Puerto Rico Profile

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