Article Outline
San Juan (Puerto Rico), city, San Juan Municipality, capital of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, on the Atlantic Ocean, in the northeastern part of the commonwealth. It is the largest city and principal seaport, as well as the main manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourist center of Puerto Rico.
Since World War II, San Juan's economy has grown rapidly. Major manufactures include chemicals, pharmaceuticals, rum and other beverages, fertilizer, machine tools, electronic equipment, plastic goods, textiles, clothing, and food products. San Juan has excellent transportation facilities. A network of highways connects the city to the rest of the island, and a busy airport nearby Isla Verde and San Juan's modern port facilities provide connections to international points.
The historical heart of the city, referred to as Old San Juan, lies on a small island connected to the mainland by bridges and a causeway. It is characterized by narrow, crooked streets and a number of buildings dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. The oldest part remains partly enclosed by massive walls and contains several notable forts, such as El Morro (begun 1539) and San Cristóbal (17th century), both part of San Juan National Historic Site, and La Fortaleza (begun 1533), which now serves as the governor's mansion. Also on the island is the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista (begun 1520s), a Gothic structure that contains the tomb of the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León.
On the mainland just east of Old San Juan is the section known as Condado Beach. High-rise luxury hotels and condominiums prevail in this area, which is the main focus of tourist activity in the city. To the south are two separate business districts, Santurce and Hato Rey, both encompassing tall office buildings. Farther south is the residential area of Río Piedras, which contains the main campus of the University of Puerto Rico, founded in 1903. Also in the San Juan area are the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico (1912), the Sacred Heart University (1976), the Museum of Puerto Rican Art, and the Ponce de León Museum.
The region's first European settlement, called Caparra and located west of the present-day city of San Juan, was begun in 1508 under the direction of Ponce de León. Taíno indigenous peoples lived in the area at the time. In 1521 the original settlement was abandoned and moved to the site of what is now called Old San Juan. Interestingly, this settlement was originally known as Puerto Rico (rich port), whereas the island had been named San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist) by Christopher Columbus in 1493; later the names were reversed. The community was subjected to frequent attacks by Europeans (including Sir Francis Drake in 1595), and several imposing fortifications were built. The city of San Juan remained under Spanish control until 1898, when the island was ceded to the United States at the conclusion of the Spanish-American War. The large-scale expansion of the city limits outward from Old San Juan to the mainland has occurred during the 20th century. Population (1980) 424,600; (2000) 421,958.
Hotmail
Messenger
My MSN
MSN Directory
