ABSTRACT
San Juan, the chief town and capital of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is situated on the north coast of the island, on one of the best harbours in the Caribbean. It was first explored by the Spanish in 1508 and soon became the site of a substantial fortified base, which was attacked by Sir Francis Drake in 1595. It was captured by US forces in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. At the 2000 census it had a population of 421,958.
