Puerto Rico

Politics:

• Analysis

  Puerto Rico politics: The 51st state?

  Puerto Rico politics: The 51st state?

  America may not want what its Caribbean outpost now does

  VOTERS may have voted for more of the same in America on election day, but in Puerto Rico they opted for decisive change. In a two-stage plebiscite--the island's fourth referendum regarding its relationship with the United States--54% of the electorate voted to change Puerto Rico's current status as a self-governing "commonwealth", and 61% wanted the new form of government to be full American statehood. It was the first time a majority of boricuas, as the islanders are known, has voted to become the 51st state. In both the last two plebiscites, held in 1993 and 1998, only 47% chose that option.

  The United States gained control of Puerto Rico in 1898, following the Spanish-American War. Puerto Rico set up its own government in 1952, and its residents do not pay federal income taxes to Washington on their local earnings. Nonetheless, it is still effectively a colony: boricuas are subject to American law even though they cannot vote for president or Congress.

  Puerto Ricans broadly agree on their preferred status: in a 1967 referendum, 60% voted for a commonwealth they were told would be gradually enhanced. In this scheme, they would keep their American citizenship, currency, defence and tax exemptions, But they would also receive long-sought-after improvements, possibly including a "compact" making their relationship with the United States permanent. They might also gain the right to control immigration, sign treaties, act independently in international groups and choose which federal laws (such as the minimum wage) would apply to them.

  Unfortunately, this proposal is legally flawed. According to Christina Duffy Ponsa of Columbia Law School the only permanent way of belonging to the United States is through statehood. Any other status approved by one Congress could be revoked later. Similarly, Congress could exempt Puerto Rico from any given law, but could not let the island exclude itself from federal legislation at will. A presidential task force has concluded that the only permissible status options are statehood, free association, continuation of the current commonwealth status or independence.

  As a result, when the ruling pro-statehood party won a legislative vote last year to hold a new referendum, it did not put "enhanced commonwealth" on the ballot. Residents were first asked whether to continue with the current arrangement, and then what other form of government they would prefer: statehood, independence or "sovereign free association", a voluntary, reversible collaboration with the United States that has been adopted by some Pacific island groups. Supporters of the status quo could choose a second-best option, but many left the second question blank.

  Support for statehood has increased over the years, as ties between the island and the mainland grow closer. There are now more boricuas in the continental United States than in Puerto Rico itself, and American film, television and sports have gained popularity. Moreover, because of the Earned Income Tax Credit, a cash-transfer scheme for the working poor, many Puerto Ricans would gain more than they lose by becoming subject to federal income tax. But even among the rich and among Puerto Ricans without close links to the rest of the United States, the framing of the question ensured that statehood would prevail among the options for change. Both independence and sovereign free association would have put the islanders' American citizenship at risk.

  The vote will not have immediate consequences. Congress would have to pass a law admitting Puerto Rico for it to become a state. With a fiscal squeeze looming at the start of 2013 lawmakers will have their hands full in the coming months. And the island's government is unlikely to push the issue aggressively following the election as governor of Alejandro García Padilla, who supports a continued commonwealth.

  Moreover, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has little incentive to address the topic. According to exit polls, 83% of boricuas on the mainland voted for Barack Obama. Statehood would add two Senate seats and a House delegation of five, the same size as Oregon's and probably as reliably Democratic.

  Unless the island holds another vote that yields a different result, however, Puerto Rico has now officially requested statehood. If Democrats retake the House in 2014, they would be well-advised to try to add a 51st star to the flag.

  November 17, 2012

• Background

  Puerto Rico: Political forces

  Composition of Congress, Jul 2008
  (Number of seats)
  	PNP	PPD	PIP	Total
  Senate	17	9	1	27
  House of Representatives	32	18	1	51
  Source: State Elections Commission.

  Download text file (csv format)

  Puerto Rico's constitution is modelled on the US system, and provides for a governor, a legislature consisting of a lower house, the House of Representatives (51 members) and an upper house, the Senate (27 members), and a judicial branch made up of a Supreme Court, appellate courts and district courts. The political system is dominated by two main parties, whose policies are largely shaped by their views on the island's political status.

  The PPD

  The Partido Popular Democratico (PPD) was founded in the late 1930s by Luis Munoz Marin, who would become Puerto Rico's first elected governor in 1948. On the crucial status issue, the party favours maintaining the current commonwealth system. It strongly supports tax incentives for US companies to invest in Puerto Rico. It is also broadly aligned with the US Democratic Party. The PPD's candidate for the gubernatorial election in November 2004—the incumbent, Anibal Acevedo Vila— won re-election for a four-year term. However, he has faced an opposition-dominated legislature, which has complicated governance. The administration's weak mandate has been reflected in persistent difficulties in negotiations over fiscal policy and tax reform (see Economic policy). More recently, the party has suffered as a result of allegations of campaign financing fraud levelled against Mr Acevedo Vila. The governor has been formally charged and faces court proceedings in early 2009, but in spite of this he has insisted that he will seek re-election for a second term in November 2008.

  The PNP

  The Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) was founded in the late 1960s and has been a major political force since then. In contrast with the PPD, the PNP is in favour of statehood for Puerto Rico. The PNP has played down the significance of incentives to US companies on the local economy, which they regard as incompatible with statehood and therefore acceptable only as a transitory arrangement. Although the PNP lost the gubernatorial election in 2000 and 2004, in the latter it won the legislative election, securing a majority of the seats in both lower and upper houses, as well as the majority of mayoral posts. The PNP's president, Luis Fortuno, also holds the post of Resident Commissioner to the US Congress, the island's non-voting seat in the US House of Representatives. Mr Fortuno won the PNP's primary election in March 2008 and will stand against Mr Acevedo Vila in the November 2008 gubernatorial election. Although the fraud charges against the current governor place the PNP in a strong position, divisions within the party are hindering its campaign. Some supporters of Pedro Rossello—a former governor and defeated contender in the March 2008 primary election—are promoting him as a "write-in" candidate. According to Puerto Rican electoral law, voters are not limited to selecting an official candidate, and can instead vote for anyone by writing their name on the ballot paper. So although Mr Rossello lacks an official party nomination, his supporters are still encouraging the electorate to vote for him by writing him in. It is unlikely that Mr Rossello could win the race for governor on a write-in campaign, but he could secure sufficient votes from Mr Fortuno to cause him to lose the election to Mr Acevedo Vila.

  The PIP

  Ideological opposition to the PNP and the PPD lies in the pro-independence and labour movements and in some segments of the Roman Catholic church. These groups often coalesce into loose alliances aimed at enforcing a social and environmental agenda in opposition to the government's liberal programme. The only pro-independence party formally represented in the island's legislature is the left-leaning Partido Independentista Puertorriqueno (PIP). Although in the November 2004 election it won less than 3% of the vote, which is the minimum required for a party to remain official in Puerto Rico, the PIP quickly managed to obtain the 100,000 signatures of eligible voters required for the party to re-register. As such, it is still regarded as a political force with a loyal constituency, and has been included in congressional consultations on Puerto Rico's political status. Ruben Berrios has been the undisputed leader of the PIP since the late 1970s, but a new guard in the party is becoming increasingly restless in its desire for change at the top. The candidate for governor in the November 2008 elections is Edwin Irizarry, a British-trained economist and university professor in his late forties.

  The judiciary

  Puerto Rico's judicial branch is composed of a Supreme Court, appellate courts and district courts. The seven Supreme Court judges (a chief justice together with six associate judges) are appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the Senate (the upper house). Two judges reached the mandatory retirement age in 2007 and 2008, and a third died of a heart attack early in 2008. The court is now running with only four justices, the minimum permitted by the constitution. The PNP-controlled legislature has refused to consider any nomination to the court from governor Acevedo Vila, forcing the court to operate with three vacancies until these can be filled by the new administration after the November 2008 election.

  The legislature

  Congressmen to the House of Representatives (the lower house) and the Senate (upper house) are elected by direct popular vote every four years on the same date as the US presidential election. Puerto Ricans are US citizens, but do not have the right to vote in US presidential and congressional elections. There is a Puerto Rican resident commissioner in Washington, who is allowed to participate in congressional deliberations but cannot vote on bills or any other legislative matters. This post is currently held by Luis Fortuno, making the current Puerto Rican administration the first under which the resident commissioner has not been a member of the same party as the governor.

  Media services

  Puerto Rico's media is free and fair. The two main daily newspapers are El Nuevo Dia and El Vocero de Puerto Rico, although there are several others with more limited circulation, including Primera Hora and The San Juan Star, the only remaining English-language paper on the island. Major US newspapers are also available. Radio and television stations are regulated by the US Federal Communications Commission and are broadly similar to those in the US. Cable TV broadcasts mostly US channels and two channels from Spain.

  September 08, 2008

• Structure

  Puerto Rico: Political structure

  Official name

  Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

  Form of government

  US-style representative system

  Head of state

  Elected governor, Alejandro García Padilla of the Partido Popular Democrático (PPD), who took office on January 2nd 2013 for a four-year term; the next election will take place on November 8th 2016

  The executive

  A governor is elected every four years, and appoints departmental secretaries to administer executive power with the approval of the Legislative Assembly

  National legislature

  Bicameral Legislative Assembly; the Senate (the upper house) normally has 27 members, two for each of the eight districts, and 11 from the Commonwealth as a whole; an additional member from the opposition party is added if the ruling party has an overwhelming majority; the House of Representatives (the lower house) has 51 members, one for each of the 40 districts, and 11 from the Commonwealth as a whole. Next elections for both the upper and lower houses: November 8th 2016

  Legal system

  US-style court system, but based on the Napoleonic Code and operating within the Commonwealth; the island also functions as a US district, with justices appointed by the US president

  National elections

  November 6th 2012; the next general election is scheduled for November 8th 2016

  National government

  The Partido Popular Democrático (PPD) holds 18 of 27 seats in the upper house and 28 of 51 seats in the lower house. The Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) holds eight seats in the upper house and 23 seats in the lower house. The Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP) has one seat in the upper house.

  Main political organisations

  Government: Partido Popular Democrático (PPD)

  Opposition: Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP); Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP)

  Extra-parliamentary opposition: Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano (MINH); Partido Puertorriqueños por Puerto Rico (PPR)

  Governor: Alejandro García Padilla

  Secretary of state: David Bernier

  Secretaries of state

  Agriculture: Myrna Comas Pagán

  Consumer affairs: Omar Marrero Díaz

  Economic development & commerce: Alberto Bacó Bagué

  Education: Rafael Román Meléndez

  Family affairs: Idalia Colón Rondón

  Health: Francisco Joglar Pesquera

  Housing: Rubén Ríos Pagán

  Justice: Luis Sánchez Betances

  Labour & human resources: Vance Thomas

  Natural and environmental resources: Carmen Guerrero Pérez

  Planning board: Vacant

  Treasury: Melba Acosta

  Resident commissioner (representative in US Congress)

  Pedro Pierluisi

  January 14, 2013

Economy:

• Background

  Puerto Rico: Education

  Puerto Ricans receive free education to secondary level and school enrolment is virtually universal among the population of relevant age. However, dropout rates are high among the urban poor. According to the last census in 2000, 60% of the population had completed high school or some form of higher education. The Department of Education runs an island-wide public school system with 37,000 teachers—around one for every 18 students—but there are also a large number of private schools, employing a total of around 8,000 teachers. Tertiary education and professional training are subject to charges, but there are a variety of scholarships and financial assistance arrangements that make higher education accessible to the general population. According to the 2000 census, 20.9% of Puerto Ricans had attended college or graduate school, and 18.3% had college or professional degrees. The University of Puerto Rico—organised along the same lines as state universities in the US—is the major institution of higher education, but there are also a dozen private universities. The adult literacy rate is around 90%.

  September 08, 2008

• Structure

  Puerto Rico: Economic structure

  Economic structure: Annual indicators

  	2008a	2009a	2010a	2011a	2012b
  GNP at market prices (US$ m)	61,665.2	62,598.1	63,058.1	64,106.3	65,340.7
  Real GNP growth (%)c	-2.9	-3.7	-3.4	-1.5	0.4
  Population (m)	3.8	3.7	3.7	3.7b	3.7
  Exports of goods fob (US$ m)c	63,954	60,807	61,657	64,876	58,914a
  Imports of goods fob (US$ m)c	-44,928	-40,651	-40,810	-44,672	-46,575a
  Current-account balance (US$ m)c	-1,712.4	1,117.5	3,389.8	3,233.7	-2,350.0
  Total public debt (US$ bn)	46.9	53.0	56.8	58.9	67.0
  Debt-service ratio, paid (%)	8.4	8.4b	–	–	–
  a Actual. b Economist Intelligence Unit estimates. c Fiscal years (July-June).

  Download the numbers in Excel

  Origins of gross domestic product 2009	% of total	Components of gross domestic product 2009	% of total
  Manufacturing	45.5	Private consumption	88.5
  Construction	1.8	Government consumption	17.7
  Transport & other public utilities	6.3	Gross domestic investment	16.3
  Commerce	8.9	Exports of goods & services	118.5
  Others	36.8	Imports of goods & services	-141.1
  Principal exports fob 2012	US$ m	Principal imports cif 2012	US$ m
  Chemical products	44,488	Chemical products	20,574
  Processed foodstuffs	3,670	Petroleum & coal products	6,603
  Computers & electronics	1,575	Processed foodstuffs	3,385
  Machinery	729	Computers & electronics	2,415
  Petroleum & coal products	68	Transport equipment	2,272
  Main destinations of exports 2008	% of total	Main origins of imports 2008	% of total
  US	76.3	US	52.7
  Germany	5.2	Ireland	20.7
  Belgium & the Netherlands	4.2	Nigeria	4.6

  Download the numbers in Excel

  Download text file (csv format)

  January 14, 2013

• Outlook

  Puerto Rico: Country outlook

  Puerto Rico: Country outlook

  FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

  OVERVIEW: Alejandro García Padilla of the Partido Popular Democrático (PPD) took office as Puerto Rico's governor on January 2nd 2013 for a four-year term. After eight years in the minority, the PPD will control Congress, easing policymaking for the new administration. Mr Padilla will face a daunting array of problems, including a weak economy and public finances, a large debt burden, high unemployment and violent crime. These will keep the risk of popular discontent high. With economic activity essentially flat in fiscal year 2011/12 (July-June), and in the absence of clear growth drivers, the Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts stagnant growth again in the 2013-14 outlook period. The fiscal outlook will remain precarious, requiring adjustment measures to avoid further credit-rating downgrades and retain investor confidence. A severely underfunded public retirement system is a particular concern. Inflation will remain low, restrained by weak domestic demand. We forecast average inflation of 1.3% in 2013 and 1.6% in 2014, pushed up slightly in the latter year by a forecast uptick in oil prices. After shrinking sharply in 2011/12, Puerto Rico's traditionally large trade surplus will grow mildly in 2013-14, to an average of US$13.7bn, as external demand improves modestly.

  DOMESTIC POLITICS: Mr Padilla faces a daunting array of problems, including a weak recovery after five years of recession, high rates of unemployment, pervasive crime and the need to impose new adjustment measures to address the precarious state of the public finances. The PPD will have majority control of Puerto Rico's legislature (this is the first time since 2004 that the party has controlled both the executive and legislative branches), which will ease the passage of legislation. However, persistent economic and social problems will fuel the risk of popular discontent and could quickly erode the new governor's political standing. Although Mr Padilla campaigned on a promise to create 50,000 new jobs during his first 18 months and to revive the stagnant economy, he will be constrained by the fragile fiscal accounts, a situation underscored by recent downgrades by credit-rating agencies of various government bonds. The poor security situation will also present challenges to the new administration. Violent crime and a high rate of homicides remain serious problems, and, in the context of poor economic growth and persistent joblessness (13.8% in October 2012, the latest figure available), will be difficult to ameliorate in the medium term, further fuelling popular dissatisfaction. Efforts to improve the security situation notably will remain largely ineffective, owing in part to a lack of fiscal resources but also to the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the police force, which will not be accomplished in the near term. Puerto Rico's geographical location as a drugs transshipment point also makes bringing down crime rates especially difficult. We expect the incidence and severity of violent crime to remain elevated in 2013-14, posing risks to individuals and businesses. The next elections for governor, the Senate and the House of Representatives (the upper and lower houses of the local legislature) will take place on November 8th 2016. Before those elections take place, there will be much debate on how to proceed following Puerto Rico's non-binding referendum on its political status, held concurrently with the general election in November 2012. Puerto Ricans were asked about their desires in two parts. First, voters rejected their current status as a US commonwealth by a 54% to 46% margin. In a separate question, 61% chose statehood as the alternative, compared with 33% for the semi-autonomous "sovereign free association" and 6% for outright independence. However, a large share of voters abstained from the second question, raising doubts about the legitimacy of the result. There is no additional referendum contemplated to clear up the uncertainty. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico's resident commissioner in Washington, Pedro Pierluisi of the Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP), who easily won re-election in November, will be a powerful rival to Mr Padilla and a likely contender for governor in 2016.

  INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Relations with the US will be dominated by the island's political status debate, tax issues and efforts to combat drug-trafficking. The previous PNP administration's efforts to advance a pro-statehood agenda are unlikely to gain traction, not only because the new PPD administration favours maintenance of the territorial (commonwealth) arrangement, but also because of controversy over the result of the November status referendum owing to the high level of abstention. Although the statehood option won the most votes (excluding abstentions), any formal proposals for full US statehood would face obstacles in the US Congress. The US president, Barack Obama, has stated in the past that unless there is a clear and strong majority in favour of a change in status, Congress will be unlikely to act on the matter in the near term. Discussions with the federal government will also focus on how it can help Puerto Rico to boost its economic performance. Since the expiry of key federal tax breaks for companies on the island, the Puerto Rican government and the private sector have lobbied for enactment of US legislation to provide new tax benefits. Without such incentives, the authorities fear more companies will halt investments on the island, as several manufacturing firms, including pharmaceutical companies, have done. New incentives are uncertain, however, amid federal efforts to increase tax revenue. Puerto Rico will also be concerned about the possible reduction of transfers to the island as the US Congress seeks ways to cut federal spending and reduce the US budget deficit.

  POLICY TRENDS: The policy agenda for the new administration will prioritise efforts to boost economic growth and to attract new investment, while stabilising the public finances and reducing the large public debt burden. This is similar to the agenda of the previous administration, of Luis Fortuño, which made some progress on the fiscal front by cutting spending and eliminating around 20,000 state-sector jobs. However, further progress on fiscal consolidation will be needed to shrink the large structural budget deficit and public debt burden. Efforts will have to include addressing the troubled public pensions system, which is estimated to have an actuarial deficit of around US$24bn. Against the need for more fiscal adjustments, the government will be able to do little to stimulate economic growth. The Fortuño administration used around US$6bn in stimulus money from the Obama administration to support recovery, but these funds ran out in 2012. Policy will be further complicated by expected fiscal retrenchment by the US government in 2013, which may affect transfer payments to the island. Already, the ending of a 2-percentage-point reduction in the federal social-security payroll tax, effective on January 1st, will hurt personal consumption on the island. Without access to new stimulus funds, the government will seek to promote growth via further public-private partnerships (PPPs), first initiated by the Fortuño administration. These have included the partial privatisation of the San Juan International Airport and the completion of a 5-km section of a major highway. Additional projects will include construction of at least one new prison. Authorities will also seek to attract more services companies to Puerto Rico, under a new law designed to promote the island as a hub for export services. Labour reform legislation supported by the private sector will also be on the policy agenda. The fiscal outlook remains extremely fragile, as underlined by downgrades in 2012 by credit-rating agencies. Most recently, Moody's Investor Services downgraded the government's general obligation bonds in December 2012 to Baa3 (its lowest investment-grade rating), with a negative outlook (Standard & Poor's has warned it may do the same this year). It also downgraded the debt of several public corporations into the "junk" category. Moody's based the revisions on the weak economy, high and growing debt levels, and lacklustre revenue performance. Another major problem is the severely underfunded public pensions system. After some modest reforms in 2011, no additional changes are being proposed, and funding the system will be held back by spending constraints. Progress will depend largely on the island's economic recovery and the associated increase in tax revenue, as well as revenue from an excise tax on large manufacturing introduced in 2011. However, sluggish economic growth in 2013-14 could lead to revenue shortfalls, making it difficult to reduce the budget gap and ease the deficit in the pensions system. The commonwealth's General Fund recorded net revenue up to October of the 2013 fiscal year that were down 3.3% from the same period in fiscal year 2011/12 (July-June), and 3.7% below budget estimates. Although the deficit declined in the last two years-it was 17% of General Fund revenue in 2011/12 compared with 40% in 2010, thanks to added revenue from the excise tax and payroll spending cuts-further progress appears unlikely in the absence of new revenue sources or stronger economic growth. The latest rating downgrades will add to market pressures that have caused a creeping rise in the yields on the island's bonds over the past few years, and in particular a widening of spreads in recent months. Although we do not forecast that this will damage Puerto Rico's access to credit, this cannot be ruled out if further downgrades occur. The public debt will remain onerous; it is estimated at US$67bn, or around 105% of total GNP.

  ECONOMIC GROWTH: GNP is used in preference to GDP as a measure of growth in the local economy, as it nets out the large outflow of profits from US firms operating in Puerto Rico. After six years of recession, starting in 2006, growth in 2011/12 was a mere 0.4% according to revised government estimates. A stronger recovery was precluded by weak conditions in the US (the destination of more than 70% of Puerto Rico's exports) and recession in the euro zone, while domestic demand has remained debilitated by unemployment and government austerity measures. Similar conditions will prevail in 2013-14 (the Government Development Bank's Economic Activity Index shows growth in the period July-October 2012 of just 0.4% year on year). We therefore expect GNP expansion to be essentially flat in 2012/13, and to pick up only slightly to 0.3% in 2014 owing to improved external demand. Although international oil prices in 2013-14 will stay below their high of 2012, fuel will remain costly, and this will act as another dampener on growth. Tax relief policies introduced by the previous government will have little effect on growth, as any boost to private consumption will be offset by rising imports, as a result of Puerto Rico's strong import dependence. Private consumption growth will remain lacklustre given the high unemployment rate (13.8% in October) and the dampening effect of the expiry of a 2-percentage-point cut in the federal social-security tax on January 1st. Government consumption will contract, owing to feeble revenue growth and efforts to control spending. The government's success in advancing PPPs will have only a small effect on growth, as these projects will take time to be fully implemented. Gross fixed investment also will suffer as US pharmaceutical companies-the island's largest export sector-transfer their operations outside Puerto Rico, largely in response to the expiry of key patents, which will erode profitability. Export and import levels will, on the whole, follow US growth patterns, which are showing some, albeit limited, signs of improvement. On the supply side, tourism will continue the recovery evident in 2011/12, but weaknesses in the US economy will limit growth. The manufacturing sector, which accounts for around 48% of GNP, will continue its slow decline and its progressive shedding of jobs (these were down 5.2% year on year in the third quarter of 2012). Cement sales growth thus far in 2012/13 has been feeble (up just 0.5% in July-November), suggesting that construction growth in the full year will be very limited. By contrast, the retail sector has proved to be relatively immune to recession and will continue to attract investment and post modest growth.

  EXTERNAL ACCOUNT: Preliminary official data show a notable shrinkage in 2011/12 of Puerto Rico's traditionally large trade surplus (to US$12.3bn from US$20.2bn a year earlier), with exports falling by 9.2% and imports rising by 4.3%. The export drop was the result of a 7.5% decline (to US$58bn) in manufactured exports-which account for nearly all exports from Puerto Rico-particularly chemicals and pharmaceutical products (mainstays of the local export sector). Imports of petroleum and coal products rose by 15.1% in the period, to US$6.6bn. However, a reversal in the trend was evident in the second half of 2011/12 (with exports growing again and imports declining slightly), and we therefore forecast improvement in the trade account in fiscal years 2013 and 2014. Still, export growth will be sluggish until the US recovery gains momentum, and will also be hindered by high costs and other problems in the manufacturing sector, as well as the expiry of key patents in the pharmaceuticals sector. High import costs (particularly for oil) and the slow recovery of import-dependent sectors (such as tourism and retail) will keep import spending high. This means that the trade surpluses in 2013-14-we forecast US$13.7bn on average-will be smaller than those that prevailed in the years prior to 2012 (in 2007-11, the surplus averaged US$19bn). The large services deficit will be partly offset by the positive transfers balance, which will benefit from continued transfers from the US federal government. Workers' remittances inflows are insignificant, averaging less than US$500m per year.

  January 15, 2013

View detailed map

Country Briefing

Land area

8,876 sq km

Population

3.72m (2010; US Census Bureau)

Main towns

Population in '000, 2010:

San Juan (capital): 395

Bayamón: 208

Carolina: 178

Ponce: 166

Caguas: 143

Guaynabo: 97

Arecibo: 96

Mayagüez: 89

Climate

Sub-tropical

Weather in San Juan (altitude 14 metres)

Hottest months, September and October, 24-30°C (average monthly minimum and maximum); coldest month, January, 21-27°C; driest month, February, 69 mm average rainfall; wettest month, July, 160 mm average rainfall. Hurricane season: June 1st to November 30th

Languages

Spanish and English

Measures

UK (imperial) and US systems

Currency

US dollar

Time

4 hours behind GMT

Public holidays

January 1st, 6th, 12th and 19th; February 16th; March 22nd; Good Friday; April 20th; May 25th; July 3rd and 27th; September 7th; October 12th; November 11th, 19th and 26th; December 25th

January 14, 2013