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Puerto Rico,
General Information
Area: 8959 sq km (3459 sq miles).
Population: 3,839,810 (official estimate 2002).
Population Density: 428.6 per sq km.
Capital: San Juan. Population: 421,958 (2000).
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 Aguadilla, Arecibo, Bayamón, Caguas, Carolina, Cayey, Farjardo, Guaynabo, Mayagüez and Ponce.
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 Calderón since 2001.
Language: Spanish and English are the official languages.
Religion: Roman Catholic 74 per cent; the remainder are other Christian denominations and Jews.
Time: GMT - 4.
Electricity: 110 volts AC, 60Hz.
Communications:
Telephone: IDD service is available. Country code: 1 787. Outgoing international code: 011.
Mobile telephone: CDMA/TDMA network. Not compatible with GSM handsets (although there are plans to introduce the network soon).
Internet: ISPs include Coqui Net (website: www.coqui.net). Access is available in hotels and business centres.
Post: Airmail to Western Europe takes up to one week.
Press: The English-language newspaper published in Puerto Rico is The San Juan Star; others include El Nuevo Día, El Vocero de Puerto Rico and Primera Hora.
Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.
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