San Juan Puerto Rico

San Juan Puerto Rico

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

For other uses, see San Juan.

San Juan (IPA: [sän xuän]), the capital and largest city in Puerto Rico is located in the Northern Coastal Plains region in the karst zone. The city lies north of Aguas Buenas and Caguas; east of Guaynabo and Bayamón; and west of Carolina and Trujillo Alto.

The city is named after Saint John the Baptist (Spanish: San Juan Bautista). The latest census estimates place the city's population at 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. It is also the oldest European settlement in United States territory.

San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521 and is the oldest city in Puerto Rico. Today, San Juan serves as Puerto Rico's most important seaport, as well as the main manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourist center. The population of the metropolitan area (area metropolitana), including San Juan and the municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo, Cataño, Canóvanas, Caguas, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Carolina and Trujillo Alto is about 2 million inhabitants, hence about half the population of Puerto Rico now live in this area. The main airports serving the city are Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, located in Carolina and Fernando Ribas Dominicci Airport located in the Isla Grande district of the Municipality of San Juan.