Puerto Rico or Puerto Rico?
It is only a question of French. Both names are tolerated in the language of Molière, although the spelling Puerto Rico is preferred by the French Academy. It is therefore the one we have chosen in this guide, except in Spanish expressions of course. The official name of this Caribbean territory is the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, often abbreviated to Puerto Rico. The French language uses (wrongly) the word Porto, which actually comes from Portuguese and means port. It is difficult to find an explanation for this inconsistency: Puerto Rico has never had a Portuguese administration, and it is the Spaniards who named it Puerto Rico, puerto meaning port in Spanish. It is also difficult to know why in some cases, the names of cities or countries are translated or not. Why has the French language never translated New York, Los Angeles, Brasilia, while it does so for London, Roma, Perugia and Puerto Rico, which have become in order London, Rome, Perugia and Puerto Rico? In short, you won't be surprised if a Puerto Rican is surprised to see "Puerto Rico" written on the cover of your guidebook.
Ground side
Like many islands in the region, Puerto Rico is by no means a flat land. It has mostly mountainous and hilly landscapes. And like most of its neighbors, it was born from volcanic activity several million years ago. You can therefore distinguish 3 types of terrain: narrow coastal plains, the central mountains, the Cordillera Central (the highest mountain range on the island which runs from east to west), and the karst region, that landscape shaped in soluble carbonate rocks belonging to the rock formations.
In the heart of the island, dominates the Cerro de Punta at 1,338 m, the highest peak in the country. Near the eastern tip of the island, the Luquillo Sierra rises to 1,065 meters (El Yunque peak). The Karst Country, as its inhabitants call it, is located along the northern coast, northeast of Mayagüez, in the hills between Manatí and Quebradillas. The Caguas basin, in the Grande de Loíza valley, south of San Juan, is densely populated and cultivated. South of Arecibo, you can visit numerous wineries and see a plethora of mogotes, hills resulting from the erosion of a mountain, an ancient seabed due to movements of the earth's crust.
As far as vegetation is concerned, the north of the island is partly covered by tropical forests, while the thorny bushes and scrubland predominate in the much drier south. The original vegetation has generally disappeared with the agricultural exploitation in the twentieth century. Some areas in the mountains have been reforested since the 1950s and transformed into forest reserves.
Sea side
Puerto Rico has about 50 rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean Sea. None of them is navigable, but some of them are developed to produce electricity, to supply water to the cities and to irrigate the crops. The vast majority of them have their source in the mountains. Because of the very particular shape of the island, they are short. The longest of the permanent rivers, Río Grande de Loíza, is 64 km long. Together with Grande de Arecibo, Grande de Añasco and La Plata, these rivers flow from the interior to the north and west coasts. In the south, the rivers are dry almost all year round, but the soil remains relatively fertile thanks to alluvial reserves, and there are some underground rivers that constitute large reservoirs of fresh water. The precipitation is more important on the northern side of the mountainous reliefs. The rugged relief gives rise to superb waterfalls, especially in the El Yunque National Park and in the Toro Negro National Park. On the purely marine side, winds, currents, tides and seismic movements have created some particularly remarkable spots around Puerto Rico, which experienced diving enthusiasts will not fail to enjoy. Especially around the island of Culebra, there is a perfect formation of underground caves. The surroundings of Puerto Rico dive very quickly into deep water. The island is located less than 160 kilometers south of a deep depression: located in the northeast of the Dominican Republic, the Puerto Rico Trench, which runs more or less parallel to the entire northern coast, plunges to 9,218 meters and is the deepest point in the Atlantic. To the south, the sea depths reach 5,100 meters.
Small islands and beaches
In addition to the main island, Puerto Rico also includes small islands: to the east, Isla Mona, and to the west, the islands of Vieques and Culebra. Of these sisters, Mona is apart from the others, located 66 km from the west coast and only 41 km from the Dominican Republic. Attached to the city of Mayagüez, it has no permanent inhabitants, which is why it remains the wildest island of the country. Vieques and Culebra, both located at about twenty kilometers from the main island, are the most visited. Vieques, which is very long, is the largest stretch of land in what was once the Spanish Virgin Islands. These three small islands attached to Puerto Rico are hilly, green, and surrounded by narrow coastal plains, each with idyllic beaches. Puerto Rico boasts more than 300 beaches for visitors to discover! With 430 km of coastline, and a diversified relief, it is true that the choice is vast: Flamenco Beach in Culebra, Playa Sucia in Cabo Rojo, Luquillo Beach, Playa de Boquerón, Playa de Isla Verde, El Escambrón in San Juan, La Chiva and Bahia Mosquito, Playa Higüero, La Esperanza, Playa Azul... to name only a few, among the most famous ones Between cliffs and long wild beaches accessible by sandy paths, mangroves, coral reefs and a multitude of coves far from the crowd, superb natural pools with crystal clear waters, beaches with golden, black or white sand, lined with coconut trees, beaches with waves or calm waters, the variations can be infinite.
