The Puerto Rico hotel and activities guide offers stay over guests and cruise ship visitors information and discount reservations for hotels, villa rentals, car rentals, activities and shore excursions in Puerto Rico.
Plan your trip from home and save a lot versus booking via your cruise ship or travel agent. Book your resort, hotel, car rental or activity in Puerto Rico with the Puerto Rico Hotels & Travel Guide at up to 50% less then the regular published rates.
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is an unincorporated territory of the United States in the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea. It is part of the Greater Antilles, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. The inhabitants are called Puerto Ricans or Puerto Ricans, in Spanish portorriqueños or (nowadays preferably) puertorriqueños.
The original inhabitants, the Taíno's called the island Borinquén which means 'Land of the Brave Leader'. When Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493, he named it San Juan Bautista after John the Baptist. The capital was given the name Ciudad de Puerto Rico which means 'City of the Rich Port'. Over time, skippers came to call the entire island Puerto Rico. To avoid confusion, the capital was increasingly referred to as Puerto Rico de Puerto Rico, and later, San Juan.
Geography
The mountains of the Cordillera Central.
The Puerto Rican archipelago consists of the main island of Puerto Rico and several smaller islands, including Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. The main island measures 170 kilometers by 60 kilometers and is the third largest island in the United States. Puerto Rico has a population of about 4 million, of which 430,000 live in the capital San Juan, which is also the largest city. The Cordillera Central is a mountain range that runs through the island from east to west. The highest point is the Cerro de Punta (1338 meters). The lowest point is at sea level.
Puerto Rico is in the tropics. In the north and in the mountains there is a tropical rainforest climate, in the south the monsoon climate. The seasons do not differ greatly from each other and the average temperature is 27 °C all year round. The south is warmer than the north and the temperature in the mountains is lower than average.
Tourism
Tourism is a growing source of income. Puerto Rico has beautiful beaches, especially on the surrounding islands, and a number of protected natural areas. San Juan is a stop for many cruise ships and one of Isabela's beaches in the northwest is a popular surfing spot. Fans of ornithology (or ornithology) can look for the rare Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata) in the rainforest of El Yunque. 239 species of plants, 16 species of birds and 39 species of reptiles, frogs and salamanders are found only in Puerto Rico. Tourists can admire the protected coral reef of the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques by snorkeling and diving.
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