory’s mountainous interior, the Cordillera Central, runs east to west, while the population is concentrated along the northern coastal plain around San Juan.

Is Puerto Rico a country?

Puerto Rico is not an independent country; it is an unincorporated territory of the United States, officially a Commonwealth. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, use the U.S. dollar and are represented in Washington by a non-voting resident commissioner, but they cannot vote in presidential elections and the island is not a U.S. state. Its political status — statehood, continued territory status, or independence — remains one of the most debated questions in Puerto Rican politics.

StatusUnincorporated territory of the United States (Commonwealth)
Sovereign stateUnited States 🇺🇸
CapitalSan Juan
Population≈ 3.2 million (2023)
Area9,104 km² (3,515 sq mi)
CurrencyUnited States dollar (USD)
Official languagesSpanish, English
ISO 3166 codePR / PRI
Calling code+1 (787 / 939)
Internet TLD.pr

Puerto Rico in the Caribbean

Puerto Rico anchors the boundary between the Greater and Lesser Antilles. The Dominican Republic lies across the Mona Passage to the west, while the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands are a short hop to the east.

Puerto Rico between the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands
Puerto Rico in its regional context, between Hispaniola and the Virgin Islands.

Climate

Puerto Rico has a tropical climate, warm and humid all year at around 27°C (80°F), with a wetter season from April to November. It lies in the Atlantic hurricane belt and was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Economy

Puerto Rico has a high-income, industrial economy anchored by pharmaceutical and medical-device manufacturing — among the world’s largest such hubs — alongside finance and tourism. Its roughly $126 billion GDP dwarfs that of most Caribbean nations, though it carries heavy public debt.

Administrative divisions

Puerto Rico is divided into 78 municipalities (municipios), each with an elected mayor and municipal legislature. The most populous are San Juan, Bayamón, Carolina, Ponce and Caguas, all part of or near the San Juan metropolitan area.