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The geography of Puerto Rico consists of an archipelago located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. The main island of Puerto Rico is the smallest and most eastern of the Greater Antilles. With an area of , it is the third largest island in the United States and the 82nd largest island in the world. Various smaller islands and cays, including Vieques, Culebra, Mona, Desecheo, and Caja de Muertos comprise the remainder of the archipelago with only Culebra and Vieques being inhabited year-round. Mona is uninhabited through large parts of the year except for employees of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources. The mainland measures some by , an area slightly less than three times the size of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is mostly mountainous with large coastal areas in the north and south regions of the island. Some popular beaches on the north-west side of the island are Jobos Beach, Maria's Beach, Domes Beach and Sandy Beach. The main mountainous range is called ''La Cordillera Central'' (The Central Range). The highest elevation point of Puerto Rico, Cerro de Punta (), is located in this range. Another important peak is El Yunque, located in the Sierra de Luquillo at the El Yunque National Forest, with a maximum elevation of . The capital, San Juan, is located on the main island's north coast. ==Physical geography== The archipelago of Puerto Rico is located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. Located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico was key to the Spanish Empire since the early years of exploration, conquest and colonization of the New World. The topography of the main island is divided into three major regions: the mountainous region, which includes the ''Cordillera Central'', ''Sierra de Luquillo'', ''Sierra de Cayey'' and ''Sierra Bermeja'', the coastal plains and the northern karst region. The ''Cordillera Central'' extends through the entire island, dividing it into the northern and southern region. The mountain region accounts for approximately 60% of the land area. The archipelago of Culebra, located east of Puerto Rico, north of Vieques, and west of the Virgin Islands, is composed of the main island of Culebra and 28 uninhabited islets.〔 〕 Mainly mountainous, the island of Culebra possesses renowned beaches. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Geography of Puerto Rico」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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