Natural hazards: periodic droughts; hurricanes
Environment - current issues: erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages
Geography - note: important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north
Puerto Rico People
Population: 3,937,316 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.73% (male 478,441; female 455,800)
15-64 years: 65.72% (male 1,242,245; female 1,345,421)
65 years and over: 10.55% (male 177,083; female 238,326) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.54% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 15.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)