NOTE: In September of 2017, Puerto Rico was battered by Hurricane Maria, which caused widespread destruction of the infrastructure of the island. Be advised that housing, transportation, and public utilities were suffering major disruptions as of October 2017, and plan accordingly if you need to travel to the islandPuerto Rico is a Caribbean island that is a self-governing commonwealth of the United States of America. Located in the Caribbean Sea to the east of the Dominican Republic and west of the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico lies on a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal, the Mona Passage.