It was the worst storm to hit the island in eight decades, and damage is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. A referendum held in late 2020 showed a narrow preference for American statehood. Geography LocationCaribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, FloridaCaribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic Geographic coordinates21 30 N, 80 00 W18 15 N, 66 30 W Map referencesCentral America and the CaribbeanCentral America and the Caribbean Areatotal: 110, 860 sq kmland: 109, 820 sq kmwater: 1, 040 sq kmtotal: 9, 104 sq kmland: 8, 959 sq kmwater: 145 sq km Area - comparativeslightly smaller than Pennsylvaniaslightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island Land boundariestotal: 28. 5 kmborder countries (1): US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 28.
)note: data are in 2017 dollars GDP - real growth rate1. 6% (2017 est. )0. 5% (2016 est. )4. 4% (2015 est. )-2. 4% (2017 est. 3% (2016 est. )-1% (2015 est. ) GDP - per capita (PPP)$12, 300 (2016 est. )$12, 200 (2015 est. )$12, 100 (2014 est. )note: data are in 2016 US dollars$34, 518 (2019 est. )$34, 116 (2018 est.
8%; Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (PCC) elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 98. 1%note - on 19 April 2018, DIAZ-CANEL succeeded Raul CASTRO as president of the Council of State; on 10 October 2019 he was elected to the newly created position of President of the Republic, which replaced the position of President of the Council of Statechief of state: President Joseph R. BIDEN Jr. (since 20 January 2021); Vice President Kamala D.
Despite massive efforts, more than 40% of the territory remained without electricity as of yearend 2017. As a result of the destruction, many Puerto Ricans have emigrated to the US mainland. GDP (purchasing power parity)$137 billion (2017 est. )$134. 8 billion (2016 est. 2 billion (2015 est. )note: data are in 2016 US dollars$110. 238 billion (2019 est. )$108. 944 billion (2018 est. )$114. 269 billion (2017 est.
5% of GDP in 2017, about $17, 000 per person, or nearly three times the per capita debt of the State of Connecticut, the highest in the US. Much of that debt was issued by state-run schools and public corporations, including water and electric utilities. In June 2015, Governor Alejandro GARCIA Padilla announced that the island could not pay back at least $73 billion in debt and that it would seek a deal with its creditors. Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico square on in September 2017, causing electrical power outages to 90% of the territory, as well as extensive loss of housing and infrastructure and contamination of potable water.
On 12 January 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy - by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay. Illicit Cuban migration by sea has since dropped significantly, but land border crossings continue. In FY 2018, the US Coast Guard interdicted 312 Cuban nationals at sea. Also in FY 2018, 7, 249 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the US. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas.
3% (2010 est. )note: 99% of the population is Latino HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS33, 000 (2020 est. )NA ReligionsChristian 58. 9%, folk religion 17. 6%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, Muslim <1%, other <1%, none 23. 2% (2020 est. )note: folk religions include religions of African origin, spiritualism, and others intermingled with Catholicism or Protestantism; data is estimative because no authoritative source on religious affiliation exists in CubaRoman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% HIV/AIDS - deaths<500 (2020 est. )NA LanguagesSpanish (official)major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica.
3potential support ratio: 4. 3 (2020 est. )total dependency ratio: 57. 7youth dependency ratio: 24. 8elderly dependency ratio: 32. 8potential support ratio: 3 (2020 est. ) Government Country nameconventional long form: Republic of Cubaconventional short form: Cubalocal long form: Republica de Cubalocal short form: Cubaetymology: name derives from the Taino Indian designation for the island "coabana" meaning "great place"conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Ricoconventional short form: Puerto Ricoabbreviation: PRetymology: Christopher COLUMBUS named the island San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist) and the capital city and main port Cuidad de Puerto Rico (Rich Port City); over time, however, the names were shortened and transposed and the island came to be called Puerto Rico and its capital San Juan Government typecommunist staterepublican form of government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches; unincorporated organized territory of the US with local self-governmentNote: reference Puerto Rican Federal Relations Act, 2 March 1917, as amended by Public Law 600, 3 July 1950 Capitalname: Havanageographic coordinates: 23 07 N, 82 21 Wtime difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lightingetymology: the sites of Spanish colonial cities often retained their original Taino names; Habana, the Spanish name for the city, may be based on the name of a local Taino chief, HABAGUANEXname: San Juangeographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 66 07 Wtime difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)etymology: the name dates to 1521 and the founding of the city under the name "Ciudad de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico" (City of Saint John the Baptist of Puerto Rico) Administrative divisions15 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Artemisa, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Claranone (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco Independence20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independencenone (territory of the US with commonwealth status) National holidayTriumph of the Revolution (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25 July (1952) Constitutionhistory: several previous; latest drafted 14 July 2018, approved by the National Assembly 22 December 2018, approved by referendum 24 February 2019amendments: proposed by the National Assembly of People's Power; passage requires approval of at least two-thirds majority of the National Assembly membership; amendments to constitutional articles on the authorities of the National Assembly, Council of State, or any rights and duties in the constitution also require approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on the Cuban political, social, and economic system cannot be amendedhistory: previous 1900 (Organic Act, or Foraker Act); latest ratified by referendum 3 March 1952, approved 3 July 1952, effective 25 July 1952amendments: proposed by a concurrent resolution of at least two-thirds majority by the total Legislative Assembly membership; approval requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses and approval by a majority of voters in a special referendum; if passed by at least three-fourths Assembly vote, the referendum can be held concurrently with the next general election; constitutional articles such as the republican form of government or the bill of rights cannot be amended; amended 1952 Legal systemcivil law system based on Spanish civil codecivil law system based on the Spanish civil code and within the framework of the US federal system Suffrage16 years of age; universal18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections Executive branchchief of state: President Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 10 October 2019); Vice President Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (since 10 October 2019); note - the president is both chief of state and head of governmenthead of government: Prime Minister Manuel MARRERO Cruz (since 21 December 2019); Deputy Prime Ministers Ramiro VALDES Menendez, Roberto MORALES Ojeda, Ines Maria CHAPMAN Waugh, Jorge Luis TAPIA Fonseca, Alejandro GIL Fernandez, Ricardo CABRISAS Ruiz (since 21 December 2019)cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president and appointed by the National Assembly; it is subordinate to the 21-member Council of State, which is elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in sessionelections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (may be reelected for another 5-year term); election last held on 10 October 2019 (next to be held in 2024)election results: Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (PCC) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 98.
)$34, 364 (2017 est. )note: data are in 2017 dollars GDP - composition by sectoragriculture: 4% (2017 est. )industry: 22. 7% (2017 est. )services: 73. )agriculture: 0. 8% (2017 est. )industry: 50. 1% (2017 est. )services: 49. ) Population below poverty lineNANA Household income or consumption by percentage sharelowest 10%: NAhighest 10%: NAlowest 10%: NAhighest 10%: NA Inflation rate (consumer prices)5. 5% (2017 est. )-0.