The island of Puerto Rico (left image), is slightly more than 160 km long, and the average north-south width is about 56 km. More than three-fourths of Puerto Rico’s land area consists of mountains and hills. The main chain of mountains running lengthwise is called the Cordillera Central in the west and the Sierra de Cayey in the east. Average land elevations are about 900 m above sea level, with the highest peak, Cerro de Punta at 1338 meters, located near the center of the photograph. San Juan, the capital, is a port city on the north side of the island toward the eastern end, and Ponce is the major port city on the south side near the middle of the island (NASA October 1989).
Puerto
Rico Map
Map: U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency.
Puerto Rico is a commonwealth associated with the United States.
Territories
and
Islands - Americas
