Area:
8959 sq km (3459 sq miles).

Population:
3,833,000 (1998).

Population Density:
427.8 per sq km.

Capital:
San Juan. Population: 439,427 (1998).

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 and Caguas.

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:
81 per cent Roman Catholic; the remainder are other Christian denominations and Jews.

Electricity:
110 volts AC, 60Hz.

Telephone:
IDD service is available. Country code: 1 787. Outgoing international code: 011.

Mobile telephone:
CDMA/TDMA network. Not compatible with GSM handsets.

Internet/E-mail:
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 and El Nuevo Dia.