San Juan

San Juan is the capital of, and at about 442,000, the largest city in, Puerto Rico. It has one of the best harbors in the Caribbean. The city will celebrate its 5th Century in 2008 or 2021, depending if they count from the founding of Caparra or the act of moving the Caparra settlement to Puerto Rico isle .

San Juan's climate is classified as tropical marine. San Juan enjoys an average temperature of 82 °F (28 °C) during the year, although 90 °F (32 °C) or higher temperatures are often felt during the summer, especially if the winds come from the south. In the winter, temperatures can drop to the 60s, though the average winter low is 71 °F (22 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded was 60 °F (16 °C) on March 3, 1957, and the hottest was 98 °F (37 °C) on October 9, 1981. Rainfall is well-distributed all year, but the months of February, March and April are the driest.

San Juan is a Latin American city with Spanish-based culture, mixed with African traditions and Taíno culture. Museums of modern art exist abroad. The citizens of San Juan (called Sanjuaneros) are very festive, as on the rest of the island. San Juan has bars and discotheques all-around the city, from Old San Juan to even the southern part of the city that stay open to 3:00-4:00 AM. San Juan has become very modernized as of late, with its first Metro line (called Tren Urbano) and buses. Like most large cities, however, there is a small population of vagrants and beggars lining the streets.

San Juan is the financial capital of Puerto Rico. There are facilities for petroleum and sugar refining, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals.

Spanish is the dominant language in San Juan. English is also widely spoken and understood (approximately one-third of the population speaks English "Very Well" or better according to the 2000 U.S. Census). Most businesses within the tourist area's of the city are fully fluent in English. In addition, English is taught as a foreign language in high school, with most high school students understanding basic English. Be prepared to use some high school level Spanish to transportation drivers to communicate about luggage, restaurants, or anything not a normal tourist spot.