San Juan
(sahn HWAHN), city (1990 pop. 437,745);
P.R. and largest city in pop., and chief port and commercial
center of P.R., NE P.R. on Atlantic Ocean. It is the financial,
tourism, social, and cultural center of isl. San Juan's industries
include brewing, distilling, and publishing; mfg. includes metal
prods., cement, and apparel. The city remains the isl.'s financial
center and has many internatl. banks and business corporations. San
Juan is serviced by an internatl. airport located to its W in Carolina
and cruise ship docks. As the city's metropolitan area is home to
nearly 35% of Puerto Rico's pop. as of the 1980s, the govt. has
attempted, with limited success, to reverse pop. migration to San
Juan's outlying areas. The city's old sect., situated on 2 rocky
islets guarding one of the best harbors in the Caribbean, is linked by
bridges with the mainland. The bay was named P.R. [=rich port] by
Ponce de Leon, who in 1508 founded a settlement at nearby
Caparra. In 1521 the settlement was moved across the bay to San Juan's
present site. Strongly fortified, it withstood attacks by Eng.
buccaneers in 1595, but succumbed for a few months in 1598 to George
Clifford, earl of Cumberland, and was sacked by the Dutch in
1625. San Juan's port gained increasing importance during the 18th and
19th cents. U.S. troops occupied the city during the Span.-Amer. War in
1898. In the old city, whose narrow streets, small shops, and houses
with overhanging balconies recall a colonial atmosphere, there are
impressive historic bldgs.: El Morro castle (begun 1539), which
commands the harbor entrance and is a natl. monument; San
Cristobal castle (begun 1631), originally a Span. fort; and La
Fortaleza (begun 1529), a former fort now used as the governor's
official residence. Other San Juan landmarks include San
Jose Church (founded c.1523), the oldest church in continuous use
in the Western Hemisphere; Casa Blanca (1523); and the Cathedral of San
Juan Bautista, which contains the tomb of Ponce de Leon. Also in
the city are the Univ. of P.R. and its School of Tropical Medicine, the
Col. of the Sacred Heart, and a campus of the InterAmer. Univ. of P.R.
Nearby are several resort beaches (notably the Condado and Isla Verde),
which attract tourists from N. Amer. Sabana Seca Communications Center
(U.S. Army) is W.
Capital city or county seat is shown by the symbol
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P.R. and largest city in pop., and chief port and commercial
center of P.R., NE P.R. on Atlantic Ocean. It is the financial,
tourism, social, and cultural center of isl. San Juan's industries
include brewing, distilling, and publishing; mfg. includes metal
prods., cement, and apparel. The city remains the isl.'s financial
center and has many internatl. banks and business corporations. San
Juan is serviced by an internatl. airport located to its W in Carolina
and cruise ship docks. As the city's metropolitan area is home to
nearly 35% of Puerto Rico's pop. as of the 1980s, the govt. has
attempted, with limited success, to reverse pop. migration to San
Juan's outlying areas. The city's old sect., situated on 2 rocky
islets guarding one of the best harbors in the Caribbean, is linked by
bridges with the mainland. The bay was named P.R. [=rich port] by
Ponce de Leon, who in 1508 founded a settlement at nearby
Caparra. In 1521 the settlement was moved across the bay to San Juan's
present site. Strongly fortified, it withstood attacks by Eng.
buccaneers in 1595, but succumbed for a few months in 1598 to George
Clifford, earl of Cumberland, and was sacked by the Dutch in
1625. San Juan's port gained increasing importance during the 18th and
19th cents. U.S. troops occupied the city during the Span.-Amer. War in
1898. In the old city, whose narrow streets, small shops, and houses
with overhanging balconies recall a colonial atmosphere, there are
impressive historic bldgs.: El Morro castle (begun 1539), which
commands the harbor entrance and is a natl. monument; San
Cristobal castle (begun 1631), originally a Span. fort; and La
Fortaleza (begun 1529), a former fort now used as the governor's
official residence. Other San Juan landmarks include San
Jose Church (founded c.1523), the oldest church in continuous use
in the Western Hemisphere; Casa Blanca (1523); and the Cathedral of San
Juan Bautista, which contains the tomb of Ponce de Leon. Also in
the city are the Univ. of P.R. and its School of Tropical Medicine, the
Col. of the Sacred Heart, and a campus of the InterAmer. Univ. of P.R.
Nearby are several resort beaches (notably the Condado and Isla Verde),
which attract tourists from N. Amer. Sabana Seca Communications Center
(U.S. Army) is W.
