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Puerto Rico

Quick Facts: The Geography of the Puerto Rico

Location: Central America, an island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic Area: (slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island) total: 3,515 square miles (9,104 sq km) land: 3,459 square miles (8,959 sq km) water : 56 square miles (145 sq km) Borders: none Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal

temperature variation Terrain: mostly mountains, with coastal plains and sandy beaches along most coastal areas Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea—0 feet highest point: Cerro de Punta—4,390 feet (1,338 meters) Natural hazards: hurricanes, droughts

Source: Adapted from CIA World Factbook 2015.

of the island, is a short drive from San Juan. The diverse plant life in this gor- geous forest is nourished by more than 160 billion gallons of annual rain- water. El Yunque boasts magnificent waterfalls and canyons, and it is also home to many exotic species of wildflowers and plants and the imposing ceiba tree, which may tower more than 150 feet (46 meters) above the forest floor. Puerto Rico’s national mascot, an inch-long tree frog called the coquí , makes its home in these hills. But visitors are more likely to hear the coquí than see it. The amphibian’s name comes from the almost bird-like chirp of the male frog’s call. In recent years the U.S. Forest Service has striven to reinvigorate the endangered population of Puerto Rican parrots that live in El Yunque. The island was once home to as many as a million of these colorful and distinc-