9781422286326

11

Rugged Island in the Caribbean

dead”), a small island off the mainland’s southern coast where leatherback sea tur- tles lay their eggs. The tropical climate is warm and humid year-round, but the thermometer rarely rises beyond 90°F (32°C) during sum- mer. In fact, San Juan has never recorded a day when the temperature exceeded 100°F (38°C) or dipped below 60°F (16°C). The island’s relatively mild climate

stands in contrast to the ferocious storms that sometimes buffet the island during the hurricane season, which lasts from June through November. Throughout history hurricanes have devastated the land, claim- ing many lives and causing millions of dol- lars in property damage. The most lethal storm, Hurricane San Ciriaco, claimed more than 3,000 lives in 1899. Puerto Rico ’ s Natural Treasures

Caja de Muertos is a small island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico.

The Caribbean National Forest, known as El Yunque, offers visitors a good idea of what the island looked like 500 years ago, before the forests were chopped down to make way for the farms and cities that began to dot the landscape. El Yunque, encompassing some 28,000 acres on the eastern side