San Juan (Spanish pronunciation: [saŋ xwaŋ]), named after Saint John the Baptist, (Spanish: San Juan Bautista) is the capital and largest city of Puerto Rico. 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 currently composed of 18 wards (barrios), with an overall population density of 3,507 km2. The city is also the center of the island's main metropolitan area (Spanish: area metropolitana), also including the municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo, Cataño, Canóvanas, Caguas, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Carolina and Trujillo Alto, with a total population of about 2 million inhabitants; hence about half the population of Puerto Rico now lives and works in this area.
San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, and is the oldest city in Puerto Rico and the United States, and the second oldest European-established city in the Americas. Today, San Juan serves as one of Puerto Rico's most important seaport, and is the island's manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourism center. It is the seat of the island's largest university campus, and has hosted numerous important events within the sports community, including the 1979 Pan American Games, 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2006 World Baseball Classic and the Caribbean Series. (more...)