Puerto Rico Profile
A lush green island in the emerald Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico is a lively place with a Latin feel. Beaches line the coasts, surfers hit the breaks, and fishermen ply the waters offshore. Average temps are in the 70s and 80s and refreshing tradewinds roll in off the water.
San Juan is a busy, modern city on the north-east coast of the island. As you venture inland switchback roads take you up the mountains and into the rainforest. Life moves slower in the many small towns and villages in the hill country. Puerto Ricans are, as a rule, friendly and welcoming with ready smiles.
Hurricane Maria was the catalyst that brought us to Puerto Rico, and we will help the most vulnerable citizens rebuild for years to come, but it goes deeper than that. Our calling is to partner long-term with healthy local churches as they seek to be ever more effective at reaching out with the love of Christ.
PUERTO RICO BY THE NUMBERS
56 – Average annual rainfall in inches
52 – Inches of rainfall from Hurricane Maria
81 – Average temperature in Fahrenheit
70 – Average temperature in the mountainous interior
196 – Average days with a rainshower
12% – unemployment
45% – poverty rate
72 – Billion dollars of national debt
46 – Percent of national income from manufacturing
200,000 – Puerto Ricans moved to Florida by late November 2017
25 – Percent, possible population loss by 2020
406 – Years as a Spanish colony
122 – Years as a US Territory
48 – Number of endangered species that live on Puerto Rico
600 – Number of “uncommon” plant and animal species on the island
