Geography of Puerto Rico

It is easy to understand why the Indians viewed this land as sacred. Rain forest, desert, beach, mountain, cave, ocean, river: Puerto Rico offers astonishing variety.

Lying 1,000 miles southeast of Miami, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico is the eastern most and smallest of the Greater Antilles islands. Mountains cover 60% of this l10-by-35-mile island; the central range bisects the island as it climbs to its highest altitude of 4,389 feet at Cerro la Punta.

Numerous rivers flow down from the mountains to distinct coastal plains. The northern (Atlantic) coast is wet and green. On the southern (Caribbean) coast prickly pear cactus, yucca and mesquite grow in an Arizona-style landscape. Towards the northwest, haystack hills, caves and sink-holes characterize the unusual terrain. In fact, one of the Western world's largest cave systems, the Camuy, stretches out below the surface and is of unending fascination to spelunkers, who still have not discovered all the cave's dimensions. In the southwest, mangroves have created a unique canal system.

The island of Puerto Rico is almost rectangular in shape, and is the smallest and the most eastern island of the Greater Antilles. Its coasts measure approximately 580 km, and if the adjacent islands Vieques and Culebra are including the coast measures approximately to 700 km. To the north and south seas capes measure 8.525 m for the Grave of Puerto Rico and 5.000 m for the Grave of Tanner. In addition to the principal island, the Commonwealth includes: Vieques, Culebra, Mona, Monito and various others isolated islands.

The territory is very mountainous (cover 60%), except in the regional coasts, but Puerto Rico offers astonishing variety: rain forest, deserts, beaches, caves, oceans and rivers. The Central Range extends across the interior of the island, from Mayagüez to Aibonito, with the largest mountains being Cerro La Punta (1.338 m) in Jayuya; Rosas (1.267 m) found between Jayuya and Ciales, Guilarte (1.205 m) in Adjuntas, Tres Picachos (1,204 m) in Ciales, and Maravilla (1,182m) in Ponce. Toward to the northeast is Sierra de Luquillo. Whose highest peaks are: Toro Hill (1.074 m) found between Río Grande, Naguabo and Las Piedras, and El Yunque Peak (1.065 m) found in Río Grande.

El Yunque Rain Forest
Copyrighted Image | LukeTravels.com™

Tropical Marine with regular temperature (80 F). Warm and sunny most of the year. Lightweight clothing appropriate year-round. In the interior, high grounds the temperature fluctuates between 73 F and 78 F. The winds, which blows from the East, moderate the heat. The north coast gets twice as much rain as the south coast. The dry season is December to March. Annual precipitation in the north is 1.550mm, in the south is 910mm. Puerto Rico is expose to the cyclones of Caribbean, although less than Jamaica, Cuba, and the Lesser Antilles. Hurricanes frequently occur between August and October, and the relative humidity is high thought the year.

The highlight of Puerto Rico's endless natural beauty may well be the cloud-cloaked El Yunque Rain Forest. These 28,000 acres are all that remain of the rain forest that once covered much of the island (indeed, much of the entire northern Caribbean). More than 100 billion gallons (yes, billion) of rain fall here each year, creating a lush forest with plants of incredible proportions and variety.

A moist hike takes you past 240 species of trees, some thousands of years old, 50 species of ferns, 20 varieties of wild orchids and a riotous multitude of flowers.

Living in the park (all over the island in fact but quite hard to spot) is the tiny coqui frog. The name is derived from his cricket-like ko-kee chirp. Because this teeny (a quarter to one inch in size) island native can only survive on Puerto Rican soil, he is quite appropriately the national mascot.

VIEW: Maps of Puerto Rico