. Scientific survey of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Scientific expeditions. LOBECK, THE PHYSIOGRAPHY OF PORTO RICO 303 i-rops, and in tlie southwestern corner of the island, where there occur the longest periods of drought, considerable areas are densely covered with cactus. Over the rainy windward portion of Porto Kico streams are nu- merous and always flowing. In the dry leeward portion, river courses are intermittent and coalescing alluvial fans fringe the shallow coast for many miles. The trade winds are also responsible for the strong waves of the north coast, which have thrown up b
. Scientific survey of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Scientific expeditions. LOBECK, THE PHYSIOGRAPHY OF PORTO RICO 303 i-rops, and in tlie southwestern corner of the island, where there occur the longest periods of drought, considerable areas are densely covered with cactus. Over the rainy windward portion of Porto Kico streams are nu- merous and always flowing. In the dry leeward portion, river courses are intermittent and coalescing alluvial fans fringe the shallow coast for many miles. The trade winds are also responsible for the strong waves of the north coast, which have thrown up beaches and bars and have developed a magnificent stretch of cliffs. This is in marked contrast with the south- ern coast, where there is almost no disturbance to the water and mangrove swamps abound. The shape of Porto Rico in general is that of a rectangle, with a long east-and-west dimension of 110 miles and a north-south width of 35 miles, giving the island an area three-fourths that of the state of INCHES RAINFALL PER VEAR Fig. 1.—Map showing the average annual rainfall in Porto Rico The population of Porto Rico is approximately half that of Manhattan Island, roughly between 1,200,000 and 1,250,000 people. It is, in fact, one of the most densely inhabited regions of the globe. Although there are some 65 to 70 villages on Porto Rico, the people are predominately rural and are scattered quite uniformly over the entire island, even throughout its most rugged portions. The largest three cities—San Juan, Ponce, and Mayaguez—have populations from 35,000 to 50,000. Many of the smaller villages contain less than 1000 people, but most of them average between 1000 and 2000. The towns are invariably built com- pactly around the public square or plaza which the cathedral fronts on the <'ast. The only extensive part of the island not settled is the area com- prised in the Luquillo National Forest, which covers the higher portions of the Luquillo Please
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