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:
- 18ยฐ 13' 15'' N
- 66ยฐ 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
| Country | Puerto Rico |
| Coordinates | Latitude: 18.2208 Longitude: -66.5901 |
| Country Codes | Alpha 2: PR Alpha 3: PRI |
| Country Flag Emoji | ๐ต๐ท |
| Int. Phone Prefix | +1 |
| Capital city | San Juan |
| Continent Subcontinent | North America Caribbean |
| Country Area | 9104 sq km |
| Population 2023 | 3,203,295 World Rank: 134 |
| Median Age | 43 |
| Life expectancy | 81.9 |
| Major languages | Spanish, English (both official) |
| UTC/GMT Time | Number of time zones: 1
|
| Internet TLD | .pr |
| Biggest Airport | Luis Muรฑoz Marรญn International Airport (SJU) |
| Average temperature | 27 ยฐC 80 ยฐF |
| Administrative Divisions | 78 municipalities |
| Political system | Unincorporated organized territory of the United States (Commonwealth) |
Puerto Rico Economy Facts
| World Bank Income Group | High income |
| World Bank Region | Latin America & Caribbean |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) |
| GDP in 2024 | $126 (billions of USD) World Rank: 62 |
| GDP per capita in 2024 | $39,344 World Rank: 42 |
| Major Industries / Economic Sectors | Pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics, chemicals, tourism, finance |
| Top 5 Import Countries | United States, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, China |
| Top 5 Export Countries | United States, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Spain |
Biggest Cities in Puerto Rico
Here are the largest cities in Puerto Rico based on data:
| City | Population |
|---|
| San Juan | 342,259 | Bayamรณn | 169,269 | Carolina | 154,815 | Ponce | 131,881 | Caguas | 124,606 |
Map of Puerto Rico with the Largest Cities
Other Countries in the Caribbean Region
- Where are the Bahamas?
- Where are the British Virgin Islands?
- Where are the Cayman Islands?
- Where are the Turks and Caicos Islands?
- Where are the US Virgin Islands?
- Where is Anguilla?
- Where is Antigua and Barbuda?
- Where is Aruba?
- Where is Barbados?
- Where is Bonaire?
- Where is Cuba?
- Where is Curaรงao?
- Where is Dominica?
- Where is Grenada?
- Where is Guadeloupe?
- Where is Haiti?
- Where is Jamaica?
- Where is Martinique?
- Where is Montserrat?
- Where is Saba?
- Where is Saint Barthรฉlemy?
- Where is Saint Kitts and Nevis?
- Where is Saint Lucia?
- Where is Saint Martin?
- Where is Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
- Where is Sint Eustatius?
- Where is Sint Maarten?
- Where is the Dominican Republic?
- Where is Trinidad and Tobago?
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 โ statehood, continued territory status, or independence โ remains one of the most debated questions in Puerto Rican politics.
| Status | Unincorporated territory of the United States (Commonwealth) |
| Sovereign state | United States ๐บ๐ธ |
| Capital | San Juan |
| Population | โ 3.2 million (2023) |
| Area | 9,104 kmยฒ (3,515 sq mi) |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Spanish, English |
| ISO 3166 code | PR / 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.
Climate
Puerto Rico has a tropical climate, warm and humid all year at around 27ยฐC (80ยฐF), 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 โ among the world’s largest such hubs โ 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, Bayamรณn, Carolina, Ponce and Caguas, all part of or near the San Juan metropolitan area.
