Guide to Puerto Rico

The smallest and most easterly of the Greater Antilles, 119 by 35 miles, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is under the jurisdiction of the United States. Lying 972 miles southeast of Miami, is is home to 3.9 million people whose major language is Spanish, although many, especially those in the tourism industry, speak English as well. The island's interior is filled with ancient volcanic mountains, the highest peak being Cerro de Punta at 4,333 feet. Puerto Rico's coastline is ringed with beaches.

The Commonwealth also includes a trio of small offshore islands, Culebra, Mona, and Vieques. San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, has a population of over one million, and with its Latin American culture and tradition, ands its long and colorful history, is one of the major ports of call in the Caribbean.

It was on Columbus' second voyage in 1493 that he sighted the island of San Juan, later renamed Puerto Rico. The island government has undergone many changes since the days of its first governor, Ponce de Leon, to its present status as a US Commonwealth.

With 272 miles of Atlantic and Caribbean coastline, and a culture dating back to the Taino Indians 2,000 years ago, Puerto Rico is a formidable attraction. Old San Juan is its greatest historic center, with 500 years of history, as reflected in its restored Spanish colonial architecture.

Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 1999. Growth fell off in 2001-03, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy, and has recovered in 2004.

Find a Resort, Hotel, or Lodging in Puerto Rico by City or Area:

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Adjuntas resorts Adjuntas rooms Aguadilla hotels Aguadilla lodging Aguadilla resorts Aguadilla rooms Anasco lodging Anasco resorts Arecibo resorts Arecibo rooms Boqueron hotels Boqueron resorts Cabo City resorts Cabo Rojo hotels Cabo Rojo lodging Cabo Rojo rooms Caguas hotels Caguas lodging Camuy rooms Carolina hotels Carolina lodging Carolina rooms Ceiba hotels Ceiba resorts Ceiba rooms

Condado hotels Condado resorts Condado rooms Culebra hotels Culebra lodging Culebra resorts Culebra rooms Dorado lodging Dorado Beach hotels Dorado Beach resorts Esperanza hotels Fajardo hotels Fajardo rooms Guanica hotels Guanica lodging Guanica resorts Humacao hotels Humacao lodging Humacao resorts Humacao rooms Isabela hotels Isabela resorts Isabela rooms Isla Verde hotels Isla Verde lodging

Isla Verde resorts Isla Verde rooms Joyuda resorts Lajas hotels Lajas rooms La Parguera resorts La Parguera rooms Las Croabas hotels Las Croabas rooms Mayaguez hotels Mayaguez lodging Mayaguez resorts Mayaguez rooms Mayaquez hotels Old San Juan hotels Old San Juan lodging Old San Juan resorts Old San Juan rooms Palmanova Plaza hotels Palmas del Mar rooms Patillas hotels Patillas lodging Patillas resorts Patillas rooms Ponce hotels

Ponce lodging Ponce resorts Ponce rooms Puerto Real rooms Quebradillas hotels Quebradillas resorts Quebradillas rooms Rincon hotels Rincon lodging Rincon resorts Rincon rooms Rio Grande hotels Rio Grande lodging Rio Grande resorts Rio Grande rooms San Juan hotels San Juan lodging San Juan resorts San Juan rooms Vieques hotels Vieques lodging Vieques rooms Yabucoa hotels Yabucoa resorts Yabucoa rooms

Lush, verdant, Puerto Rico is located some 1,000 southeast of the tip of Florida. As such, it is the hub of the Caribbean chain of islands. You will probably fly in and out of San Juan at least once if you are doing much touring in the area.

You will find some of the best golf and tennis in the Caribbean here. Accommodations have greatly improved at out on the island cities. Paradores - government sponsored inns - are sprinkles across the island for visitors who want a deeper look than that provided by the posh hotels and gambling casinos of San Juan.

Puerto Rico offers a wide variety of sports, including golf, tennis, horeseback riding, and all kinds of watersports - from scuba diving to deep-sea fishing. Many resorts offer a large choice of sports activities, and various all-inclusive sports-vacation packages are available from hotels and airlines serving Puerto Rico. Dorado Beach, Cerromar Beach, and Palmas del Mar are the chief centers for golf, tennis, and beach life. San Juan's hotels on the Condado-Isla Verde coast also generally offer a complete array of watersports.

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