![]() ![]() That first settlement was abandoned, and the colonists moved to the Islet of Puerto Rico (now Isleta de San Juan) in 1521 to establish a new town which they named 'Villa de Puerto Rico.' Making it the second oldest European-established city in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. Today San Juan is inhabited by about 355,000 people (est. It is the second most populous city in the Caribbean, only surpassed by Santo Domingo.Ģ015), 2.5 million live in its metropolitan area (2010). Official languages are Spanish (Puerto Rican Spanish) and English. The city is the island's core for almost anything. San Juan is Puerto Rico's most important seaport it is one of the busiest ports in the Caribbean and Latin America. Transportation, manufacturing, banking, and tourism are the economic muscle of the city and the nation. The University of Puerto Rico with its 11 campuses and about 58,000 students is based in San Juan.Īerial view of Old San Juan cruise terminal at Calle Marina. One of the city's main tourist attractions is Old San Juan (Viejo San Juan) on the Isleta de San Juan. It is the heart of the historic part of the city with its colonial buildings lining narrow streets, and its long-standing defensive walls and forts of Puerto Rico built to protect the city and the Bay of San Juan from English and Dutch attacks. ![]()
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