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Puerto Rico – San Juan

THEWORLDOFTRAVEL asked:

San Juan, officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista (Municipality of the Capital City, Saint John the Baptist), is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico (“Rich Port City”). Puerto Rico’s capital is the second oldest European-established city in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.[5] Several historical buildings are located in San Juan; among the most notable are the city’s former defensive forts, Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort San Cristóbal, and La Fortaleza, the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas. Today, San Juan is one of Puerto Rico’s most important seaports,[6] and is the island’s manufacturing[citation needed], financial, cultural, and tourism center. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area, 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; thus, about half the population of Puerto Rico now lives and works in this area.[7] San Juan is also a principal city of the San Juan-Caguas-Fajardo Combined Statistical Area. The city has been the host of numerous important events within the

Visiting the Camuy Caves, Puerto Rico

asked: Puerto Rico is known for its stunning beaches, but this tiny Caribbean island is home to many breathtakingly beautiful natural wonders.  Figuring prominently among these are the remarkable Camuy Caves, located in the northwestern region of Puerto Rico.

Camuy Caves History

An hour and a half’s drive from San Juan will take you to the largest underground cave system in the Western Hemisphere, and the third largest in the world. The Camuy River created the caves more than a million years ago, carving the caves as it meandered through the countryside. Taino petroglyphs found inside show that members of the tribe, Puerto Rico’s original inhabitants, were familiar with the caves. The caves have been a popular destination for spelunkers since local kids first led professional cave explorers to the entrance in the 1950s. The Puerto Rico Land Administration opened the caves to tourists in 1987, and there has been a steady stream of visitors ever since.

 

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