San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
Capital city and Municipality | |
 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname(s): La Ciudad Amurallada (The Walled City) | |
 Location of San Juan within the island of Puerto Rico | |
| Coordinates: 18°27′00″N 66°04′00″W / 18.45000°N 66.06667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | Puerto Rico |
| Founded | 1521 |
| Area | |
| • Capital city and Municipality | 76.93 sq mi (199.2 km2) |
| • Land | 47.82 sq mi (123.9 km2) |
| • Water | 29.11 sq mi (75.4 km2) 37.8% |
| Elevation | 322 ft (98 m) |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
| • Capital city and Municipality |  321,992 |
| • Density | 9,084.4/sq mi (3,507.5/km2) |
| • Metro | 2,509,007 |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
San Juan is the capital and largest city of Puerto Rico. The city's population is 321,992. It is the 42nd-largest city and the oldest European settlement in United States territory. Today, San Juan is Puerto Rico's most important seaport.
History
[change | change source]San Juan was founded in 1521. It was named after San Juan Bautista, or St. John the Baptist (name given by Christopher Columbus). San Juan is also known as "La Ciudad Amurallada". This means the "walled city".
Many Spanish explorers came during the Age of Discovery and built forts, churches, and other historical buildings. "La Fortaleza" (also known as "Palacio de Santa Catalina") is an example of a very old fort in San Juan.
In the sixteenth century, San Juan was a Spanish fortress against Caribs. (These were the people native to the Caribbean islands and Central America.)
San Juan has many old buildings still standing today. One is is the Casas de los Contrasfuertes (House of Buttresses), the oldest residence in Old San Juan.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "San Juan and its barrios". United States Census Bureau. 2000. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
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