The geography of Puerto Rico consists of an archipelago located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Hispaniola, west of the Virgin Islands, and north of Venezuela. As the smallest and easternmost of the Greater Antilles, the main island of Puerto Rico is about 178 kilometers long and about 65 kilometers wide. With a land and internal costal water area of 9,100 square kilometres, it is the 4th largest in the Caribbean and 81st largest island in the world. Various smaller islands and cays, including Vieques, Culebra, Palomino, Mona, Desecheo, and Caja de Muertos, comprise the rest of the archipelago, with only Culebra and Vieques being inhabited year-round.
Caguas is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founded in 1775. The municipality had a population of 127,244 at the 2020 census.
Cayey, officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and Salinas; and west of San Lorenzo. Cayey is spread over 21 barrios plus Cayey Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Aibonito is a small mountain town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the Sierra de Cayey mountain range, north of Salinas; south of Barranquitas and Comerío; east of Coamo; and west of Cidra, and Cayey. Aibonito is spread over 8 barrios and Aibonito Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest, is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. While there are both temperate and tropical rainforests in other states and territories, it is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest System and the United States Forest Service. El Yunque National Forest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, encompassing more than 28,000 acres of land, making it the largest block of public land in Puerto Rico.
Cerro Las Tetas, nicknamed Las Tetas de Cayey but officially Las Piedras del Collado, are two mountain peaks located in the municipality of Salinas, Puerto Rico, north of the city of Salinas proper. Since September 1, 2000, the peaks have become part of the Las Piedras del Collado Nature Reserve and are protected by law. Their height is 2,762 feet (842 m) above sea level.
The Cordillera Central, is the main mountain range in Puerto Rico. The range crosses the island from west to east and divides it into its northern and southern coastal plains. The Cordillera Central runs eastward from the municipality of Maricao in the west to Aibonito in the central eastern region, and on to the Caribbean in the southeast through the Sierra Cayey.
The Rio Grande de Loíza is a river in the island of Puerto Rico. It is the largest river in Puerto Rico by discharge volume. Situated on the north coast of the island, it originates in the northeastern Sierra de Cayey, flowing from south to north, and draining into the Atlantic Ocean, a few miles east of San Juan.
The Ruta Panorámica, officially the Ruta Panorámica Luis Muñoz Marín, is a 167-mile (269 km) network of some 40 secondary roads which traverse the island of Puerto Rico from west to east along its Cordillera Central. Most of the route consists of three roads, PR-105, PR-143, and PR-182. The route starts in Mayagüez and ends in Maunabo. The first major segment of the route runs from Mayagüez to Maricao as Route 105, then from Adjuntas to Aibonito as Route 143, and then follows Route 182 toward Maunabo.
The Sierra Luquillo is a mountain range located in the northeastern part of Puerto Rico. Also known as the Luquillo Mountains, these are steep-sided, densely-forested mountains rising to elevations of around 1,075 m (3,527 ft), the highest point being the summit of El Toro, closely followed by that of Pico El Yunque.
Carite State Forest is a state forest and nature reserve located in the Sierra de Cayey mountain range in southeastern Puerto Rico. The forest extends over approximately 2,600 hectares and is located in the municipalities of Caguas, Cayey, Guayama, Patillas and San Lorenzo. The forest is located along the Ruta Panorámica, which offers access to the forest.
Sierra de Jájome is a mountain massif of the Sierra de Cayey located in the municipalities of Cayey, Guayama and Salinas in southeastern Puerto Rico. The mountain, often referred to as a mountain range (sierra), is protected as the Jájome Protected Natural Area. The Guayama Research Forest Area is also located on the massif. La Robleda, another protected natural area, is located nearby.
Cerro La Santa is a 2,962 feet high mountain and the highest point in the Sierra de Cayey in Puerto Rico. The peak of Cerro La Santa is located in the Carite State Forest, at a tri-point shared by the municipalities of Caguas, Cayey (Farallón) and San Lorenzo (Espino).
Cerro Planada is a mountain peak located in Cayey, Puerto Rico. The mountain has an elevation of 2,480 feet, making it the 10th highest peak of the Sierra de Cayey.
The Planadas-Yeyesa Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve located in the Sierra de Cayey, in the municipality of Salinas in central Puerto Rico. The reserve is located close to the famous Cerro Las Tetas. Two of the most prominent features of the reserve are Cerro Planada, a 2,480 feet high mountain peak, and La Yeyesa, a heavily forested canyon formed by the Lapa River and other streams which feed into the Nigua River. La Yeyesa can be accessed through a lightly trafficked yet moderate trail.
Montes Oscuros is a small mountain range located between the Sierra de Cayey and the main Cordillera Central, on the municipalities of Coamo and Salinas in southern Puerto Rico. The mountain range and its environment are protected from urban development through a conservation easement, designated as the Montes Oscuros Scenic Easement.
Cerro Gregorio is a mountain of the Sierra de Cayey measuring 2,043 feet in elevation. The mountain is located in the barrios Jagual and Quebrada Honda in the municipality of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, close to the municipal boundary with Caguas. The mountain is the site of El Cerro de Nandy, a restaurant and local tourism destination.
Cerro Las Piñas is a mountain of the Sierra de Cayey located in the boundary between the municipalities of Caguas and Cayey in central Puerto Rico. The summit is located at 2,425 feet above sea level, in the barrios Beatriz of Caguas, and Beatriz and Guavate of Cayey. The summit offers panoramic views of the Valley of Caguas and Cayey.
Sierra Pandura, also known as Cuchilla de Pandura and La Pica, is a mountain range that runs from the Sierra de Cayey in the northwest to the Caribbean Sea in the southeast in southeastern Puerto Rico, between the municipalities of Maunabo and Yabucoa. Together with the Sierra de Guardarraya to the south, Sierra Pandura is part of the San Lorinzo batholith physiological region, a composite body of volcanic origin which bifurcates the mountain ridge.
