Geography of Puerto Rico

The geography ofPuerto Rico encompasses a archipelagic and islandnation centered around a collective identity based on its land, history, ethnicity, culture, and language, and organized as a self-governingunincorporated territory of the United States. Located between the Greater and Lesser Antilles in the northeastern Caribbean, east of Hispaniola, west of Saint Thomas, north of Venezuela, and south of the Puerto Rico Trench, it consists of the eponymous main island and over 140 smaller islands, islets, and cays, including San Juan in the north, Vieques, Culebra, Palominos, and Icacos in the east, Caja de Muertos and Caracoles in the south, and Mona, Monito, and Desecheo in the west.

Measuring 177 km (110 mi; 96 nmi) in length and 65 km (40 mi; 35 nmi) in width with a land area of 8,868 km (3,424 sq mi), the main island of Puerto Rico is the 4th largest in the Caribbean, 29th in the Americas, and 81st in the world, making it the 170th largest country or dependency by surface area. With 3.2 million residents, it is also the 4th largest in the Caribbean, 4th in the Americas, and 31st in the world, making it the 136th largest country or dependency by population.