PUERTO RICO, an island in the West Indies, belonging to Spain, is one of the Greater Antilles, and lies e. of Hayti or St. Domingo, lat. 17° 55 —18° :30' n., long. 65' 39'-67' 11' w. It is in size somewhat less than Jamaica, being fully 100 in, from e. to w., 40 m. from n. to s., and closely resembling a rectangle in shape. The island is traversed from e. to w. by a range of mountains, 1500 ft. in average height, though rising in one peak to 3.678 ft. above the sea. From the base of the mountains, rich alluvial tracts extend to the sea, and there are numerous well-wooded and abundantly watered valleys. The soil is remarkably fertile. The principal crops are sugar, coffee, and tobacco of the finest quality, and cotton remarkable for its length of fiber, tenacity, and whiteness. Cattle and sheep are extensively reared, of a quality superior to any others in the West Indies. The imports consist of cotton, woolen, linen; silk, and embroidered goods, metals, hardware, and provisions, as ale, porter, fruits, wines, etc. The exports arc sugar, tobacco, coffee, cotton, molasses, rum, hides, and cattle. The chief ports are San Juan. commonly called Puerto Rico, in the n.e., Ponce iu the s.w., and Mayaguez in the west. Puerto Rico is one of the coolest and healthiest places in die West Indies. Area, 3,600 sq.m.; pop. 625.000, of whom 338,000 are whites. Of the colored race,
20,000 were still &laves in 1871. The value of the annual exports is over £3,000,000; of the imports, .3,500,000. In 1875, 1,500.000 cwts. of sugar, and 200,000 cwts. of coffee were exported. The trade is mainly with Britaiu, but owing to duties and port charges, it is carried on in Spanish bottoms.
The frequent changes in the executive government of Puerto Rico do not appear to affect its commercial stability. The commerce of the island is almost wholly hi the hands of foreigners and Spaniards from the peninsula. The preliminary act of emanci pation, which came into operation at the beginning of 1871, decreased the number of slaves by 100,000. The slave: trade was already extinct; and in 1873 slavery was entirely swept away. There is a unanimous feeling against any immigration of laborers, whether Chinese, coolies, or others. A deep-sea cable now unites Puerto Rico with Europe, America, and the other Antilles; railways, irrigation, drainage, etc., are still things in embryo. It is remarkable that, notwithstanding the fertility and healthiness of Puerto Rico, the poverty of the island flora and fauna is very great; there are hardly any flowers, birds, or wild animals.