Puerto Rico
Official name: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico; Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Political status: self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States, having two legislative houses (Senate [29{1}]; House of Representatives [53]{1}).
Chief of state: President of the United States.
Head of government: Governor.
Capital: San Juan.
Official languages: Spanish; English.
Official religion: none.
Monetary unit: 1 U.S. dollar (U.S.$)=100 cents; valuation (Oct. 6,
1995)
1 =U.S.$1.58./b>
Demography
Area: 3,515 sq mi, 9,104 sq km.
Population (1995): 3,725,000.
Density (1995): persons per sq mi 1,059.8, persons per sq km 409.2.
Urban-rural (1990): urban 71.2%; rural 28.8%.
Sex distribution (1992): male 48.43%; female 51.57%.
Age breakdown (1992): under 15, 27.2%; 15-29, 25.1%; 30-44,
20.4%; 45-59, 14.1%; 60-74, 9.2%; 75 and over, 4.0%.
Population projection: (2000) 3,849,000; (2010) 4,199,000.
Doubling time: 69 years.
Ethnic composition (1980): white 80.0%; black 20.0%.
Religious affiliation (1984): Roman Catholic 85.3%; Protestant 4.7%;
other 10.0%.
Major cities (1990): San Juan 426,832; Ponce 159,151; Caguas 92,429;
Mayagüez 83,010; Arecibo 49,545.
Vital statistics
Birth rate per 1,000 population (1994): 17.9 (world avg. 25.0);
(1993)
legitimate 59.6%; illegitimate 40.4%.
Death rate per 1,000 population (1994): 7.9 (world avg. 9.3).
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1994): 10.0 (world avg.
15.7).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1991): 2.2.
Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1992): 9.6.
Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1992): 4.0.
Life expectancy at birth (1991): male 69.6 years; female 78.5 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1993): heart disease
142.6; cancers 95.4; diabetes 55.1; cerebrovascular disease 38.0;
pneumonia and influenza 29.2.
National Economy
Budget. Revenue (1994): U.S.$6,882,200,000 (income taxes 41.8%, excise taxes 18.0%, nontax revenue 6.5%, property taxes 1.0%, other receipts 32.7%). Expenditures (1992): U.S.$5,607,000,000 (education 30.3%, public safety and protection 11.4%, welfare 10.8%, health 10.7%, debt service 6.2%).
Public debt (outstanding; 1994): U.S.$15,257,500,000.
Tourism: receipts from visitors (1994) U.S.$1,736,600,000; expenditures by nationals abroad (1991) U.S.$798,000,000.
Production (in U.S.$'000,000 except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (gross farm income; 1994): milk 189.7, poultry 93.1, vegetables 71.8, coffee 66.3, beef 42.0, pork 31.2, fruit 31.0, eggs 25.7, sugar 12.0; livestock (number of live animals; 1993) 552,000 cattle, 115,000 pigs; roundwood, n.a.; fish catch (1992) 1,721 metric tons. Mining (value of production in U.S.$'000; 1993): stone 50. Manufacturing (value added in U.S.$'000,000; 1994): chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and allied products 8,174; machinery and metal products 3,049; food products 2,354; clothing 478; printing and publishing 168; stone, clay, and glass products 163. Construction (authorized; 1985): residential 1,798,000 sq m; nonresidential 41,000 sq m. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1992) 16,434,000,000 (16,434,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1992) none (154,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1992) none (40,315,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1992) 4,945,000 (5,461,000); natural gas, none (none).
Gross national product (1993): U.S.$25,317,000,000 (U.S.$6,700 per capita).
Population economically active (1994): total 1,203,000; activity rate 32.9% (participation rates: ages 16-64, 46.1%; female [1990] 37.1%; unemployed 16.0%).
Household income and expenditure (1994). Average family size 3.6; income per family U.S.$25,368; sources of income: wages and salaries 53.5%, transfers 29.6%, self-employment 6.6%, rent 4.8%, other 5.5%; expenditure (1994): food and beverages 21.9%, transportation 12.9%, health care 12.9%, housing and energy 12.5%, household furnishings 11.6%, recreation 8.9%, clothing 7.6%, education 3.3%, other 8.4%.
Land use (1992): forested 20.0%; meadows and pastures 37.7%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 14.0%; other 28.3%.
Foreign trade
Imports (1994): U.S.$16,654,200,000 (chemicals [all forms] 18.7%, electrical machinery 14.7%, food 12.0%, transport equipment 8.9%, nonelectrical machinery 6.8%, petroleum and petroleum products 5.3%, professional and scientific instruments 4.2%). Major import sources (1990): U.S. 68.7%; Venezuela 4.4%; Japan 3.2%; Dominican Republic 2.0%; The Bahamas 1.8%; U.K. 1.0%.
Exports (1994): U.S.$21,752,600,000 (chemicals and chemical products 46.7%, food 13.3%, electrical machinery 10.4%, computers 7.4%).
Major export destinations (1990): U.S. 86.9%; Dominican Republic 2.0%; U.S. Virgin Islands 1.4%; U.K. 0.8%; The Netherlands 0.7%.
Transport and communications
Transport. Railroads (1988){2}: length 59 mi, 96 km. Roads (1993): total length 14,089 mi, 22,588 km (paved 87%). Vehicles (1993): passenger cars 1,420,000; trucks and buses 227,000. Merchant marine: n.a. Air transport (1990-91): passenger arrivals 4,245,137, passenger departures 4,262,164; cargo loaded and unloaded 222,172 metric tons{3}; airports (1995) with scheduled flights 7.
Communications. Daily newspapers (1993): total number 3; total circulation 506,900; circulation per 1,000 population 140. Radio (1994): 2,480,000 receivers (1 per 1.5 persons). Television (1994): 830,000 receivers (1 per 4.4 persons). Telephones (1992): 1,365,520 (1 per .6 persons).
Education and health
Educational attainment (1990). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: primary education 26.8%; some secondary 23.5%; complete secondary 21.0%; higher 28.7%. Literacy (1990): total population age 18 and over literate 2,122,860 (89.7%); males literate 1,001,878 (89.6%); females literate 1,120,982 (89.7%).
Health: physicians (1988) 9,422 (1 per 349 persons); hospital beds (1993-94) 9,598 (1 per 381 persons); infant mortality rate (1993) 13.4.
Military
Total active duty personnel (1992): 3,518 U.S. personnel.
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