Annona squamosa is a small, well-branched tree or shrub from the family Annonaceae that bears edible fruits called sugar-apples or sweetsops. It tolerates a tropical lowland climate better than its relatives Annona reticulata and Annona cherimola helping make it the most widely cultivated of these species. Annona squamosa is a small, semi-(or late) deciduous, much-branched shrub or small tree 3 to 8 metres tall similar to soursop.
Thespesia grandiflora is a tree in the family Malvaceae of the rosids clade. Its common name is maga. This tree is widely distributed throughout Puerto Rico where it is endemic. Although originally endemic to the humid mountains of limestone in the western and north-central portions of the Island, today it grows everywhere in Puerto Rico due to its extensive cultivation. It is also grown as an ornamental tree in Florida, Hawaii, Honduras and in various Caribbean islands. The maga is mostly used as an ornamental plant, but like the related Thespesia populnea its wood is also valued for its durable timber. The flower was declared the national symbol of Puerto Rico on August 7, 2019.
The integration of the Caribbean telephone networks into the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) began with the assignment of area codes in the Caribbean in 1958, when area code 809 was designated for Bermuda and any other potential participant island countries.
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies in three archipelagos: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago.
Hypoxis decumbens is a species of plant in the Hypoxidaceae, considered by some authors to be included within the Liliaceae or Amaryllidaceae. The species is widespread across South America, Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies.
The Antillean fruit-eating bat is one of two leaf-nosed bat species belonging to the genus Brachyphylla. The species occurs in the Caribbean from Puerto Rico to St. Vincent and Barbados. Fossil specimens have also been recorded from New Providence, Bahamas.
The pearly-eyed thrasher is a bird in the thrasher family Mimidae. It is found on many Caribbean islands, from the Bahamas in the north to the Grenadines in the south, with an isolated subspecies on Bonaire.
The Caribbean bioregion is a biogeographic region that includes the islands of the Caribbean Sea and nearby Atlantic islands, which share a fauna, flora and mycobiota distinct from surrounding bioregions.
A rum swizzle is a rum-based cocktail often called "Bermuda's national drink". The Royal Gazette has referred to it as "the legendary Sam swizzle...perfect for sharing and irresistible to locals and tourists alike". In addition to providing the "swizzle" portion of the 1933 swizzle stick product name, it has been said that this potent cocktail is "as much a part of Bermuda Island culture and cuisine as is the Bermuda onion, the vibrant hibiscus, or the graceful Bermuda Longtail."
Calophyllum antillanum is an evergreen, medium-sized tropical tree in the Calophyllaceae family. It is also known as Antilles beauty leaf, Antilles calophyllum, Alexandrian laurel, Galba, Santa Maria, mast wood, and West Indian laurel.
Oplonia spinosa, the pricklybush, is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae, endemic to several Caribbean islands. It is a spiny shrub ranging in height from dwarf to 3 meters, with curved spines 4–12 mm long, and leaves variable in size and shape.
Ilex urbaniana, known commonly as the Urban's holly, is a species of tree or shrub in the Aquifoliaceae or holly family of flowering plants. It is found on Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Matelea sintenisii, known commonly as the Sintenis' milkvine, is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, and is found in forests and moist districts.
Matelea borinquensis, known commonly as the San Lorenzo milkvine, is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is a forest plant, endemic to Puerto Rico, and is found in Cerro Pelucho, San Lorenzo.
The 1970 Caribbean-Azores Hurricane was the wettest known tropical cyclone to affect the United States territory of Puerto Rico in 1970. The long-lived system formed on September 24 just off the west coast of Africa, and for several days maintained a general westward track. It passed through the Lesser Antilles on October 1, and later stalled in the eastern Caribbean Sea. On October 8, the depression crossed over the Dominican Republic, and subsequently it accelerated to the northeast. It was declassified as a tropical cyclone on October 12, although its remnants persisted for another week before dissipating in the westerlies near the Azores.
Spermacoce brachysepala, the West Indian false buttonweed, is a plant species in the Rubiaceae. It is native to Puerto Rico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Psidium amplexicaule, which is commonly known as mountain guava, is a species in the family Myrtaceae that is native to the Caribbean. It is rare in a moist limestone forest at 100–600 feet altitude on north coast of Puerto Rico. This plant can also be found on islands such as St. Thomas and St. John in the United States Virgin Islands and in Tortola and Virgin Gorda of the British Virgin Islands.
Consolea moniliformis is a species of cactus that is native to the Greater Antilles, on Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Dorian caused relatively minor damage across the eastern Caribbean in late August 2019. Originating from a westward moving tropical wave, Dorian organized into a tropical cyclone on August 24 and reached the Lesser Antilles on August 26 as a tropical storm. Turning northwest, the system unexpectedly intensified to a hurricane as it struck the Virgin Islands on August 27. Antecedent to the storm's arrival, local governments across the archipelago issued tropical cyclone warnings and watches, readied public shelters, closed airports, and placed emergency crews on standby. Many of the threatened islands were still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in September 2017 and fears arose over embattled power grids. In the areas first affected, impacts were limited to gusty winds and modest rainfall. Effects were greater in the Virgin Islands where wind gusts reached 111 mph (179 km/h); however, damage was light. Multiple landslides occurred across the islands and Puerto Rico with only a handful of structures suffering damage. One person died in Puerto Rico while preparing for the storm.
Myrciaria borinquena is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the forests of Puerto Rico. It is a small tree that produces round fruit around 25mm in diameter.
