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Puerto Rico
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
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Things
to Know
Puerto Rico is located about 1,000 miles southeast of Florida, a part of the West Indies in the north Caribbean Sea. It is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States.
Capital: San Juan
Map
of Puerto Rico
Official Languages:
Spanish, English
Currency: U.S. dollar
Puerto Rico's native people
Taíno Indians
Hear phrases in Taino
Puerto Rico Flag
Animals
Puerto Rico has no large wild mammals. The mongoose was brought in to control rats on sugarcane plantations. Iguanas and many small lizards abound, bats are present, as are a few snakes.
The island has one animal found almost nowhere else in the world—the coquí, a small tree frog. Puerto Rico has some insects including mole crickets and termites that damage buildings and crops. Barracuda, kingfish, crabs, mullet, Spanish mackerel, tuna, sharks, snappers, lobster, and oysters are among the marine life inhabiting coastal waters.
Climate
Tropical climate with tropical wet and dry climates.
There is little difference from season to season.
Land
Puerto Rico is a mountainous tropical island; sixty percent of
Puerto Rico is covered in mountains.
Plants
Most of tropical forests in Puerto Rico are gone. El Yunque Peak is the Caribbean National Forest. These 28,000 acres are all that remain of the rain forest that once covered much of the island
There are several thousand varieties of tropical plants that grow in Puerto Rico; poinciana, flaming red blooms, and huge kapok trees.
Crops: sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas
Music
Puerto Rican Music
Listen to excerpts of Puerto Rican music at National Geographic.
Music of Puerto Rico
Audio clips
Fun
Facts
Roberto Clemente
The first Hispanic to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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