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General Information
Area: 8959 sq km (3459 sq miles).
Population: 3,808,610 (2000).
Population Density: 387 per sq km.
Capital: San Juan. Population: 1,700,000 (2000).
GEOGRAPHY: Puerto Rico is an island east of the Dominican Republic and west of the British Virgin Islands. Also included are several smaller islands, such as Culebra, Mona and Vieques. The island is comparatively small, 8959 sq km (3459 sq miles), with a central mountain range reaching an altitude of 1338m (4390ft) at Cerro de Punta, and surrounded by low coastal plains. The capital is on the northeast shore. Much of the natural forest has been cleared for agriculture, but the trees in the northeast are protected as a national park. The other main towns are Ponce, Bayamón, Mayagüez, Caguas, Carolina, Arecibo, Guaynabo, Cayey, Aguadilla and Farjardo.
Government: Self-governing US Commonwealth Territory (incorporated). Gained internal autonomy in 1951. Head of State: President George W Bush since 2001. Head of Government: Governor Sila Maria Calderon since 2000.
Language: Spanish and English are the official languages.
Religion: Roman Catholic 85 per cent; the remainder are other Christian denominations and Jews.
Time: GMT - 4.
Electricity: 110 volts AC, 60Hz.
Communications:
Telephone
IDD service is available. Country code: 1 787. Outgoing international code: 011.
Mobile telephone
CDMA/TDMA network. Not compatible with GSM handsets.
Internet
ISPs include Coqui Net (website: www.coqui.net). Access is available in hotels and business centres.
Post
Airmail to Western Europe takes up to a week.
Press
The English-language newspaper published in Puerto Rico is The San Juan Star; others include El Vocero de Puerto Rico, El Nuevo Dia and Primera Hora.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
Terms and Conditions apply.
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